DC's New Robin Reveals Awesome Costume & Weapon as Red Hood's Sidekick
Warning: Spoilers for Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1
The latest rendition of the Batman universe includes an interesting tweak of the Robin mythos, here initially spring-boarded by Jason Todd's Red Hood and continued by a sidekick of his own who sports a wicked costume and has some awesome gadgets. Batman: Beyond the White Knight is a sequel to the popular 2017-18 critically acclaimed series from Sean Murphy, Batman: White Knight. The original story focuses on a world where the Joker has not only become sane, but a politician to boot, all while Batman seemingly grows more intense and insane in his own right.
The sequel picks up 10 years after the events of the previous installment, Batman: Curse of the White Knight. Now, Terry McGinnis is introduced into the fold, as well as the Robin lore as it exists in this universe. In Sean Murphy's Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1, after Bruce saves Captain Jason Todd from a prison gang during a riot, it is soon revealed that in this world, Jason Todd is the original Robin, not Dick Grayson. After the Joker tortured Jason long enough to force him into giving up Batman's secret identity, he fled to live on the streets, too ashamed to return to Batman. When he eventually did return to Wayne Manor, Jason was heartbroken to see he'd been replaced by a young Dick Grayson. In between that time though, Jason found himself "drifting in and out of different lives. A brawler ... a bodyguard ... a collector ... a soldier ... whatever paid the bills."
Jason's recollections are clearly alluding to his previous years as the Red Hood. The flashback visuals offer one image, in particular, that stands out, and one that doubles as a preview for the upcoming Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1. The image showcases a time when the Red Hood once had his own Robin. This Robin appears to be sporting a nifty, clearly handmade makeshift Robin costume and, perhaps most impressively, a bow and arrow ensemble.
This certainly looks like the most unique Robin to date, from any universe. There aren't many (if any) Robins who instilled an archery sensibility into their aesthetic and arsenal. It's exciting to think about what this Robin would look like in action, but even more exciting than that is just the sheer prospect of Red Hood having his own Robin.
As tends to be the case with most versions of Red Hood from any universe, Jason Todd has abandonment issues. This universe, although dramatically tweaked, follows that same pattern. Although Batman and Red Hood reconcile by the issue's end, Jason is likely at his most bitter during his youth as Red Hood. As such, it'll be interesting to see how far he'll want to go to not make the same mistakes that his adoptive father made, taking on a surrogate father role of his own. Only time will tell. Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1 does not have a release date yet, so it's unclear when we will see this Red Hood's version of Robin in action, but it is expected to be published at some point in 2022, while Batman Beyond the White Knight #2 is set to hit local and digital stores in April.