RED HOOD II (Jason Todd)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton

Red Hood (Jason Todd)

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Jason Todd
Full Name: Jason Peter Todd
Aliases: Robin II, Red Robin, Nightwing III, Batman V; Wingman II
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Criminal, adventurer
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Willis Todd (father, deceased); Sheila Haywood (mother, deceased); Catherine Todd (adoptive mother, deceased); Batman (Bruce Wayne) (adoptive father)
Base of Operation: Mobile, mostly in Gotham City
Group Affiliation (former): Outlaws; Batman, Inc.; Former partner of Batman; former member of the New Teen Titans; former partner of Scarlet
Gender: Male
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red with a grey streak; dyed black by Batman according to Jason Todd
First Appearance: (Post-Crisis): Batman Vol. 1 #408 (June 1987)
(as Red Hood): Batman Vol. 1 #635 (February 2005); (as Wingman II) Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 #6 (June 2011)
First Appearance (historical): (Pre-Crisis): Batman Vol. 1 #357 (March 1983)
Creators: Gerry Conway and Don Newton

HISTORY

Jason Todd, an orphan living on the streets of Gotham, first encountered the Batman after boldly stealing the tires of the Batmobile. Batman, who had recently parted with his ward Dick Grayson, the first Robin, took Jason under his wing and adopted him. As the second Robin, Jason distinguished himself in battle with such adversaries as Two-Face (who had killed Jason's father, a lowly criminal), Fay Gunn and Killer Croc, and also joined the New Teen Titans for a brief time. Jason proved to be much more aggressive, impulsive and undisciplined that his predecessor Dick Grayson, and one of the reason why Batman took him under his wing was to make sure than Jason's energy was channeled towards doing good. Otherwise, Batman feared that Jason would have ended up as a criminal. Still, Jason would use excessive force towards their adversaries, at one time perhaps even killing a rapist and murderer.

Jason's short career met a tragic end while he was searching for his long-lost mother. Batman had suspended him from his duties as Robin because of his reckless behavior. When Jason came across some of his dead mother's old belongings, he discovered that Catherine Todd was not his biological mother. Using his father's address book, he traveled the world seeking out three likely candidates for being his real mother (among them Lady Shiva. After a few false leads, he found his biological mother, relief worker Sheila Heywood, in Ethiopia. But unfortunately, she too was a criminal. Heywood had embezzled money from her aid organization and was being blackmailed by the Joker into stealing medicine. She betrayed Jason to the Joker, who then killed them both; beating Jason with a crowbar before blowing them both up with a bomb. The Batman arrived too late and took Heywood's and Todd's bodies back to Gotham for burial. Batman considers this his greatest failure and still has regrets over the way he raised Jason and how he handled this case. Jason’s Robin uniform is on constant display in the Batcave.

Jason was spotted as a ghost on a number of occasions after this, and had been reported to have found peace in Heaven. However, the effects of Superboy-Prime attempting to escape from a supposed 'paradise dimension' caused a ripple in reality which awoke Jason Todd in his coffin with no memory of his true identity. He wandered for years until master criminal Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia took him in and eventually gave him his true memories back. When he learned that the Joker was still alive, that Batman had not avenged his murder, Jason was enraged and took on the identity of the Red Hood, a scourge of Gotham's underworld and a thorn in the side of Batman, particularly once his true identity became clear.

Jason Todd has repeatedly attacked Batman as well as his 'siblings' Dick Grayson (Robin I/Nightwing/Batman) and Tim Drake (Robin/Red Robin) in what seems to be fits of jealous rage and spite. At one time, he tried to take over Nightwing's heroic identity, and when he temporarily found himself lost in the Multiverse, he took on the identity and the costume of Red Robin. After the Final Cris event, when the superhuman community assumed that Batman had been killed by Darkseid, Jason even attempted to take over the cowl of the Batman, but was stopped by the rest of the Batman family. Jason presumably feel to his death, but quickly resurfaced once Dick Grayson ended up taking over the role of the Batman, while Damian Wayne stepped in to assume the mantle of the new Robin. Once again using the Red Hood name and a new costume, he partnered up with Scarlet, a disfigured victim of the criminal Professor Pyg, and tried to present themselves as a more hardcore alternative to Batman and Robin. Red Hood was one again taken into custody after fighting the assassin Flamingo together with Batman and Robin.

Jason spent some time locked away at Arkham Asylum, but was then transferred to a normal prison, where he constantly was involved in fights and mysterious killings. He eventually ended up killing 82 inmates by poisoning the food in the cafeteria. Transferred back to Arkham, Jason was freed by some mercenaries who has kidnapped Scarlet (who had remained at large after Jason's incarceration). With the help of Batman and Robin, Jason freed Scarlet, but then fled. Scarlet has decided to remain with him as his partner.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

Jason Todd is an accomplished hand-to hand combatant, having been trained by Batman. He is not the acrobat or martial artist that his predecessor Dick Grayson was, but he makes up for it in sheer ferociousness and ruthlessness.

After his return from the dead, he has also been trained by some of the world's worst criminals in the art of fighting, and using toxins, fire arms and explosives. It is believed that his exposure to the healing powers of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit may have altered his psyche, making him the way he is today. Jason has also attributed his gray hairs to the Lazarus Pit.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Red Hood in chronological order click here (1987-2011) and here (2011-present)

PROFILE REFERENCES

Batman Annual #13 (1989)

Batman Villains Secret Files 2005 (July 2005)