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When you think of Batman’s first Robin, you think of his overwhelming charisma that everyone loves. The third Robin is intelligent, more brain than brawn, always thinking ahead. The current Robin is empathetic, his heart full of compassion for animals. The second Robin?
The second Robin is the angry Robin. He was reckless and violent with criminals; he was killed because he refused to obey orders from Batman.
But is that the truth?
-
“Hood, do I have to keep reminding you? You can’t kill someone, you put not just yourself at risk, but everyone else.” Bruces snarled.
That was all Jason needed to hear. To know that, once again, he had somehow fuck up. Despite the fact that he’s trying his best to follow Bruce’s ‘rules’ by compromising his own, he has never been appreciated for it. It’s always ‘You can’t do this-’ or You’re not supposed to do that-’ and so on. Just this once, he had broken the rule after two whole fucking years of being clean, and all Bruce did was berate him.
Jason just stands there, looking at the man across from him. The man who was supposed to be his ‘father’.
But was he ever? He remembers his ‘father’ telling him, “I’m not your father, Jason. I don’t need a teenage rebellion.”
He always wondered why Bruce assumed he ran to Ethiopia to ‘prove’ himself by beating up the Joker.
The real reason he ran away to Ethiopia was to find his so-called ‘mother’. The ‘mother’ who fucking sold him out to the Joker, who he didn’t even know was there. All for the chance of someone, just one person, giving him the parental love he so desperately yearned for.
The love that Bruce had taken away when he got to ‘reckless’ and ‘violent’, but he never wondered why Jason was like that. Never asked what caused Jason to change and act out. And if Jason had to guess, Felipe Garzonas was apparently his last straw.
He doubted Jason. He didn’t trust Jason. He assumed Jason had pushed and killed that scum just because he refused to answer him when he asked Jason what happened. But he hadn’t. He still knew what was right and wrong. He so desperately wanted to push that man off, but didn’t. Sure, Jason might have spoken to that man a bit too much that he fell, but he didn’t directly push him.
Brue had once said that actions have consequences, and he was right.
Actions do have consequences.
He ran away to Ethiopia because Bruce did not trust him. He took Robin away. Jason ran away because the man who promised to be his ‘father’ decided to be Batman instead of his ‘father’. How could Jason trust a man who doubted him? Took away the one thing that made his life worth living? The thing that made him able to help others who wouldn’t be able to get justice otherwise?
That was why he became Robin. To help others. Not out of grief and guilt like Bruce. Not out of revenge like Dick. Not because Batman needed a Robin like Tim, which is utterly stupid, because why does a grown ass man need a literal child to keep them under control? He didn’t become Robin because he saw it as a ‘birthright’ like Damian, either. All Jason wanted was for those who had been wronged to get the justice they deserved.
Regardless, after Felipe’s case, Bruce hadn’t even checked up on him. To see if he’s alright after seeing a victim of sexual assault hang herself. Bruce had to have known how traumatising seeing a scene like that was, especially for a child, because he was one, and he did nothing.
If Jason had to guess, it’s because he’s not Dick Grayson. He’s not the lovable golden boy that Dick is. All he is is a street rat. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s not worth Bruce Wayne’s love. Jason is just a charity event to show how compassionate Bruce Wayne was.
Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Jason snarled, “If I didn’t do what I did, Robin would have died,” and continued in a sarcastic voice, “Unless you wanted that?”
“You could have found another way,” Bruce replies like the stuck-up he is.
Jason just scoffs at that.
“It’s always ‘there’s another way this, there’s another way that’. No. There wasn’t another way, Batman. It was either Robin dies, or I do what I did.
“No one gets to play judge, jury, and executioner, Jason. We can’t just decide who lives or dies.”
But Batman does choose who lives, and in consequence, he chooses who dies by letting rogues who can’t be rehabilitated live.
Something inside Jason cracks, “What a hypocrite,” he mutters.
“What did you say?” Bruce narrowed his eyes as he growled.
“I said you’re a fucking hypocrite, Bruce. You say we can’t decide who lives or dies, but you do. You decided to let rogues live despite their crimes. Have you ever considered that your decision to keep those murderers alive has condemned innocent people? You know Duke? If Joker had been killed a long time ago, like he should have been, Duke’s parents wouldn’t be the way they are. Barbara wouldn’t be paralysed. I wouldn’t have fucking died,” he whispers, “and come back wrong...”
“You don-” Bruce starts, his face growing darker and darker.
“Don’t you dare say ‘I don’t understand’! I do, taking a life is ‘wrong’, but is what you’re doing any better? You think you’re a hero. But you aren’t. All you’ve done is stop someone from committing a crime, lock them up in the pathetic excuse of a prison that’s just a revolving door. Then they escape, because they always do, and then they go and commit more crimes. You don’t even lower crime. In fact, you’re the cause of some.
