#90 - Red Hood (Jason Todd)
First Appearance: Batman #408 (Jun 1987)
"Man, I gotta tell you... I really wish I could be watching this one ringside as well as fighting it... 'cause it's gonna be good." ~Jason Todd
Jason Todd was, first and foremost, hated. Or at least he was. Back in the 80s, Jason was having a rough go of it as Dick Grayson's successor in the Robin mantle. So rough that, during a fan poll DC held to determine the ending of one of their storylines, fans overwhelmingly voted to kill him off.
That was the best thing to ever happen to him.
20 years later, writer Brian Azzarello teased fans with a returned Jason Todd, only to reveal it as a ruse. But the chord was struck in fans, and the mock return inspired Ed Brubaker to return Bucky as the Winter Soldier in Captain America. Judd Winick also decided to use this as inspiration, but this time the inspiration brought back Jason Todd as the villainous Red Hood. The rest of his story, however, blurred the line between hero, villain, anti-hero and just unlikable moron so often that it's tough to rank him.
Jason, at his best, was a great villain for Dick Grayson during his Batman run; he was a bitter, neglected, forgotten and angry castaway that just wanted what he thought he deserved. He was the petulant child grown up, and it truly was one of the best match-ups Grant Morrison ever conceived. Unfortunately, for every great use of Jason Todd, there are two bad ones. Like in Countdown, where Todd unexplainedly is accepted by Kyle Rayner and Jason Todd to help save the universe. Of course, he then turns around and murders a bunch of criminals a couple months later. The New 52 has turned him into as close to heroic as an anti-hero can get, but when he was a villain, he was something to see. Truly something to see.
Greatest VILLAINOUS Jason Todd Story Ever Told: Batman Annual #25 - The explanation for how Jason came back, this annual really gave some depth to Jason as he was on a villainous tear against Bruce Wayne. Great stuff also featuring Ra's al Ghul.
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Top 100 Batman VILLAINS
RandomName basically describes it. It's a list of the top 100 Batman villains. (Note: This isn't MY list. So, if you don't agree with it, don't freak out and rant in the comments)
