Batman Red Hood: Jason Todd's Robin History and Return

Batman Red Hood is Jason Todd, the second Robin, who first appeared in Batman #357 in 1983. His debut under the Red Hood identity followed in Batman #635 in 2004, introduced by Judd Winick, Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen. The two issues mark different moments in the history of the same character: the first introduces Jason, while the second introduces him as Red Hood. That distinction is useful when a reading list identifies either issue as a first appearance.

Jason's history connects his time as Robin with his later return. He became Robin in Batman #368 in 1984, after Dick Grayson retired from the role. In A Death in the Family, the Joker attacks Jason and leaves him in a warehouse rigged to explode. Years later, Under the Hood follows Batman's discovery that Red Hood is Jason Todd. DC also describes an eventual reconciliation between the two.

The story contains major spoilers for Jason's death and return. Readers looking for wider franchise coverage can start with the Batman movies hub. For Jason's particular history, begin by separating his first appearance from his Robin debut and his first appearance as Red Hood. Each is a useful starting point, but each answers a different question about the character.

The Joker beat Jason Todd with a crowbar and left him in a warehouse rigged to explode in A Death in the Family. Published in Batman #426 through #429 in 1988, the story includes Sheila Haywood betraying Jason to the Joker. Jason tries to save her. The sequence is central to the history that precedes his return as Red Hood.

Readers helped determine the outcome through voting. DC recorded 5,343 votes for Jason to die and 5,271 for him to survive, a difference of 72 across 10,614 votes. These figures count votes, rather than establishing how many different people participated. The close result also gives readers a precise way to understand the decision behind the published outcome. DC had prepared alternate versions of Batman #428 to accommodate either decision.

The unpublished survival version did not disappear entirely from Jason's publishing history. DC reports that a page from it was later reused in Batman Annual #25, an issue included in Under the Hood. The annual therefore connects the earlier choice about Jason's fate with the story of his return.

The comic event can also be distinguished from Batman: Death in the Family, the 2020 animated production whose branches build on the 2010 film. For the original comic sequence, look for Batman #426 through #429. Keep the 1988 and 2020 dates alongside the titles when choosing between the comic and animation.

Jason Todd's comics return involved reality altering events and a Lazarus Pit, with sources addressing different parts of his recovery. DC's character profile identifies both elements, while its official timeline describes Talia al Ghul restoring him to full strength using the pit. The timeline cites Red Hood: The Lost Days #1 for that restoration. Jason's recovery and his appearance as Red Hood are distinct points to follow when reading his history.

The resurrection also has an adaptation history. In a SYFY WIRE oral history, Judd Winick described the comics explanation involving Superboy Prime disrupting reality. For the animated adaptation, he described replacing that mechanism with Ra's al Ghul placing Jason's body in a Lazarus Pit. The film and the comics therefore use different accounts of how Jason returns, even though a Lazarus Pit is part of both accounts.

Red Hood: The Lost Days explores Jason's training under Talia al Ghul. It offers a reading point for the period associated with his recovery and training, rather than serving as his first appearance under the Red Hood identity. That debut took place in Batman #635 in 2004.

For a practical reading route, use DC's timeline and The Lost Days #1 for Talia's role in restoring Jason to full strength. Turn to Batman #635 for the Red Hood debut, then compare the animated adaptation separately if the question is how the explanation changed.

Under the Hood tells Jason Todd's return as Red Hood across Batman #635 through #641, Batman #645 through #650 and Batman Annual #25. The opening issue introduces Jason as Red Hood, while the sequence follows Red Hood's takeover of Gotham crime and Batman's discovery that he is Jason. Readers collecting individual issues need both numbered ranges and the annual to follow the sequence identified by DC.

The discovery connects the new identity to Batman's history with his former Robin. Jason became Robin in Batman #368, and A Death in the Family later depicted the Joker's attack on him. Under the Hood returns to that history through Batman's discovery of the person behind Red Hood. The earlier Robin stories and the later return can be read as separate parts of the same character's publication history.