You helped create Joker. And by allowing that clown to live, you’re condemning innocents to their death. I get it, you can’t kill. But stopping others from killing him? What right do you have to do that? Just because you’re ‘Batman’ or the richest man in Gotham, doesn’t automatically make you the ‘ruler’ of Gotham. You have no right to.” Jason is panting by the time he finishes. He doesn’t allow Bruce to reply as he turns away and walks over to his motorcycle.
Bruce tries to stop him, his face hardened, as if he’s looking at a criminal. Ha what a joke. That man was never his ‘father’, was he? Before Bruce could do anything to stop Jason from leaving, Jason whips his gun out and aims it at Bruce.
He then hops on his motorcycle, still aiming the gun at Bruce, “I’m done with your hypocrisy, Bruce. You say I’m your ‘son’, but you’ve never treated me like one. Don’t bother contacting me.” And with that, he puts on his helmet and drives away.
-
Soon after arriving at one of his safehouses that none of the bats knew, even Oracle, he quickly removed them from his comms and from any possible way of finding or contacting him.
They all say they want Jason to rejoin the family. But then, simultaneously, treat him like a ticking time bomb; someone to be treated with caution. He’s had enough of their double standards. He’s had enough bending over to comply with their happy-go-lucky family only to be sidelined whenever something goes wrong, and suddenly it’s his fault.
-
People always called Jason the ‘angry’ Robin. Always reckless. Always violent. Never thinking ahead.
But they’re wrong.
When he first returned to Gotham, his emotions caused his plans to fail. All he wanted was his ‘father’ to avenge him and make his world feel safe. But that obviously never fucking happened. What, with the scar on his neck to tell the story. He’s never once felt safe since coming back from his grave. Knowing his fucking murderer was still alive.
He’s learnt his lesson this time. After so many lessons, the dog has finally learnt his lesson. You can’t trust someone who does nothing to earn your trust and continuously berates you. You can’t trust your ‘father’ to help you feel safe from the maniac that killed you.
-
Jason doesn’t know if the other bats knew, but he wasn’t just brawn. He had both brawn AND brains.
Before he died, he was always top of the class despite being homeless for three years, during which he was not able to learn anything. He didn’t learn because he had to; it was because he loved learning.
Before he died, his combat skills, although lacking in comparison to the first Robin, were still top-notch. He had to, in order to survive the years he was on the streets.
Before he died, he was known by those in Crime Alley as the Alley Robin; the Robin who came from Crime Alley and was on their side. The only Robin Crime Alley trusted to help them and could understand them. They didn’t trust Batman or the other Robins; they didn’t understand what Crime Alley was like or what it needed. What with their pretentious attitudes like they’re superior just because they don’t live in Crime Alley and never had to survive in that hellhole.
After death, he was trained by the same master Bruce had and more; he’s the last and chosen warrior of the All Caste, a group of ancient warrior monks.
After death, he caught up on his studies, studying everything, from medicine to fucking geology.
He’s built up his connections across the globe. From America to obviously, Nanda Parbat, to even New Zealand, a country that is not as well-known and often forgotten due to its geographical location.
He’s a master at martial arts and can use any and all weapons as if they’re part of his limbs. From weapons like the Urumi (a flexible, whip-like sword) to fighting bare-handed. Even when he was fighting Batman and Nightwing -two very competent vigilantes- he was able to fight them to a standstill. By his fucking self!
He’s also a master tactician, knowing exactly what to do when something happens. Running a crime empire isn’t all fun and games, as others would expect, especially with how many rules he had placed and the amount of paperwork needed. Seriously, people underestimate him. You can’t just take over the drug trade in a couple of months if you were stupid.
Plus, his plan to get Joker out of Gotham? Riling up Black Mask intentionally so that he’d get Joker out because he himself wasn’t able to? Pfft- it’s hilarious how Black Mask thought he was being smart, thinking that it was his own idea to get Joker out to get rid of Red Hood.
Even his kills aren’t as mindless as they seem; they’ve all done something detestable. He never kills innocents, even goons who are only in the gang just to get money to survive or support their families. Sure, he might’ve hurt them badly when he first joined the scenes, but that was to make a point. A statement. That he wasn’t someone to be messed with. Plus, he gave compensation afterwards to the goons that needed it. He’s not heartless like Batman after all.
Jason has also never liked killing someone; he’s not some brainless killer. He only killed out of necessity. He only killed those who were beyond help. Batman would never understand that some people can not be rehabilitated. In order to stop them from committing more crimes, they have to be stopped. Permanently.
Now then, moving on from everything everyone misunderstands about him, he starts planning his next move. Of course, he’s going to kill the clown. One way or another, he’s going to do it.
He will kill the Joker.
So he plans and plans and plans…
He comes up with multiple contingency plans.
-
It’s been months since Jason blew up on Bruce; none of the bats, even Oracle, have been able to find him.
No hide nor hair. Gone like a ghost. No cameras have been able to spot Jason.
But they know he’s still in Gotham. After all, most, if not all, of their cases have been solved by the time they try to do anything.
When they arrive at the scene, every goon is dead or badly injured. On the wall or floor, there will be, without a doubt, Red Hood’s signature, as if to mock them for their lateness.
It drives Batman insane, being unable to solve cases, unable to find Red Hood. He should be able to find him. He did the first time after all.
Little did Batman know that he only found Red Hood because Jason intentionally outed himself. Otherwise, he’d have still remained unknown, shrouded in mystery.
It doesn’t help that Joker is also missing, Jason obviously being the cause of the man’s disappearance.
And yet they are still unable to find Jason. Even when they do have a lead, the man is gone by the time they arrive.
“tt I do not get it. Do we need to spend so much time on someone like Todd?” Dick frowns at Damian. “Damian. You know how proficient Jason is in cases involving drug trafficking.” Damian just rolls his eyes.
“I alone would be enough to solve the case. I don’t get how the ‘failure’ of a Robin would be able to help with how reckless he is.”
Dick just sighs. “C’mon, let’s go patrol.”
-
It’s been months since Jason stopped communicating with the bats. His Red Hood uniform no longer displays the red bat on his chest like it once did. A statement. Red Hood is not a bat and never will be again.
He also kidnapped Joker. Hacked into Arkham, disabled cameras and stealthily infiltrated Arkham, knocking out anyone he came across before they could sound the alarms. He was long gone with Joker by the time they realised the clown was missing from his cell.
Jason had stripped Joker down to his underwear and then strapped him to a chair. There was no way for him to escape.
And thus began Joker’s torture.
He started by injecting the clown with a slow-acting poison that had no cure. So even if he had somehow escaped, he would still end up dead after a month or two, give or take.
Then he shot the clown in the same place Barbara was shot and sliced his Achilles tendon. Now it’ll make it hard to escape. A smile creeps its way onto Jason’s face, but his eyes are devoid of emotion. He starts humming a song while bandaging the clown enough to live, but not enough to heal properly.
Jason's next step was to cut off the deranged man’s tongue. Joker doesn’t need it anymore, not like he has anyone to talk to.
Man, the face Joker was making was hilarious. No longer did he have his signature grin; now it was full of fear. This just made Jason’s face light up even more. Jason made sure to tell the man that no one, especially Batman, was going to save him. Only Jason knows where they are.
After the tongue, it was his teeth. Pulled out not with a tooth extraction, but with pliers.
Hmm… What else could he do to Joker?
Oh right!
He picks up a crowbar and walks towards Joker. Lightly hitting his hand with it as he steps closer and closer to his target.
“We have some fun memories with this thing, don’t we?”
And with that, Joker was repeatedly beaten up with a crowbar for days. Too much to handle, but never enough to kill.
As each day passes, Joker grows weaker and weaker.
Jason supposes it’s time soon for the final act. He’s finally getting revenge on the man who took everything away from him. His home, his family, his dad, his friends, his future. His life.
He sets up a bomb, reminiscent of the one that blew up when he confronted Batman with Joker and his arms. He sets it to blow in five minutes, enough time to leave the clown that’s strapped to a chair.
He slowly makes his way out, looking down at his phone, which shows Joker just staring at the timer going down.
Soon, the timer is at 00:10. He smiles as the phrase, ‘An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A death for a death' pops up in his mind. After seeing his murderer finally die after countless years, even if it wasn’t by Bruce’s hand, it still felt special.
He would no longer tremble in fear whenever Joker broke out of Arkham. No longer have nightmares of that laugh, the crowbar, the ticking of a bomb.
BAM!!!
And now the murderer of thousands of people is gone. Those dead can finally rest in peace, and friends and families that have been affected have their justice served. Those who would’ve been future victims no longer have to cower in fear.
Now, Jason's mouth shifts into a gentle smile, not like the demonic one he was wearing earlier, but one of relief, of true happiness.
Jason knows he will no longer be welcomed in Gotham if Batman somehow manages to find him. Even though the chances of that happening are low, there’s still a chance, and he’s not willing to take it.
So after implementing a safety net for Crime Alley with his crime empire, making sure that those loyal to him will follow his rules and make sure that everyone still remembers them, even if he is no longer there.
He plans to visit every so often; there's no way he wouldn’t. Once a Gothamite, always a Gothamite, and leaving won’t change that. He will always come back to this hellhole of a place.
After telling his lieutenants his plan, he starts packing while calling the Outlaws. It’s about time for a reunion mission after all. He’s sure all the others are keen to join in, especially to catch up with Jason, whom they haven’t seen in ages. Jason just smiles at that thought.
The bats were never where his home and family were they? At least now he knows who is truly there for him, even at his lowest. He looks forward to seeing all of them: Roy, Kori, Artemis, Bizarro, and even Lian.
If anyone saw the soft smile on Jason’s face, they would’ve fallen face-first with how precious he looked. He wasn’t the angry robin others made him out to be. He wasn’t the murderous Red Hood. No. He was Jason Todd, who loved the Outlaws, his friends and family. Jason Todd, who would do anything for them, just like they would for him.
Finally finished with packing, he sets off to their meetup point, a smile settled on his lips, refusing the leave his face.