Warning! Contains Spoilers for Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5Robin, Stephanie Brown.
Jason hasn't had the best track record when it's come to friendships. His time in the Bat-Family has been difficult, with Batman disowning him several times, and his friendships outside of it have been just as difficult. This is why it's all the more interesting that DC is seemingly pushing the duo of Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown, the two people who count as "failed" Robins in the DC Universe. Readers get to see this first-hand in Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5 by Matthew Rosenberg and Carmine Di Giandomenico. When Red Hood sets out to kill Joker, it's Stephanie who tries to talk sense into him. Ever since Task Force Z, it seems the idea of Stephanie and Jason having a friendship has been getting more attention, which makes perfect sense considering their backstories.
Stephanie Was The Only One To Reach Out To Jason
Red Hood has always struggled with making friends, he had a difficult initial relationship with Nightwing, his original meetings with Tim were disastrous, and his first meetings with Damian didn't go much better. Outside the Bat-Family, Jason has tried to strike up friendships with Roy Harper, Starfire, Bizarro, and Artemis, but all of them have left for one reason or another. This could be because none of them had similar life experiences to Jason, which is why Stephanie Brown is Red Hood's best friend. After all, the two of them are the only ones who failed at being Robin.
Jason's history as Robin is extremely well-documented among comic fans, as he was the first Robin to die in the line of duty. He was a bright and hopeful boy but had moments of anger that could cloud his judgment, causing him to deal more damage to criminals than was necessary. Eventually, Jason grew to believe that Batman's method of dealing with criminals wasn't enough, which is why when he came back as the Red Hood he began killing criminals. Likewise, when Stephanie Brown became Robin, she had differences from the other Robins like Tim and Dick, as she was significantly more headstrong. She disobeyed Batman's direct orders, albeit to save his life, and in the process allowed a criminal to escape. When Stephanie believed Batman had been wounded by Mr. Zasz, she resorted to using lethal force, the only reason she didn't kill him was she missed the direct hit she was going for. Both of these things got her fired from being Robin, but they're also both things that Jason would likely applaud her for.
Stephanie Is Always There For Jason
Jason's relationship with the other of the Bat-Family is often shown as strained at the best of times. He rarely interacts with Damian or Tim, Batman is usually antagonistic towards him, and he has little relationship with Batgirls Cass or Barbara. Stephanie Brown, on the other hand has continually reached out to Red Hood over and over, proving that while they may not have been Batman's best Robins, they absolutely work as a pair for each other.
Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5 is on sale now from DC Comics!
