#batman and robin revenge of the red hood

[glitter-stained]

When I say knowledge of the context is useful to analyse comics, what I mean is that the lazarus pit being a potential factor for Jason's worst behaviour was introduced in Lost Days: we see the classic temporary outburst at the beginning, and then I think the comic is pretty clear on condemning Talia's initial diagnosis of "the pit made him a psychopathic monster", both to us seeing him save all these people and doing his own vigilantism, and to Talia when she's like "you're learning". I've mentioned before how lost days introduces its own explanation for UTH!Jason (as much as I dislike it), so we know that Pit Madness isn't the preferred explanation for his behaviour in UTH and Winick's Jason in general. But then, we also see Ra's condemning Talia's actions by going "perhaps not today perhaps not now but eventually he's going to go crazy." Seems like we're getting a lot of leeway here isn't it? (Even more than we had in bop with Dixon's cautiously vague explanation of the pit). Seems like an awfully convenient way to explain any moment of Jason behaving horribly in away that doesn't fit the parameters of Winick's characterization. Note also that Lost Days is imo the best (so far) pre-n52 story at creating empathy towards Jason since we see him look his actual age, we see how deeply hurt he was and for how long we see him have a traumatic flashback we see him cry we see him sit on a chair and not touch the ground we see him try his best and save people and show empathy and discernment and see that he has a moral conduct other than "anarchic killing"...

Anyway, check that out:

Now this is what I call damage control. You absolutely insist in maintaining some of the worst runs in the history of the characters into your version of canon (which you claim is the real valid canon that everyone should accept) despite its apparent erasure from mainline? Okay sure understandable we all have different tastes in comics and what we think is important for a character's identity. Fine. Why then did Jason make any of the choices he made in those terrible stories? (Including that terrible clothing choice)?

He was pit mad. That's the canon explanation. He literally wasn't himself. He wasn't fundamentally inherently and absolutely evil, he wasn't crazy evil, he was high on magic gatorade.

I'd expect Winick to have done that more to preserve and mitigate the character assassination of the complex/nuanced villain he created than out of a sudden shift in stance on psychophobia, but I'm still grateful for it. Anyway, pit madness is real, and cptsd doesn't make you shoot children.

[ideas-ideasideasideas]

Batman gives each of his Robins a different code to use when they’re in trouble and need immediate extraction. He promises that when they call, he’ll drop everything just to get to them, come hell or high water.

Jason, during his time with the League, shares his code with Damian, to be used “only in the direst of circumstances, when you have exhausted all other options.” He doesn’t know if Bruce will answer, given how fractured their relationship was before he died, but it is better than nothing. Every tool counts when they live such dangerous lives.

Damian uses it exactly once, and Bruce, who still feels the loss of his son like a yawning chasm in his chest, responds to it even though he knows it can’t be Jason because Jason’s dead. What he finds, instead of Jason, is a boy in League garbs, drenched in blood from the tips of his midnight-black hair to his too-small feet, with a face that Bruce sees himself and Talia in, requesting asylum from a grandfather who wishes to possess his body. Bruce doesn’t question how this boy who is so clearly his son knew the code. Talia al Ghul is resourceful and places family above all; the code is not beyond her abilities to discover, and she is not above using Bruce’s desperate love for his dead son to ensure that hers does not meet the same fate.

Bruce takes Damian in, because of course he does, and since Jason is dead he allows Damian to keep using the code. After all, it’s not like Jason is alive to use it, right? If someone uses the code, there’s no one it could be but Damian, right?

The next time the code is used, Bruce traces the location to Gotham even though Damian was supposed to be in Bludhaven visiting Dick. But whatever happened that resulted in Damian being in Gotham can wait, because he has already failed one son and he will not fail another, his son is in trouble and he needs to get to him, he needs to—

What he finds, instead of Damian, is a boy (just eighteen, too young, but also too old, but also he will always be a boy to him) in League garbs, drenched in blood from the tips of his midnight-black hair to his too-large feet (when had he gotten so big), wearing the face of his dead son.

(Who, maybe, just maybe, may no longer be so dead.)

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

Brucie Wayne gets into a mild accident in public (read-got hit by a car). And Batman would just walk it off (“it’s barely a bruise”), but Brucie obviously… can’t.

So he has to suffer the ordeal of having civilians call paramedics, getting fussed over, and having-

Having his dead son get into the back of the ambulance with him.

