Greeting Netizens, Fracadactyl here. Welcome back to Adaptations Done Right, it’s exactly as it is on the tin. Today we’ll be covering Batman: Under the Red Hood. I know, I know, DC and Batman gets the majority of these; but it’s only because the animation studios do it so well.
What’s Under the (Red) Hood?
The source material Batman: Under the Hood is the full resurrection of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Originally just a placeholder for Dick Grayson, he evolves into more a rebellious character. Needless to say, fans hate this kind of development. So DC kills him off after a series of votes. Fifteen years later, DC decides to troll with the idea of Jason’s resurrection. Being the physical embodiment of Batman’s failures can really push a brand.
In the story, DC finds its excuse to bring Jason back after Superboy Prime’s temper tantrum. I know, it’s stupid; but the whole thing gets kind of better. Well as better as Judd Winick can make it. All it really shows is that Jason is just an angry teenager without ever knowing why. After a messy description in Wikipedia, I saw the incomplete story videos by Comicstorian. There is one crucial difference between these mediums; the focus on how Jason becomes more vengeful and his target, the Joker.
Smoothing the Mess
In the comics, Jason’s resurrection is a convoluted mess. First he comes back to life because some Superman throws a punch, then the League of Assassins take him in. As it turns out, Talia al Ghul pushes Jason into the Lazarus Pit along with her father after a fit. So to fix that, Ra’s al Ghul actually takes Jason’s body and resurrects him with the pit out of guilt. It turns out he’s the one who sent the Joker to distract Batman and Robin; it got ugly and Ra’s respects Batman too much to leave it in that state. This makes a stand-alone story rather than one that requires a comics history lesson.
Also it limits the amount of major characters in favor of focus on Black Mask. Because again, who needs the comics history lesson? Yet when all is said and done, Black Mask goes to the Joker to deal with Red Hood. Apparently the best way to fight against a master tactician is a madman.
On the topic of the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime always steals the scenes he’s in. The comics practically have him just for plot relevance and decoration; here though the Red Hood’s campaign builds all the way up to Joker. Jake the Dog’s voice work combines with the Joker’s threatening behavior to make him part of the bigger story.
The Build Up
Unlike Batman: Arkham Knight, the makers don’t beat around the bush that Jason is Red Hood. In fact that’s Jason’s whole operandi; he wants Batman to follow the bread crumbs he’s leaving behind. The whole Red Hood identity also plays out by revealing that Jason’s new identity is also meant to mock Joker. To do so, Jason has Batman chase him to where the first Red Hood becomes Joker. All in order to pressure Black Mask to break Joker out of jail; so that he can capture the clown.
The Climax
All of which leads to the climatic scene between Jason, Joker, and Batman. Jason actually tosses Batman a gun after the Dark Knight’s ‘never going back’ speech. Jason really wants to bring home that he is Batman’s greatest failure. He’s even willing to push Batman to break his ‘no guns’ rule to prove that point.
In the comics, Jason has the room tapped with explosives offering no easy way out. Yet instead of using his wits, Batman just tosses a Batarang at Jason’s shoulder causing him to bleed heavily. This gives off the implication that Batman is more willing to harm his former ward. It certainly doesn’t help that Joker chooses to trigger the explosives himself.
Instead Batman chooses to walk away with Jason shooting at him in frustration. Anticipating this, Batman throws a Batarang at the gun causing it to explode in Jason’s hand. This makes the act less of a betrayal and more of disappointment that things don’t work out. So Jason detonates the explosives so he can escape.
Everything Good Under the Hood?
Yes, Judd Winick as screenwriter makes this story much more compelling than his initial version. The only flaws come in how Nightwing and Alfred don’t share the spotlight as much as the other characters do. Dick doesn’t even have the excuse of Bludhaven getting blown up. The voice-acting performances by Bruce Greenwood, John DiMaggio, and Jensen Ackles really bring out the characters. Greenwood even gets to be Batman a couple more times. In terms of scale this gets an 8.5/10.