Titans: Will Red Hood make his live-action debut on the show?

Jason Todd actor Curran Walters wants to see his character evolve into Red Hood on DC Universe’s Titans. So, who exactly is the Red Hood?

It has been the question on many fans’ lips ever since Jason Todd was cast on DC Universe’s Titans – will the character become Red Hood? Curran Walters, the actor who plays the first live-action version of Jason on the show, certainly hopes so. During a recent interview with CBR, Walters expressed his desire to portray the iconic anti-hero.

"“I would love to play Red Hood someday,” Walters said. “But I have no idea what the show’s producers’ plans are for Jason yet.”"

Red Hood is a fan-favorite DC comics villain-turned-hero but while long-time fans will be familiar with the character, many casual readers may not be. Even Walters had to research the character when he got the role on Titans, and that’s primarily because Red Hood’s storylines don’t often crossover with the more popular DC titles like Batman or Justice League.

In the comics, Batman took young Jason under his wing when he caught him trying to steel the Batmobile’s tires, an origin story that Titans has stayed true to, as seen in the sixth episode, ‘Jason Todd’. Jason is then trained to become the second Robin, thereby replacing Dick Grayson, his first sidekick, who had been summarily dismissed from the role by the Caped Crusader purportedly because he was afraid for the boy’s life.

Batman only took in a second Robin because he thought that if Jason was left to his own devices, he might end up being a criminal instead of fighting them. This feels particularly portentous of the Titans version of the character. In episode 6, he is gung-ho about being ‘Robin 2.0’ and has earned Batman’s trust enough to gain access to the Bat-computers, safe-houses and even the Batmobile. But, despite an initial air of heroism, we see the character devolve into a violent vigilante – exacting vengeance on innocent cops because Gotham PD gives him a hard time.

So, is Jason headed down the same route? To become Red Hood, Jason first has to die, as he only takes on the violent moniker following his resurrection. As the second Robin in the comics, Jason proved to be an unpopular figure among fans, prompting DC Comics to launch a telephone poll for fans to vote on the fate of the character in the 1988 Batman: Death in the Family arc. The overwhelming majority voted for his death, so Batman’s greatest fears came true when Jason was captured by his arch-nemesis, the Joker, clobbered with a crowbar and then blown up. Ironically, Dick Grayson’s last official mission as Batman’s sidekick Robin had been against the Joker who threw him off a roof, nearly killing him.

Through dubious means (these are comics, after all) Jason was eventually resurrected during the Batman: Under the Red Hood arc, and on learning that his mentor did not avenge his death, he decides to torment Batman by becoming the ruthless villain Red Hood. In the current Rebirth run, Jason specifically dons the Red Hood mantle as an ironic homage to his murder at the hands of the Joker, who was once part of the Red Hood gang.

DC Universe, the streaming platform for Titans, recently ran a similar poll on Walters’ Jason, but the majority have voted for him to live. At least, that’s the case for now. We don’t know if the showrunners will choose to kill off the character during this first season, but if they are to stick to the original source material, Jason will have to perish. Titans has already been renewed for a sophomore return, which means Jason could be back and ready to meet an untimely demise.

Titans — Ep. 105 — Photo Credit: Christos Kalohoridis / 2018 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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How this will play out on screen is another matter. So far, Batman has not appeared on Titans, and Bruce Wayne has only been seen in silhouette. We know the Joker exists in the Titans universe, but is he allowed to show up? Without him, Jason’s death will have to take place off-screen, which could ostensibly work in the show’s favour with the right direction.

Dick Grayson, who is estranged from Batman, and didn’t quite take to Jason, could find out about his successor’s death and imagine the circumstances surrounding. Jason’s torture and murder in the comics is heavily implied rather than graphically shown, which could be incredibly cinematic on-screen with a heavy dose of melancholy.

I’m not particularly sold on the idea that Walters will make a convincing adult Jason Todd. While he, and his stunt double, participated in some slick fight choreography in episode 6, I imagine Red Hood to be imposing and intimidating, which Walters hasn’t showcased as yet. But I could be wrong.

Red Hood is the black sheep of the Bat-Family, but his growth into a vigilante hero with a heart of gold has endeared him to readers recently. In comics, he has partnered up with the Titans, Starfire, the other Robins and Green Arrow’s former sidekick Roy Harper, making tumultuous friendships along the way. Jason Todd may have been unpopular when he first arrived, but Red Hood is here to stay.

However long it takes, we can only hope that Red Hood will appear in the Titans universe and hopefully get his own spin-off show with Red Hood and the Outlaws. Curran Walters is here for it and so are the fans.

Source: ComicBook.com