Oh- oh no. He must have hit his head worse than he thought. He thought he was past this…

[tiger-grace]

Damian: You have a face only a mother could love.

Jason: My mom’s dead.

Damian: Ouch, fresh out of luck!

[brucewaynehater101]

Mafia AU with the batfamily, but it starts when Jason comes back as the Red Hood.

In this AU, Dick is the first one to find out about Jason being a crime lord. He finds out that his little brother is alive and running a gang and says "fuck it."

Is Dick currently a police officer and vigilante? Yes. Does he also immediately quit his day job to join Red Hood's gang as soon as finds out? Also yes.

Dick has a second chance with his brother. Is this brother a little murderous? Sure. Dick's tried to kill people too, though. Also, Dick is 83% sure Tim's got a kill count. It's fine.

So Jason is confused why Dick is willing to join a gang. The oldest brother says some cringe worthy stuff about family and Jason takes the action as the proof of love and loyalty it is (also, somehow Dick is just as terrifying to their enemies as Red Hood, but Dick doesn't kill them).

Tim, upon seeing Dick join a gang, instantly researches the hell out of this group. He finds out it's Jason, runs the stats for how crime has dropped in Crime Alley, and instantly starts working behind the scenes to create a smoother path for them. Without meaning to, Tim becomes the shadow boss for Jason's gang. The brothers are not aware that the other gangs, mobs, and rogues are wary of whomever it is that's smoothly guiding Red Hood's gang to success.

Red Hood is the face, Nightwing (though maybe a different moniker) is his right-hand man, and there's someone steering them to victory.

The startling efficiency of the gang and quick ascent drives Bruce into a paranoid bender. The man also has no clue where Dick wandered off to and why he's ignorning Bruce. Tim, as Robin, pretends to try to help Batman take down this group. This causes mass amounts of confusion because no one is aware that Tim is helping Hood besides Tim himself.

When Damian first appears in Gotham, he doesn't immediately go to Wayne Manor. He stalks it first. And what does he find? Tim is apparently shadow controlling a major mafia in Gotham.

As some convulted plan to dethrone Tim from Robin (and also because Damian is not aware that shadow controlling a gang is against Bruce's rules [like how he doesn't know murder is a big no no]), Damian decides to infiltrate Jason's gang. At first it's rocky cause Jason doesn't want kids in that line of work, but Damian being Talia's kid (and the chance to provide Damian a better childhood) has Jason and Dick adopting the child. They try to keep the runt out of the work as much as possible.

They all (minus Tim) grow closer until one night Damian overhears Jason lamenting to Dick about how the Joker is still alive. Jason hates that his father never avenged him.

Damian decides to fix that by killing the Joker.

When Dick and Jason confront Damian about this, he reveals Tim is controlling their entire mafia from the shadows.

[celaenaeiln]

headcanon

The batfamily - Dick, Bruce, Jason, Tim, Damian, Steph, Duke, Cass, and Harper - knee deep in mud all tired, filthy, sweaty, and super mad, digging up the front yard because Jason buried the body of a mob lord in front of wayne manor years ago to piss off bruce but forgot where he buried it and now the city wants to pipeline maintenance work there.

[andi-o-geyser]

all my favourite characters are just me seeing them and going "damn you sure do clean up well but I'd much rather see you grinning with blood between your teeth"

[undertheredhood]

AU where instead of the red hood revealing that he’s jason todd with an elaborate plan that ends with the joker’s death, he instead tricks the batfamily into believing that he’s the vengeful spirit of jason’s deceased older brother, danny todd and that he’s getting revenge on behalf of his baby brother who’s soul can’t move on without getting justice/retribution for his death or else he’ll turn into a malevolent spirit.

and for some weird reason, they actually believe him.

[catgrandpa]

I’m rewatching Labyrinth and I already know I’m going to make this about Tim Drake.

Bruce gets Damian as a baby, and makes Tim watch him while he goes out on the more dangerous missions.

Tim throws a fit and says the whole ‘Ugh, I wish someone would just take you far away from me!’ bit and then League assassins kidnap Damian.

Tim tracks down Ra’s and threatens him and Ra’s tells him, “Ah, but Detective… I’m doing you a favor. I heard you, you know. Just think how much better life will be when you don’t have to worry about taking care of my grandson.”

“…I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I really need my brother back.”