The annual provides another connection to the earlier publishing decision. DC reports that it reused a page from the unpublished version of Batman #428 in which Jason survived. That detail makes the annual relevant when comparing the alternate outcome prepared for A Death in the Family with the later story of his return.

When checking a collection or an issue list, look for Batman #635 through #641, Batman #645 through #650 and Batman Annual #25. A listing that gives only the first range does not cover the complete sequence described in DC's retrospective.

The Red Hood animated movie is Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), directed by Brandon Vietti and written by Judd Winick. Winick's involvement connects the adaptation to a creator of Jason's Red Hood debut in Batman #635. DC lists Bruce Timm as producer and an ensemble including Jensen Ackles, Bruce Greenwood, John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Isaacs. The film also features Black Mask.

For this character history, a key adaptation choice concerns Jason's return. Judd Winick described replacing the comics' Superboy Prime resurrection mechanism with an account in which Ra's al Ghul places Jason's body in a Lazarus Pit. DC's comics timeline separately describes Talia al Ghul using a Lazarus Pit to restore Jason to full strength. The shared presence of a pit does not make the two accounts identical.

The comic and film are separate formats with different explanations for the return. The comic sequence Under the Hood includes Batman #635 through #641, Batman #645 through #650 and Batman Annual #25. The animated work is identified by its full title, Batman: Under the Red Hood, and its 2010 release date.

Use the full film title and year when seeking the animation. For the printed story, check the issue ranges and annual. Readers comparing the two can then follow Winick's account of the change without treating the film's explanation as the comics' mechanism.

Batman: Death in the Family (2020) uses Batman: Under the Red Hood as a basis for branching story paths. Brandon Vietti wrote, produced and directed the 2020 production, returning to material connected to the 2010 film he directed. The branches offer a different way to approach that animated story from watching the earlier film.

Bruce Greenwood, Vincent Martella and John DiMaggio return as voices in the 2020 production. Their participation connects the two animated works as well as the story material. For a viewer choosing an edition, the central distinction is interactivity: DC's release announcement specifies that the Blu-ray provides the interactive experience, while the digital edition presents noninteractive versions. DC also notes that bonus feature availability varies by retailer.

The branching format has a point of comparison in the earlier comic's publication history. For A Death in the Family, DC recorded 5,343 votes for Jason to die and 5,271 for him to survive, and prepared alternate versions of Batman #428. The 2020 production builds its branches on the animated film, so its format and the comic vote belong to different releases.

Keep the year beside the title when checking a description: A Death in the Family is the 1988 comic story, Batman: Under the Red Hood is the 2010 film, and Batman: Death in the Family is the 2020 production. Choose the Blu-ray edition specified by DC if interactivity is the reason for watching.

Batman and Red Hood investigate a dangerous drug in Cheer, published across Batman: Urban Legends #1 through #6. The story provides a later reading point for their relationship, beyond Batman's discovery that Red Hood is Jason Todd. It gives readers a shared investigation to follow after the events covered in Under the Hood.

DC's character profile describes Jason eventually reconciling with Batman. That later development gives the relationship another point of reference alongside their earlier history as Batman and Robin. Jason became Robin in Batman #368 in 1984, and his debut as Red Hood followed in Batman #635 in 2004. Cheer can be read with those different stages in mind.

The Lost Days offers a separate route into the period surrounding Jason's return. DC's reading guide describes it as exploring his training under Talia al Ghul, and DC's timeline cites its first issue for Talia restoring him to full strength with a Lazarus Pit. Those details answer a different question from the shared investigation in Cheer.

For a reading route, begin with the Robin introduction that interests you, then follow A Death in the Family into Under the Hood. Add The Lost Days for the recovery and training material. Finish with Cheer in Batman: Urban Legends #1 through #6 to see Batman and Red Hood investigating the same dangerous drug.