In Batman: The Adventures Continue #10, Jason Todd finally suits as the Red Hood, debuting his classic costume for the DC Animated Universe.
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Batman: The Adventures Continue #10, by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Ty Templeton, Monica Kubina and Josh Reed, on sale now.
Batman: The Adventures Continue is a comic series taking place in the DC Animated Universe. Chronologically, it follows Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, but recent flashbacks segments have also examined the time period in-between both fan-favorite cartoon series.
Ever since the start of The Adventures Continue, Jason Todd has been a presence in Gotham City, but he never got directly involved. Instead, he only watched as Batman, Robin and Batgirl took on the likes of Lex Luthor and Deathstroke. From the beginning, it’s been clear Jason was plotting to take his revenge on Batman for something terrible that had happened to him some time ago.
Now, with Batman: The Aventures Continue #10, Jason is finally ready to make his move. The former Robin has taken center stage in the series, and he’s made his presence officially known to Bruce Wayne. And as the two are finally reunited, Jason officially reveals himself as the Red Hood.
In The Adventures Continue #9, Alfred Pennyworth finally confirmed that Jason Todd was the second Robin, following in the footsteps of Dick Grayson in the DC Animated Universe. Before he was taken in by Bruce Wayne, Jason’s brother joined up with a street gang called the Wolves, who forced him to wear a red hood during a robbery. Because of this red hood, his brother accidentally died when the police showed up. Jason attacked the Wolves in retaliation for what happened to his brother, and that was how he first got Batman’s attention.
Jason was a far more reckless and violent sidekick than Dick Grayson, which prompted Bruce Wayne to keep a tighter leash on him. Unfortunately, this caused a schism between the two and, eventually, something terrible happened, something that led Batman to believe Jason was dead.
But now, Jason is back, and he’s looking for retribution.
After watching from the shadows for the series’ first nine issues, Jason fully reveals himself when Batman arrives at the old Wolves’ hangout, the Den. The reunion between the two former partners is naturally rife with tension, as Jason tells Bruce what happened after his seeming death. He then turns around to reveal his new look as the Red Hood.
“The victim’s shroud turned executioner’s mask,” he says of the eponymous red hood. The crimson mask is of course a callback to the one his brother wore a long time ago. It has sentimental value to him — it honors his brother, and it works as a taunt to Batman, given that this red hood is the reason they started working together in the first place. It’s, essentially, a reminder of his failure.
Jason’s look as the Red Hood in the DCAU is extremely similar to the character’s classic costume in the regular DC Universe. He’s got the brown jacket and black pants, gloves and boots. He’s even armed with a gun, which he carries on a side holster — but he only has one instead of his usual two. What’s more, the main important difference here is that his black shirt underneath the jacket doesn’t appear to feature a red bat-symbol.
Considering that Jason is currently out to kill Batman, that’s not too surprising. However, if the two vigilantes end up burring the hatchet, Jason could eventually complete his look with a red bat that identifies his DC Universe counterpart as a member of the Bat-Family.