Ra’s stares at him for a few moments. “How disappointing. I suppose you’ll just have to find him, then.”

And that’s the last thing Tim remembers before waking up in the labyrinth. He walks forward for a few moments before he sees a figure training with a sword in a courtyard.

The figure turns and Tim spots bright green eyes and a streak of white in a head of black.

“Oh, Replacement. It’s you.”

[redhoodforreal]

Bruce call it psycological-preventive-training instead of D&D, still steph kill us all in horrible way. She's a monster, the devil in disguise, she will never ever be de DM again.

Dick was splatted like after 10 minut, Tim drowned to save us, I was eaten alive by monster and the Brat, who survive the most, was killed that a fucking boss disguised as a turkey, he's weake against turkey and Steph know it.

[damianwaynerocks]

back on my batfamily true crime bs

bruce and jason get into a huge argument. a massive one that ends in jason being barred from going on patrol with them. so what does he do? silly revenge.

jason todd starts an anonymous true crime podcast called that’s just called “todd tales.” it’s an investigative podcast about the death of jason todd.

since he’s legally dead & decides to be an anonymous podcaster, he goes full in. talks about his upbringing, saying things like “i spoke to one of jason’s old neighbor’s and this is what she has to say”

and the “neighbor” is stephanie who thinks it’s hilarious and goes along with it. “he and his mom’s boyfriends always got into fights,” she says with a british accent, “and one time i heard him & his dad yelling at each other, and then there was a loud crash. i walked out and his dad was at the bottom of the stairs.”

which leads jason to speculate that jason todd killed him, calling him “a badass motherfucker no wonder bruce wayne was in such awe of him”

and then as the episodes progress he talks about the theory that “jason todd secretly became robin but because he was so smart and cool bruce wayne had no idea that he was fighting with batman”

he has theories that he “investigates.” he goes over the official story- that jason was traveling with bruce, got kidnapped and held for ransom but something went wrong & he was accidentally killed - and then he says “but that’s fucking bullshit *laughs* as thought bruce wayne couldn’t pay a ransom”

his next theory is the truth, that he was robin & got murdered by a villain. he has two guests to prove it.

“im alvin draper, bruce’s former assistant,” tim (who is mad at bruce for making him go on a patrol on bernard’s birthday) says with a voice modular, “and i remember, after jason died, bruce ordered me to call the mortician who did the autopsy and tell him that bruce was offering him $1,000,000 to get out of gotham & sign a non-disclosure form to never speak about jason.”

jason then gets an “autopsy tech” who helped with the autopsy, the tech that bruce supposedly didn’t know was in the room because “bruce wayne is fucking stupid”.

“of course, the truth needs to be out there,” roy says dramatically. “no way he was accidentally shot like the official story says. he had several broken bones, obvious signs of blunt force trauma, and several burn scars, but absolutely no bullet holes.”

he gets hate comments about how he shouldn’t be talking about a dead teenager, but he doesn’t stop. (jason secretly loves it because it makes him feel like he hasn’t been forgotten) (but also he finds it hilarious bc they have no idea)

and bruce is furious. he knows it’s jason. he makes an official statement saying that the podcast is horrible and disrespectful. dick makes one too, saying that he can’t believe someone would do this about his little brother.

bruce, dick & damian hound jason to stop it. bruce yells at him, dick is trying to be nice because “i understand, but-“ and damian is like “i know i’ve given up murder but you’re considered dead anyways so therefore it does not count”

then alfred tells him, sternly, “master jason, please stop.” and jason feels so bad, so small because, like, it’s alfred, and deletes the podcast after the final episode.

but he’s still not allowed back on patrol.

[thabluesheep]

Obligatory Titans Tower AU

“So wait. Before we continue with… whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish here, can I just make one thing clear?”

Jason shrugs. Might as well give the kid the chance to talk his way out of this. He’s not going to outtalk an ex-Robin, anyway.

“So. You don’t want to be Robin anymore.”

Green flashes in front of his eyes and before he knows it, Jason has the gun pressed firmly against the brat’s forehead, safety off, finger twitching on the trigger. “I told you I-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the absolute asshole of a brat says, trying to brush off the gun. “So you don’t want to be Robin,” he repeats. “And you don’t want me to be Robin. So… What if we were both Robin?”

Jason’s thoughts screech to a halt. 

“What?”

