Things haven’t always been the best between Red Hood and Batman, but they could always be worse. Inspired by a popular viral image, one piece of fan art shows a Jason Todd who has to make it on his own after being cut off from the Bat-Family.
The complexities of Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne’s relationship began even before the former was murdered by the Joker. Jason was an angry young man that Bruce helped get off the street and find a new sense of purpose as Batman’s newest Robin. However, Jason’s rage issues and Bruce’s high expectations led to one of the more tumultuous partnerships for the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder. Since coming back to life, Jason and Bruce still exhibit signs of a more strained relationship than most in the Bat Family, often leading to some difficulties between the two. It’s reached a point where even Red Hood himself admitted he can’t be redeemed. One piece of fan art showcases a potential falling out for Batman and the Red Hood in a pretty humorous way.
Artist Karen of @maple_DC posted a piece of fan art on Twitter with the message “when batman froze all your bank accounts“. The image shows Red Hood, dressed in his full costume with added name tag, behind the counter at a supermarket checking out his former Outlaws teammate, Artemis (who is now getting her own series). The looming specter of a Batman cardboard cutout only adds to the unfortunate farce Jason finds himself in. Karen noted that her work is actually based on a viral image of a tall woman shopping at a Japanese store.
Karen’s art received a number of responses and thousands of likes all loving the scenario the meme helped inspire. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with anyone working at a grocery store. Aside from riffing on a popular viral image, the humor comes from Jason taking up a job while wearing his full Red Hood costume, not to mention the awkwardness of him having to check out his former flame. And while a playful set-up, Karen’s piece speaks to the ups and downs of Batman and Red Hood’s rocky relationship. Would Bruce ever cut off Jason from the family funds? Assuming he even pays his Robins, it’s debatable. Batman considers his treatment of Jason during his time as Robin as one of his greatest failures. It’d probably be hard for him to cut off Jason if he’s still holding onto his guilt. A better question is “Would Jason even accept Bruce’s monetary assistance?” since Jason’s a proud man and very much not the type to ask for help.
There are a lot of questions one could ask in regards to Karen’s piece, but that’s only because Jason and Bruce have one of the most difficult histories in the Bat-Family. Fanart like this is wonderful because it manages to craft a wonderfully ludicrous scenario while provoking thoughts about its subjects. Red Hood might not be working at a grocery store in canon, but pieces like Karen’s show hashing things out with Batman probably isn’t the worst idea.
Source: @maple_DC