Batman has existed since 1939. Over the almost 86 years of his existence, new villains and sidekicks have been introduced time and again who accompanied the dark knight on his criminal hunt. One of them had a tragic fate because many readers didn’t like him.
Which sidekick of Batman is it about? Anyone who knows Batman probably also knows Robin. There isn’t just one Robin. There are many characters who later became heroes in their own right. It’s mostly parentless young people that Batman takes care of.
One of the most tragic characters is Jason Todd, the second Robin. After Dick Grayson quits as Robin to go hunting for criminals solo as Nightwing, Bruce Wayne takes on Jason. In his original version, like Dick Grayson, he is a talented acrobat whose parents were killed.
In a later version, Jason grew up in poor circumstances. His father was a criminal who abandoned the family and his mother died of an overdose.
To survive, Jason stole car parts and sold them. That’s how he met Batman after he tried to steal his car tires. He took the orphan under his wing and wanted him to use his anger to fight criminals as Robin so that he wouldn’t become one himself.
However, readers at the time didn’t like the quick-tempered and energetic Robin, and in a poll the majority voted for a tragic fate.
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Jason Todd was a controversial figure
What could you vote for? In 1988, DC readers were able to vote on whether Jason Todd dies or lives on. In a close vote, 5,271 readers voted against his death, but 5,343 voted for it.
He was kidnapped by the Joker, beaten up and ultimately died in an explosion shortly before Batman could save him. This happened in the iconic story A Death in the Family. Batman sees Jason’s death as his greatest failure.
However, Jason was revived and healed and trained by Talia and Ra’s al Ghul. He then returned to Batman as an adult to find out if Batman regrets never killing the Joker. Batman doesn’t regret it, which is why Jason explodes in anger.
In several stories he takes on the role of an anti-hero who also likes to take on Batman. He fights criminals, unlike Batman, but much more brutally. He also uses firearms and doesn’t shy away from killing his opponents.
How can I read the story? Because Death in the Family is a pretty iconic story, the story is available in an anthology that you can easily purchase from all kinds of retailers.
In addition, there are also 2 animated films: Batman: Death in the Family and the follow-up story Batman: Under the Red Hood. In the video game Batman: Arkham Knight you can experience an alternative version of the story in a playful form. In an alternative version of Batman, the Dark Knight is no longer a rich heir: new story makes Batman even darker, even taking away his most powerful weapon: money