Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: Urban Legends #2!
In Batman: Urban Legends #2, Red Hood and Batman's never-ending feud may have just met its end. Their relationship as adopted father and son is very complicated and has been a major staple of DC Comics over the years. However, things may be taking a turn for the better now that Red Hood has found someone to care for. It seems that he endeavors to be the opposite of what Bruce was to him as a father; could this issue be the start of the end of Red Hood as we know it?
Jason Todd was once Batman's protege, he was a Robin, but everything changed with 1989's Batman: A Death in the Family. In the comic, Jason, in a shocking turn of events, was killed by the Joker. He would later be resurrected in the Lazarus Pit, reviving the traumatized hero. On his return, Jason quickly became a darker, more brutal version of Batman. Breaking the rules he'd abided by all his life as Bruce's protege, Jason became a vigilante killer. Batman despises what Jason became, seeing him as a failure and a disappointment. Essentially, the conflict between Batman and Red Hood stems from their similarities, although with one major difference.
In Batman: Urban Legends #2 by Chip Zdarsky, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Julio Ferreira, Marcus To, Adriano Lucas and Becca Carey, Batman condemns Red Hood's recent violent actions as he finds out about him murdering another person. However, as always, Red Hood believes he's in the right. The man who he kills is a drug dealer, who before his death admits to giving drugs to his son Tyler. Although he doesn't regret killing Tyler's father, Red Hood realizes there are consequences to his actions.
With Tyler's mother having overdosed and his father dead, Red Hood realizes that he's turned Tyler into an orphan. This terrifies him as he sees the similarities to his upbringing in Tyler. Determined to protect the orphaned child, it looks like Red Hood might be on a path of reflection. He's never had to pay for his killings before, but this time everything is different. The main focus of the issue is the father-son dynamic between Bruce and Jason, whereby parallels are drawn between their fighting to real-life domestic struggles. The story confirms that Bruce is just another failed parent and that Jason wishes to be better.
Ultimately, this is just another step in Bruce and Jason's endless feud, but with Tyler implanted between the two, realizations are bound to be had. It's clear that Tyler is a mini-version of Jason Todd, which may make him question his violent and ruthless actions as Red Hood. Also, Jason understands that he must protect Tyler as he is the one who orphaned him. He sees Tyler as a way of redeeming himself by succeeding in ways that Bruce failed. Tyler could be the thing that stops Batman and Red Hood's fighting for good. Batman: Urban Legends #2 is available in comic book shops and on digital platforms now.