Warning! Spoilers for From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #4!A lot of people in the DC Universe want to kill the Red Hood. Unfortunately, due to narrative necessity of the Joker, DC has never allowed him to be killed off, but in this one-off universe, Jason is finally given the revenge that he deserves.
Jason was finally given his satisfying revenge in the pages of From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #4 by J.M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi, Rico Renzi, and Taylor Esposito. In this story, Jason survives and tries to move on from his attempted murder at the hands of the Joker. But the trauma ends up being too much for Jason to handle, and he eventually goes after the Joker, trying to seek him out on his own.
Naturally, Joker transforms Jason into his new sidekick. Thankfully, Jason shakes off the brainwashing and resists the Joker's control before it's too late. After the Joker escapes again, Jason chases the Joker down and finally manages to shoot him to death in a bat cave, right in front of Batman.
Jason Todd Finally Gets His Long-Awaited Revenge Against the Joker
The Joker Couldn't Outrun Jason Todd Forever
Jason's death at the hands of the Joker is something that forever defines his character. No matter what Jason does, whether Red Hood is an antagonist to the Bat-Family, a mystical ninja, or an anti-hero, it always comes back to the Joker. The majority of Red Hood's stories revolve around Jason trying to get revenge on the Joker. It was the major plot point of Batman: Under the Red Hood by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke. But Jason has never managed to kill the Prime Earth Joker. The closest he ever got was killing a Joker from an alternate dimension during Countdown to Final Crisis.
Joker's Terrifyingly Surreal New Form Brings Red Hood's Nightmares to Life (You Can't Unsee This)
No one has more reason to be terrified of the Joker than Red Hood, who recently revealed exactly how he sees the clown in a nightmarish flashback.
The Joker is simply too popular a character for DC to kill off, which puts Jason's character in a weird loop where he desperately wants revenge on the Clown Prince, but he can never actually get it. Even in stories like DCeased by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, and others, it's Harley Quinn who manages to kill the Joker, not Jason. There are plenty of universes where the Joker dies, but Jason never gets to be the one to kill him - until now. Seeing Jason finally shoot the Joker in the head is deeply cathartic, and while it's understandable that it'll never happen in the Prime Universe, it is shocking how it's pretty much never happened anywhere.
The Robin Lives! Timeline Is the Only "Universe" Where Jason Todd Gets His Revenge
Jason Todd Finally Gets the Revenge He Deserves
Narratively, creating characters who want revenge in stories that are made to never end - like superhero comics - can be a major problem. No matter how much Jason wants to kill the Joker, he'll never be able to do it, because the Joker is simply too popular and important to Gotham's narrative ecosystem. Jason either needs to let go of his desire for revenge, which isn't entirely reasonable, or he needs to continue trying and failing to kill the Joker, like some kind of demented Wile E. Coyote skit. That's why alternate universe stories can be so great, because, at least once, Red Hood finally got to give the Joker what he deserves.
From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #4 is available now from DC Comics.
Jason Todd is a complex figure known for his tumultuous journey as Batman's second Robin. Initially impulsive and rebellious, he's resurrected after a tragic death, becoming the vigilante Red Hood. Armed with intense combat skills and a moral ambiguity, he challenges Batman's methods, navigating a path between heroism and anti-heroism in Gotham's unforgiving streets.
- Created By
- Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson
- Cast
- Cesar Romero, Barry Keoghan
- First Appearance
- Batman (1940)
- Alias
- Red Hood, Clown Prince of Crime, Ace of Knaves
- RELATIONSHIPS
- Batman (archenemy), Harley Quinn (former psychiatrist, on-and-off girlfriend), Penguin (frequent collaborator), Two-Face (frequent collaborator)
- Alliance
- Injustice League, Legion of Doom, Injustice Gang
The Joker is a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor. Initially introduced as a remorseless serial killer, the character evolved over time, often oscillating between a prankster and a homicidal maniac. His relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in comic book history, defined by their mutual obsession. Over the decades, the Joker has become an enduring icon of chaos and madness, embodying the antithesis of Batman's order and justice.
- Movies
- Joker: Folie a Deux
- TV Shows
- Batwoman
- Video Games
- Batman: Return of the Joker, The Adventures of Batman & Robin (SNES), Gotham Knights
- Franchise
- D.C.
- POWERS
- Criminal Mastermind, Expert Chemist, Weaponized Props, Psychological Manipulation, Combat Skills, Unpredictability, High Pain Tolerance, Charisma, Escape Artist
- HISTORY
- The Joker's history has been depicted with various origin stories, the most common being his transformation into the Joker after falling into a vat of chemical waste that bleaches his skin white, turns his hair green, and lips bright red. This disfigurement drives him insane, leading him to become Batman's greatest nemesis.
- NAME
- Arthur Fleck
- Age
- Varies by portrayal; generally depicted as being in his 30s to 40s.
- Height
- Typically depicted around 6 feet (1.83 meters).
- Comic Books
- Joker #1, The Joker #5, Joker: Killer Smile #1, Batman: Three Jokers #1, Batman: The Joker War Zone #1, DC's Year of the Villain: Joker #1, Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1, The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1, Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity Secret Files #1, The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1
