Will Matt Reeves 'Batman' Adapt 'Under The Red Hood'?
Holy speculation, Batman! Since the release of The Batman, the newest grounded and gritty take on the caped crusader from director and writer Matt Reeves, the film has quickly spawned an evolving franchise, including multiple films and an HBO Max spinoff series. As such, DC fan buzz is running rampant on the internet with thousands of people discussing who will be the main antagonist for future installments in the film series. While the fandom has suggested candidates like Two-Face, Scarecrow, and Mr. Freeze, I have a different idea for which Batman villain could potentially take the spotlight in a later film. That villain is the Red Hood.
For those new to the character, Jason Todd started as a kid living on the streets of Gotham City. That was until Batman caught him trying to steal the wheels off the Batmobile. With Dick Grayson having just retired as Robin and adopted the new identity of Nightwing, Batman decided to take on Jason as his next ward. Trained extensively in combat, technology, and investigation, Jason wore the Robin mantle and fought alongside Batman for years. Though given his rougher attitude and lack of restraint, Jason proved to be a more brutal and merciless vigilante even by Batman’s standards. This headfirst approach to crimefighting eventually led Jason to be captured by the Joker, who proceeded to beat Jason to death with a crowbar and blow up the building they were in just as Batman arrived to save him.
RELATED:
Believing his ward was gone, Batman gave Jason a funeral and buried him in the same cemetery as his parents. However, unbeknownst to the Dark Knight, Jason’s body would be exhumed by none other than Ra’s al Ghul, head of the League of Assassins, and resurrected via the Lazarus Pit. Having seen Jason in action, Ra’s believed that Jason Todd would be more useful against Gotham City’s criminal element. Upon being revived, however, Jason’s sanity would be altered by the Pit, resulting in him going rogue and taking on Gotham’s criminal underbelly by himself. As a reminder of what the Joker had done to him, Jason adopted the same identity used by the villain prior to his own break of sanity: the Red Hood. As the Red Hood, Jason would use Batman’s skills, along with his own array of weapons to hunt and kill off the biggest villains, assassins, and crime bosses in the city. This of course would put the Red Hood at odds with Batman, who refuses to kill under any circumstances. However, Batman and Jason would still team up occasionally against their common enemies.
With all that said, how could the Matt Reeves Batman series introduce Jason Todd? Although Reeves has stated in interviews that he isn’t interested in using any of the Robins, Jason could still potentially appear as a street vigilante who first acts as an ally to Batman, but strays from him as the fight against the criminals of Gotham intensifies. I think they could even introduce the Red Hood before introducing the Joker, and have Jason’s identity represent the blood that has been spilled by Batman’s unwillingness to end his adversaries permanently. There is a lot of potential for Jason in this new take on the Batman mythos. Even if they don’t bring in Jason specifically, I would be interested in seeing a character who represents what Batman could become if he had not stopped himself from crossing any lines. Every hero needs a good foil to challenge their perceptions and Jason is a solid candidate for that role. Whoever does end up serving as the opposite to this take on Batman, they are sure to throw a wrench, or a crowbar, into the works.
READ NEXT:
