Titans season 3 is all about Jason Todd’s descent into Red Hood, but the opening episodes suggest he’s also turning into a classic Batman villain – Scarecrow. Never the most level-headed of Bruce Wayne’s sidekicks, Jason Todd’s downfall has been a long time coming. A violent firecracker of a superhero in Titans season 1, Jason was sent into timeout by Batman, spending season 2 at San Francisco summer camp with Dick Grayson’s Titans. The superhero sojourn did not go well. By season 2’s finale, Jason wasn’t even on speaking terms with his fellow vigilantes, and he abruptly returned to Gotham City ahead of season 3.
The Titans season 3 premiere kicks off with Jason ignoring Batman’s instructions, heading out to face The Joker alone. That doesn’t go well either, as Robin flies straight to his doom. Adapting Jason Todd’s DC comics arc, however, the character quickly returns under a brand new persona – the Red Hood. Terrorizing the citizens of Gotham City, Red Hood reveals his true identity to Dick Grayson and tricks Dawn into killing Hank, sparking all out war against the Titans.
Titans season 3 adds new elements that fans won’t find in the DC source material. Especially curious are the overt hints that Jason is becoming more than just Red Hood. The truth is yet to be revealed, but could Jason Todd be evolving into Gotham City’s brand new Scarecrow?
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Fear Was Jason’s Big Problem In Season 2 (& Is Scarecrow’s Specialty)
As Titans season 2 begins, Jason Todd is desperate to prove he deserves the Robin mantle, and seeks to demonstrate his superiority over Dick Grayson. This youthful insecurity causes Jason to tackle Deathstroke head-on and, once again, that does not end well for him. A veteran mercenary, Slade Wilson captures and tortures Jason, then tosses him from a skyscraper window. Were it not for the timely intervention of Superboy, Batman’s pet bird would’ve found himself splattered over a car windscreen. This harrowing incident left a profound effect on Jason, who suddenly became paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, losing his way as a superhero.
As Titans season 2 ends, fear is Jason’s biggest obstacle, creating a natural route for Scarecrow to enter the narrative. Jonathan Crane’s Batman gimmick is his fear gas, which causes victims to suffer terrifying, nightmarish hallucinations. In some DC continuities, Crane’s obsession with fear has even led to him create an antidote; a reverse fear gas that gives the user unyielding courage in any situation. It can’t be a coincidence that just as Jason Todd finds himself consumed by fright in Titans season 3, Vincent Kartheiser is cast as Jonathan Crane.
Jason’s Inhaler & Chemistry Book Clues
The first 3 episodes of Titans‘ new season landed on HBO Max simultaneously, and despite Barbara Gordon’s insistence that there’s no mystery to solve with regards to Jason’s death, Gotham City’s police commissioner is worryingly wide of the mark. The first red flag comes in season 3’s opening sequence, as Jason prepares for his showdown with Joker. Before slipping on his Robin gear, Jason takes a puff from a rudimentary inhaler, ingesting a mysterious yellow substance. After Dick Grayson arrives in town, he immediately begins piecing this trail together, first clocking an out-of-character chemistry textbook in Jason’s Wayne Manor bedroom, then discovering a hidden lab Jason had been renting in secret.
Viewers can safely assume that whatever Jason inhaled before fighting Joker, he cooked up personally in his homemade lab after scanning through the opening chapters of “Chemistry For Robins.” The more interesting question is what the drug actually does. The strange golden glow in Jason’s eyes suggests the substance is more than just recreational, but based on how quickly and easily Joker defeats him, clearly provides no enhancement to the user’s fighting ability. Quelling fear is the only possible effect Jason’s drug can have. Not only would curing fear tie into the character’s Deathstroke troubles from Titans season 2, but it also explains how a superhero struggling with confidence is suddenly able to take on The Joker by himself.
Is Jason Jonathan Crane’s Student Or Successor?
The logical deduction from Titans season 3’s opening episodes is that Jason Todd has been crafting his own anti-fear serum, but even though Jonathan Crane debuts almost immediately after Red Hood, there’s no hint of a connection between the two. This leaves several possibilities – either Jason Todd has been studying Scarecrow’s science by himself, or he’s secretly in contact with Jonathan Crane, who’s guiding Titans‘ young Robin in how to control fear.
Both remain possible as things stand in Titans season 3. Since Crane has already been apprehended by Batman, the Batcave’s computer would likely contain the villain’s fear toxin formula. In his late night study sessions, Jason might’ve figured out how to amend the recipe so it reduces fear, rather than amplifying it. If Jason is working alone, continuing down this dark path could lead to him take Scarecrow’s place on the streets of Gotham, bolstering his goons with anti-fear gas, while inflicting Scarecrow’s traditional hallucinogenic upon his enemies. A troublesome blend of Crane’s chemicals with and his own Red Hood persona. The real Jonathan Crane might then work more closely with Dick Grayson to bring Todd down.
Or are Crane and Todd allies? Given the latter’s privileges as Robin, Jason would know where to find Scarecrow and how to gain access to his Arkham cell, so communication between the two isn’t impossible. Why Scarecrow would help Jason is more difficult to decipher. Crane seems happy to offer advice in exchange for cannabis, but surely wouldn’t hand over his patented fear recipe just for some decent weed. There’s no love lost between Crane and the Caped Crusader either, so why would Scarecrow help cure Robin’s post-Deathstroke trauma?Having said that, Jason Todd and Jonathan Crane working in cahoots would explain how Batman’s sidekick jumps from scientific slowpoke to chemistry genius within a matter of weeks.
Jason Can Be Red Hood AND Scarecrow
Whether he’s teaching himself or taking clandestine lessons from Jonathan Crane, Titans season 3 is building toward Jason Todd adopting the Scarecrow mantle sooner or later. But how would this work, after Todd only recently transitioned into Red Hood?
One of the biggest differences between Red Hood in DC comics and Red Hood in Titans season 3 is the latter being an outright villain. When Jason Todd resurfaced in 2004’s “Under The Red Hood” comic story, he was a violent, brutal antihero who wanted Joker dead. But despite antagonizing the other Bat family members, Red Hood was still more or less a crime-fighter. In Titans season 3, however, Red Hood is embarking on a bloody killing spree, callously offing friends and foes alike. Todd’s endgame isn’t yet clear, but since his villainous scheme can’t draw on the comics for inspiration (because the original Red Hood didn’t have one), his Titans masterplan could be inspired by Scarecrow instead.
After feeling consumed by fear since the Deathstroke incident in Titans season 2, Jason might use Scarecrow’s fear toxin to let all of Gotham share his pain. Desperate to be understood, Red Hood may believe his only path to peace is creating a city ruled by uncontrollable terror. He’d be Red Hood on the outside, with his Deadpool-esque mask and a gun in every pocket, but Scarecrow on the inside, plotting to leave all Gothamites quaking with fright.
When Titans first announced Red Hood for season 3, most fans probably didn’t expect elements of Scarecrow to be thrown into the mix, but Jason Todd’s new preoccupation with fear can be the trigger that turns live-action Red Hood into a fearsome antagonist rather than the violent vigilante of the comic books.