“The Murder of the Joker”: Jason Todd’s Revenge on Joker Totally Rewrites Red Hood Lore

One of the most defining events in Jason Todd’s life was when the Joker killed him. This kept Jason dead for over twenty years until he returned as the Red Hood. Now, in a brand-new “What If” style miniseries, DC is asking what would have happened if Jason Todd had lived instead of being killed at such a young age.

Death in the Family: Robin Lives! by J.M. DeMatteis and Rick Leonardi promises to look at one of the biggest events in Batman history and see what would happen if fate had gone a different way. Instead of the Joker killing Jason Todd, it seems that Jason will not only live, but get revenge on the Joker and kill him instead.

While the Joker being killed is already a major event in the DC Universe, especially for Batman, that the Joker is dying instead of Jason Todd might have massive implications. If the Joker is killed instead of Jason, this might mean that the Joker will follow the path that Jason was destined for instead, eventually becoming a new version of Red Hood.

Jason Todd’s New Miniseries Will Rewrite Batman’s History

What If… Jason Todd Survived the Joker?

After the Joker killed Jason Todd, Jason remained dead for a very long time, and then, due to Superboy-Prime punching reality, Jason Todd was revived. While this should’ve been a happy occasion, a second chance at life for the lost son, Jason instead saw that Batman had allowed the Joker to live, and he swore revenge on them both. With Tim Drake taking the place of Robin, it seemed that Batman well and truly forgot him and moved on, while letting Joker get away with it. Jason then took on the mantle of Red Hood and became a brutal vigilante who had no issue using lethal force, and now that fate may belong to the Joker.

Readers currently don’t know just how much history Death in the Family: Robin Lives is going to cover, but if it goes far enough, it’s possible that the Joker will share the same fate as Jason Todd and will be revived during the events of this new timeline’s version of Infinite Crisis. This means that the Joker could reclaim the Red Hood mantle — it was originally his, after all. But where he goes from there is unclear. Batman: Under the Hood would be an entirely different event if it was the Joker returning from the grave under the mask instead of the long-dead Robin Jason Todd.

The Joker Might Become a New Version of Red Hood

What Path Will Jason Todd Take in This New Timeline?

Red Hood’s return was an unforgettable moment in the history of Batman, and it changed everything for the Bat-Family going forward. Jason was a major antagonist for years in comics before becoming an anti-hero and the black sheep of the Bat-Family. But this already emotional story could be even more devastating than Jason’s return. Instead of the wayward son returning to confront his father, it might instead be the Joker returning as Red Hood to haunt Jason for the sin of killing him.

From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #1 is available July 10th, 2024 from DC Comics!