Red Hood Just Earned a Dark New Title in the DC Universe
Warning! Spoilers for Future State - Gotham #1 by DC Comics below.
Red Hood just got an all-new title in DC's dark future, as the longtime anti-hero has just joined the Peacekeepers. Future State - Gotham #1 features Jason Todd working alongside the Magistrate in order to track down Batman. As he accepts the mission, he becomes part of the Peacekeepers, who are tasked with ensuring masked vigilantes don't roam the streets of Gotham City.
In DC Comics' recent Future State line-wide event, the DC Universe was taken into the dark future. One of the key plot points was the rise of the Magistrate, a deadly task force created by Gotham's mayor Christopher Nakano to seek out and take down any masked vigilantes in his city. The Magistrate turns Gotham into an authoritarian regime, with their soldiers, known as Peacekeepers, killing a number of heroes, including Batman (or so they thought). In Jason Todd's Future State stories, he was contracted by the Magistrate to help them achieve their vigilante-less society. In a new story set in the same dark universe, he takes things a step further.
In Future State - Gotham #1 by Joshua Williamson, Dennis Culver, Giannis Milonogiannis, and ALW's Troy Peteri, Red Hood finds himself in conflict with the Peacekeepers after he takes down Ventriloquist. The Peacekeeper-3 soldier isn't okay with Jason doing their jobs for them. However, their confrontation is cut short when a part of Gotham is leveled (in the shape of a Batman symbol) and the Next Batman is blamed. Believing Batman isn't to blame for the deadly incident, the Red Hood becomes Peacekeeper Red, joining the Magistrate to investigate the organization from the inside.
Red Hood assures Peacekeeper-3 he will bring Batman to justice. He's told if he screws up his mission, he will be thrown into a cell at Blackgate prison. The comic ends with Bat-Family - led by Nightwing, Spoilers, and Robin - confronting Jason, telling him they're calling a "family meeting."
Becoming a Peacekeeper might seem like a curious choice, but in order to infiltrate the Magistrate and tear them apart from within, the Red Hood decided the best solution was to join them. It's a solid strategy, as fighting them as an adversary would be a much more difficult task than breaking them down from the inside. The question is, will the Bat-Family support his endeavor and believe he's joined the Peacekeepers for the right reason? Considering how impacted the entire crew has been by the Magistrate in DC's dark future, the Red Hood might have trouble explaining his latest title change. Future State - Gotham #1 is in stores now.