“Think of the chaos?” the kid suggests with a shrug.

The green in his vision abruptly clears and leaves him feeling a bit lightheaded. And Jason thinks. He thinks of the chaos of having two Robins around. 

“Pretty sure Dick will play along if we ask nicely. We could have three Robins then,” Tim continues.

“Huh,” Jason says. He wonders how many of Gotham’s villains and petty criminals would cry if three Robins rained down on them from the rooftops. He wonders if Bruce would cry if he had to wrangle three whole Robins at the same time. “Think we could get Dickie into his old scaly panties?”

“Oh, for sure, but we’ll have to get them a few sizes bigger. Don’t know when was the last time you saw him, but that man’s ass just keeps getting bigger and we really don’t need to traumatize half of Gotham by letting him moon everyone.”

[psychologeek]

Whumptober #18+Alt 7

Alt 7: No-Holds-Barred Beatdown

No. 18: REVENGE | Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes)

~

"He should have stopped after the last one got himself killed!" Screams the crime lord and takes the shot.

"What are you talking about?" Robin asks and dodges the bullet. 

(He can't hold much longer.)

"No. More. Dead. Robins." The deep growl echoes in the dark building like bullets.

Not to be confused with the actual bullets Tim is currently avoiding. He thinks Dick would love that punchline. Or not, actually. He's always weird about Robin and near-death-experience. Quite hypocritical, if you ask Tim. But no one ask him, so he keeps his mouth shut.

"Dude," he hides behind the kitchen aisle and tries to de-escalate  the situation.  "Do you really think Batman made me do anything?"

The man doesn't reply.

From his hiding place, Tim can see him approach.

"What happened to the 'no more dead Robins', you said before?"

But it's his last resort, and they both know that. 

(He takes a moment to wonder who will find his body. He hopes it won't be Bruce.

He shouldn't face another broken Robin.)

Red Hood raises his hand, and Tim prepares himself for the strike. 

(It doesn't hit.)

Instead, there's an electronic beep as Hood takes off his helmet.

"Don't talk to me about dead Robins, Replacement," says Jason Todd with glowing green eyes. "You know nothing about it."

And Tim-

Tim.exe just. Stops working for a little while. (Because it's robin it's Robin it's ROBIN.)

"Still believe that Batman is coming for you, Robin?"

And his hand is on Tim's neck. Slowly cutting his air supply

"It's not- Batman," the child whispers in his last breath.

The hand around his neck loosen up a little. "Oh yeah? Than what was it? Do just you make a habit of wearing the skin of the dead?"

(This close, Tim can smell something acidic and sweet in his killer's breath. Like rotten cucumbers and expired syrup. It makes him feel sick.)

"GNU," he says. "I- I believed in you, Robin."

(Like it? I have more mini-fics Whumptober index | And full size fics on ao3. )

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

I know AK!Jason didn't get dunked in the Lazarus Pits and I fully admit I don't know much about Ra's al Ghul's personality or thought processes, but that being said it DOES seem like he would hear about this feral bastard boy trying to amass an army Down South America Way, find out where, find out why, and find out who. And I think once he realizes that this is one of Batman's little sidekicks who now wants to kill Bruce AND bring Gotham to its knees, he would get a little invested. And Ra's would be like "you know what would be funny? Talia!! Go grab that twerp we're gonna Fun Dip him." Just to see what would happen.

[leoleolovesdc]

OK HEAR ME OUT. HEAR. ME. OUT.

AU where Steph and Jason joined forces to beat the shit outta Tim on titans tower:

Steph was also dead (according to a retcom that I heavily dislike she was always alive, but still) and returned to comics roughly two years after Jason, so since comics timelines are disproportionate from IRL time we technically could mashup those two “back from the grave” events on around the same time and have a situation where Jason hears from Talia that after Tim Drake there was another Robin that died and he is intrigued. He does a little digging and finds out that Stephanie is in fact alive and hiding. In this AU Steph may either have actually died and been somehow ressurected, been in a coma for a while or just have had her death faked by Leslie without her consent, regardless, Jason finds Stephanie who is also mad to learn she was forgotten by the people she thought had brought her in and after hearing that her predecessor’s plans include ruining Black Mask’s empire, forcing Bruce to confront his code and beating the shit out of Tim she is all in.

[wandeel]

In the “My big brother is a jerk” category, part 3: