Warning! Spoilers for Future State: Gotham #1 ahead!
Batman and Deathstroke's children, Jason Todd and Rose Wilson, are destined to be soulmates. The vigilante Red Hood and trained assassin Ravager are a perfect pairing as alluded to in a recent new installment of DC Comics’ Future State.
As a potential future of the DC Universe is imagined in Future State, this new take rewards fans who have been invested over the years. Throughout their iterations, Deathstroke and Batman are typically depicted as black and white in their morality. Whereas the legendary swordsman is clearly a villain, Batman is unapologetically a superhero. However, Deathstroke's daughter Rose Wilson AKA Ravager, and Batman's erstwhile adopted son Jason Todd AKA the second Robin turned Red Hood, have their own gray interpretation of morality. The two former members of the Teen Titans have come together in a romance before. Unfortunately, that era has ended in Future State: Gotham #1 written by Dennis Culver and Joshua Williamson with art by Giannis Milonogiannis.
As Red Hood drives through Gotham City on his motorcycle, he remembers his breakup with Ravager. Jason is still affected by what he lost in Rose Wilson, the daughter of infamous assassin Deathstroke. Their relationship has been explored throughout alternate timelines and other realities, proving its potential to survive changes to the status quo. Just as Dick Grayson will always end up with either Barbara Gordon or Starfire, Jason Todd should consistently end up with Rose at his side. They share specific vigilante compromises from their parents which give them something to relate to that other heroes haven’t had in a relationship. Just as Jason strays from Batman’s strict moral code, Rose has turned her back on her father’s life of crime.
For Red Hood to not be able to let go easily of a relationship says a lot, regardless of who it might involve. Fans associate Jason Todd with his resentment of Bruce when he first appeared as Red Hood, returning from the dead after Batman failed to save him from the Joker. If Jason is finally able to connect with another person in such an intimate way, he might not forget his breakup anytime soon. However, he will need to grow past harboring feelings of resentment just because he didn’t end up with someone he cared about.
Previously in Three Jokers along with Batman and Robin Eternal, there were hints of romance between Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon, but those stories didn’t capture a spark between them. Of course, if a relationship were to develop now, it might feel cheap contrasted with the connection that Jason has had with Rose. In the past, DC has tried to pair Barbara up with whichever superhero was available, including Batman in a controversial twist. Unlike typical superhero romances, Red Hood’s relationship with Ravager complicates the legacies of their fathers, as they come together with vastly different philosophies from the ones they grew up with.