WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Task Force Z #1
Jason Todd may be seen as the black sheep of Gotham’s own version of the Punisher. But recently, Todd has decided to turn over a new leaf, pledging to bring justice to the streets without leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.
Unfortunately for Red Hood, however, the dead aren’t done with him just yet as he’s found himself roped into the Task Force Z program. Alongside the reanimated corpses of some of Gotham’s deadliest deceased, Jason has already been forced to put his new code to the test. But when a prisoner is about to be tortured before his very eyes in Task Force Z #1 by Matthew Rosenberg and Eddy Barrows, the Red Hood is unwilling to stand by and watch - unlike Marvel Comics’ Star-Spangled Man.
After less approving of torture than one Steve Rogers.
Despite his violent past, Red Hood is clearly trying to make a change and torturing villains isn’t going to be a part of it. Meanwhile, when recently put into a similar situation, Captain America allowed the U.S. Agent to effectively torture Sin, the daughter of the Red Skull, all while simply waiting in the other room. Both men have racked up a sizable body count – Red Hood used to be a ruthless vigilante and Captain America was a wartime hero – but their respective reactions to pretty similar situations say a lot about both characters.
While he’s often seen as Bruce Wayne’s wayward son, Jason was still trained by the Batman, and no matter how hard he’s tried to shake those teachings over the years, there will always be a part of him that will try and live by Batman's code of honor – one that clearly prohibits torturing prisoners. Meanwhile, Captain America is seen as the Sentinel of Liberty and is the high standard to which many Marvel heroes measure themselves. But thanks to his harsh experiences both during war and as an espionage agent, it seems that Steve is willing to cross a few lines for what he considers the greater good.
Red Hood and Captain America are two very different characters, and each heroes’ reaction to torture was far different than many fans may have expected. But when looking at the context of both Jason and Steve’s backgrounds, as well as the new identities they’ve forged, it makes total sense for them to react the way they did. But just because Steve’s reaction wasn’t surprising doesn’t mean it was acceptable. After all, if even Red Hood - DC Comics’ resident Bat-Family bad boy – won’t allow torture, then neither should Captain America.
