WARNING: Contains Spoilers for BATMAN #160 (2025)!

The Bat-Family is exceptionally well known for their deaths and subsequent reversals, with Robin all having ‘died’ and made miraculous returns. However, it seems DC is beginning to regret bringing one of these characters back, as they now prepare to kill them off once again.

I would rather DC kill off the Red Hood while he is at his best.

Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee have recently returned to Batman with Hush 2, the sequel to their 2002 Hush storyline. However, this sequel already deviates from the original by shifting the focus to the Bat-Family rather than Batman’s extensive rogues gallery. The villainous Thomas Elliot is determined to tear Bruce’s family from him, whether through manipulation or death itself.

Hush has made substantial threats against three of Batman’s Robins, both former and present. However, one former Boy Wonder’s life appears to be more at risk than the others, and if Loeb’s narrative hints are to be believed, DC may once again be preparing to kill off Jason Todd, and honestly, I'm hoping they do.

DC Isn’t Bluffing This Time, A Robin Really Is Going to Die

Main Cover by Mike Mignolav for Batman: A Death in the Family TP (2011 Printing)

Before diving into why Jason Todd is the most likely Robin to get killed off, it’s first important to establish why there’s absolute certainty that at least one Robin will die. While Batman #160 by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee features Hush confirming he plans to kill three Robins, comic fans know better than to take a villain at their word, since their plans are often thwarted by the heroes. Therefore, the certainty of a Robin’s death doesn’t come from the narrative itself, but rather from Loeb, who stated multiple times during a Hush 2 Q&A that he intends to “fix the Robin problem.” The implication here is that Batman has too many Robins, and to fix that, one or more of the Boy Wonders are going to die.

Why Red Hood Is More Likely to Die Than Nightwing or Robin in Hush 2

Comic Comes from Jeph Loeb’s Batman #160 (2025) - Art by Jim Lee

Batman #160 ends on a major cliffhanger, with Dick, Jason, and Damian’s lives in mortal peril. Nightwing and Red Hood are held at gunpoint by the Joker, while Robin is being held at knifepoint by Hush himself. In the final of the issue, with his knife pressed against Damian’s throat, Hush delivers a chilling message to the Dark Knight: “It’s a shame you can’t be in two places at once. You have other knights in jeopardy. Any way you play this, Bruce… Three Robins die tonight.” There is no mistaking Elliot’s intentions or the severity of the threat the Robins are facing. The real question becomes: why is Red Hood the most likely for DC to actually follow through on killing?

It’s highly unlikely that DC will kill off three Robins in one arc, but it’s far more plausible that one won’t make it out alive. The reasoning behind Red Hood being the most likely to die is rooted in several factors. First and foremost, Jason is facing a double threat. In addition to the immediate danger to his life from the Joker, the issue reveals that he is actively dying because his brain is deteriorating, something not even the effects of his Lazarus Pit resurrection can fix. So even if the Joker doesn’t succeed in killing Jason, his declining health or increasingly erratic behavior likely will. Secondly, Jason is more expendable from a publishing standpoint. Unlike Dick or Damian, he no longer has a title of his own. It’s unlikely that DC would kill off Nightwing or Robin while they have ongoing solo runs, making Jason the obvious choice.

DC SHOULD Kill Jason Tood, And This Is Coming From a MAJOR Red Hood Stan

Comic Comes from Jeph Loeb’s Batman #160 (2025) - Art by Jim Lee

I’m one of the biggest Red Hood stans there is. Jason Todd will always be my one true DC love. I craft my online personas around him, have written copious amounts of fanfiction about him, and own every single comic series and animated project where he plays a major role. So there’s no denying I love this character to death. That’s why, when I say I want to see DC commit to killing him off in Hush 2, it’s obviously not coming from someone who hates the character. It’s precisely because I love him so much that I can it it may be long past time for DC to finally let the Red Hood go, especially since they haven’t known what to do with him for quite some time.

The Red Hood I fell in love with was Judd Winick’s version of the character, AKA Jason Todd in his anti-hero prime. Recent storylines, in my opinion, have made Jason soft and a pushover. He’s lost his spark and has gone from being a standout character to an afterthought with none of the personality that once defined him. So it should come as no surprise that I’m loving Loeb’s take on Red Hood in Hush 2, since he has essentially returned to his 2000s characterization. But I know that once a new creative team takes over, I will likely lose the version of Jason Todd I love the most. So, rather than watch him fade back into a watered-down shadow of the fire and ion that defines him, I would rather DC kill off the Red Hood while he is at his best.

BATMAN #160 is available now from DC Comics!

• 

  Batman

  Alias

  Bruce Wayne

  FIRST APP

  Detective Comics #27 (1939)

  Created By

  Bob Kane, Bill Finger

  Franchise

  D.C.

  Race

  Human

  First Appearance

  Detective Comics

  One of DC's most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world's leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.

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  Red Hood

  Jason Todd is a complex figure known for his tumultuous journey as Batman's second Robin. Initially impulsive and rebellious, he's resurrected after a tragic death, becoming the vigilante Red Hood. Armed with intense combat skills and a moral ambiguity, he challenges Batman's methods, navigating a path between heroism and anti-heroism in Gotham's unforgiving streets.

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