While most comic book fans recognize Red Hood as the black sheep of the Bat-Family, this role strictly belonged to Huntress for many years prior to Jason Todd’s return from the dead. Both vigilantes are frowned upon by Batman for their deadly brand of justice, but one will always be subject to more criticism than the other. Huntress is arguably a more interesting black sheep and one Bruce is more willing to disown than Jason.
Helena Bertinelli was the first of Gotham’s vigilantes to receive Batman’s disapproval. After her parents were brutally murdered by a rival mob, Helena grew up to become the Huntress, a masked vigilante, hell-bent on revenge via any means necessary. Huntress has proven herself to be a valuable asset to the Bat-Family, the Birds of Prey, and even the Justice League. Unfortunately, when it comes to her brutal tactics, Huntress and Batman don’t see eye-to-eye. Batman frequently makes sure to remind Helena that she operates in his city, which means that she needs to go by his rules.
In JLA: Secret Files #2, by Christopher Priest, Yanick Paquette, Mark Lipka, and Pat Garrahy, Oracle describes Huntress as “the one hero in Gotham HE never mentions. The black sheep of the family.” Huntress’ status as a member of the Bat-Family wavers from issue to issue, largely due to her terse relationship with Batman. Her lack of personal connection to Bruce makes her far more dangerous and unpredictable than Jason, a wild card Batman would only seek aid from if absolutely necessary. However, Huntress is one of the few heroes to be truly Batman’s equal. In Secret Files, he recruits Huntress to the Justice League of America, something he would never even consider doing with Red Hood today. There’s enough distance between them that Batman can overlook Helena’s flaws and see her potential to grow as a hero. She joins reluctantly, at first, wary of Batman’s watchful eye, but ultimately, she deeply wants to be part of the team.
Since Jason Todd’s return to comics as Red Hood, the role of the black sheep has fallen to him, leaving Huntress on the sidelines more often than before. Yet this could be further proof of her black sheep status as someone Batman rarely calls on for help. While she acts more as a secret weapon, Jason will always be Bruce Wayne’s son. No matter what he does, Jason simply won’t be kicked out of the family. Interestingly enough, just as easily as Huntress can be given a chance on the JLA, Batman has no qualms kicking Huntress from the JLA. When she nearly kills Prometheus, Batman doesn’t hesitate to revoke her membership, firmly stating that the League is no place for killers.
One thing Red Hood can never escape is his familial connection to Bruce Wayne. Some have even argued Red Hood would make a better Batman than Bruce Wayne given how close he is to the rest of the Bat-Family. He was raised under the wing of Batman, while Huntress joined as an outsider Bruce would never fully trust. Even with Red Hood in the mix, Huntress will always be the true black sheep of the Bat-Family.
