In the digital-first series Truth and Justice, a classic Batman villain gives the Red Hood yet another burial.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Truth & Justice #10 by Jeff Trammell, Rob Guillory, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Becca Carey, on sale now.
Considering the type of mask he likes to wear, it isn’t a stretch of the imagination to believe that the Red Hood has the advantage when going up against someone like the Scarecrow. But considering his emotional state when he found the master of fear, mistakes can be made. And in the process of what should have been an easy fight, Red Hood was not only defeated by the Scarecrow, but also woke up in an especially twisted prison.
In Truth & Justice #10, Red Hood was investigating the death of his close friend Max Dawkins. Max had a strong influence in Jason’s life prior to the latter’s recruitment as the new Robin, looking out for the young Jason Todd before Bruce Wayne entered his life. And even after Jason began working with Batman, he made sure that Max was taken care of, even getting to see him graduate from college. Max was a bright spot in Jason’s life, as an example of someone who grew up on the streets but had not become cynical. Max dreamed of improving the homeless situation in Gotham after graduating.
Unfortunately, Max was found dead and the police chalked it up to a drug overdose, something Red Hood knew was nonsense. Max had never touched drugs in his life, so there had to be another explanation for his death. Red Hood tracked down the people who disposed of Max’s corpse, beating them down until they revealed who had ordered them to murder his friend. He didn’t have to wait long before his answer walked through the door in the form of classic Batman villain the Scarecrow.
The Scarecrow attacked Red Hood, but Jonathan Crane is not the most physically intimidating figure, even in his most terrifying disguise. With his helmet covering his face, Red Hood was safe from any gas attacks from the villain. However, Jason’s anger over Max’s death clouded his judgement. Rather than handle Scarecrow from a safe distance he got up close and personal, giving Scarecrow the perfect opening to inject him with concentrated fear toxin.
Oddly enough, Red Hood seemed completely unaffected by the toxin, much to the surprise of Crane. After waiting a moment to make sure he was okay, the Red Hood boasted that since he’s died before, he’s not afraid of much else. But that boast may have been a mistake. Jason may not have feared the Scarecrow, but with all the physical and emotional trauma he’s been through, he’s bound to fear something.
And that something took the form of Batman. At first, Jason thought the Dark Knight was here to stop him from killing Scarecrow. But when Batman unmasked with a giant bat behind him, Jason knew something was wrong. Batman condemned him as a failure, before knocking him out with a crowbar. When Jason woke up, he had no helmet and realized he was in a coffin. All he could door was pound against the wood and demand to be let out. But there was nothing there save for a grave with his name on it.
It stands to reason that Scarecrow saw Red Hood’s distraction and used it as an opportunity to knock him out. And being the sadist that he is, Scarecrow probably took Jason’s boasting as a challenge, wanting to see if Jason was still afraid of dying. And it seems that the former psychiatrist was correct in his assessment. Jason may have died and come back but that didn’t eliminate his fear of death, and waking up in a coffin probably triggered memories he would rather leave forgotten.
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