Warning: Spoilers for Batman #160!20 years after Jason Todd's death, DC Comics reveals that Red Hood is dying. 1988's "A Death in the Family" shocked the world when Bruce Wayne's second Robin met his demise thanks to the Joker. Even more shocking was his 2005 resurrection in "Under the Hood," but Jason seems to have been harboring a dark secret about his revival that DC wasn't ready to unveil until now.

Through the words of Hush, Batman #160 (which releases May 28) strongly hints that Red Hood is slowly dying as a result of the damage he suffered during Jason Todd's original death. In the previous issue of Batman during the "Hush 2" arc, the Bat-Family's core relationship is shattered when Jason aligns with Hush, but in a preview below, readers see the duo's dynamic unfold.

Even Bruce debates within himself whether Hush could be telling the truth or not. If true, then it's finally taken more than two decades for Jason's death to catch up to him.

Hush Hints That Red Hood Could Be Dying Following His 1988 Death as Jason Todd

Batman #160 by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Richard Starkings

When speaking of Red Hood's original death, Hush suggests that Jason Todd is hiding a cerebral pain that not even the Lazarus Pit that resurrected him 20 years ago could fix. The quote, "Your brain is deteriorating," reads in the kind of matter-of-fact sense a doctor would speak to a patient. Knowing the kind of expert surgeon Hush is, the potential legitimacy of his words seems to amplify. Again, it remains to be seen if Hush is telling the truth and how he would find out such sensitive information, even as a partner.

Following his death and before his official resurrection, Jason Todd appears in the original Hush storyline seemingly as Hush unmasked, but this turned out to be Clayface in disguise. In the comics, Jason Todd inexplicably returns after Superboy-Prime punches a hole in reality that makes the impossible possible. "Under the Hood" would reveal that Jason was taken off the streets and brought to the Lazarus Pit to rejuvenate by Ra's Al Ghul and Talia al Ghul.

Jason questions if Hush says all this just for Batman's surveillance cameras, putting into further question if he's only trying to mess with Bruce. That being said, Hush's words about Red Hood seem plausible, in retrospect. After all, Jason suffered substantial damage when he died in the explosion crafted by The Joker, and that's all after he was already beaten nearly to death by the Joker with what would become his ill-chosen weapon of choice, the crowbar. The Lazarus Pit has restorative properties, yet, was always framed to have consequences for whoever uses it.

Could Jason Todd's Death Be a Permanent One?

Hush's Words Suggest That Red Hood Will Die For Good if His Brain Kills Him

Some readers may not see any urgency in Hush's words, knowing that Red Hood has already died and come back, under the impression he could do it again. However, the nature of Hush's words suggests Jason's next death will be a permanent one. Perhaps the stakes could suggest that the Lazarus Pit is just a bandage over an inevitable problem. The Pit couldn't repair his original injuries, and nothing could fix them. Red Hood fans should be worried, because if Jason Todd succumbs to his injuries like Hush foreshadows, there may be no coming back this time.

Batman #160 will be available from DC Comics on May 28.