There are four playable heroes in Gotham Knights, including Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood, but the latter hero's gun-toting presence still feels wrong in a game about Batman's allies. Although Jason Todd has worked with Batman and the other DC heroes of Gotham Knights in the past, those days are long gone, and he had yet to become the Red Hood. As he stands now, he feels rather out of place among the rest of the Bat Family.
Jason Todd was once the second Robin, taking up the role after Dick Grayson left as Batman's sidekick. However, Jason was eventually killed by the Joker in the Death in the Family story arc following a fan vote ran by DC. Jason would eventually return from the dead under a new identity, Red Hood. Red Hood is a rather brutal vigilante who could be considered DC's equivalent of the Punisher, killing criminals without remorse. Since Red Hood is more brutal than some villains Batman has faced, his appearance as a playable hero in Gotham Knights could be seen as a surprise.
While Red Hood is not a villain, he still doesn't fit especially well into the Bat Family despite his past with the Caped Crusader. Including him with the rest of the group feels like a stretch, especially when there were other Bat Family members who could have been on the roster instead. This is despite Jason having largely been rehabilitated in the comics as a staunch ally of Batman, too. Although he's reformed as a hero, it still feels antithetical for the Dark Knight to willingly embrace a character who uses guns in combat - even if they're of the less-than-lethal variety.
Gotham Knights - Batman Never Kills, But Red Hood Has Killed Plenty
One of Batman's most famous traits is the fact that he never kills his enemies. He believes that even those in Arkham Asylum can be healed. This is a mindset that he has passed on to the heroes that have worked with him over the years which can be seen in how Batman's training of Gotham Knights' Nightwing made him such an effective hero. Even Cassandra Cain, who was raised by an assassin and is one of the most powerful martial artists in the DC universe, refuses to kill. Stopping crime nonlethally and attempting to seek redemption for his foes is one of Batman's most enduring traits.
Red Hood's methods are almost the complete opposite of Batman's despite them both being more or less on the same side of the fight against evil. Red Hood is aggressive and fights primarily with guns, aiming to kill his enemies in most of his depictions. Even if Batman weren't entirely opposed to guns due to the deaths of his parents, there is no way that he would use tactics similar to what Red Hood does on a daily basis. Gotham Knights is changing Red Hood's Batman comic backstory, with biographical information stating that he is using nonlethal rounds and tactics while he works with the rest of the Bat Family. However, his long history of killings still stands out.
Red Hood is not evil, but his brand of vigilantism is not the same kind that Batman would endorse. Jason's body count is far too high for him to be accepted as a member of the Bat Family. Even if he claims that he won't kill anyone in Gotham Knights, his past history would make his word on that topic difficult to trust.
Red Hood Is Not Close Enough With Batman To Be In Gotham Knights
At one point, Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne had a good relationship as Batman and Robin. However, Jason's return as Red Hood stirred up several issues between the two that would leave him more distant than a member of the Bat Family should be. While Bruce does not hate Jason, and Red Hood holds Batman's trust after being resurrected, he is still not a solid member of the Bat Family.
Jason's time as Red Hood has primarily consisted of violent vigilantism as well as some flirtations with outright villainy and crime. Batman and Red Hood have worked together following Jason's resurrection, but they have battled each other a good amount of times as well. Although Batman has had rocky relationships with other heroes in the past, his storied history with Jason is likely too volatile to consider him a trusted companion on par with the rest of the Bat Family.
The most logical reason for his addition to the group would be his past as a former Robin, but even in that case there are other characters who would be more fitting to fill the role. While Jason and Bruce are not specifically enemies, he is also nowhere near the ranks of Batman's most trusted compatriots. Gotham Knights could have included several Batman heroes and allies - many of whom are more loyal than Jason - but they were seemingly passed over for Red Hood instead.
There Are Better Gotham Knights Candidates Than Red Hood
One of the biggest issues with Red Hood's presence in the main roster of Gotham Knights is that there are other members of the Bat Family who could have also filled the fourth slot in the lineup. However, with Jason having been largely redeemed in the comics now, he has been included in the roster. Not only would other characters have fit the role better, but they would have more natural reasons to be aligned with the rest of the group.
Cassandra Cain is a martial artist who surpasses Batman himself and is one of the Bat Family's strongest members. There's an argument to be made that Gotham Knights has the wrong Batgirl in Barbara Gordon and that Cassandra was the better option. There's also the matter of Batwoman, an important Bat Family creation from the 52 event in the comics. Kate Kane is Bruce Wayne's cousin and also the vigilante Batwoman, initially inspired by Batman. Former Robin Damian Wayne, meanwhile, is the son of Bruce and Talia Al-Ghul, as well as the most recent Robin. All of these characters would have perfectly good reason to be fighting alongside Dick, Tim, and Barbara in Gotham Knights. Each is a member of the Bat Family with a strong connection to Bruce. However, Red Hood wound up taking the final position instead.
If one was disappointed to see Red Hood take a spot that could have gone to Cassandra or Damian, it would be hard to blame them. They are only some of the Bat Family members that would have been excellent for a spot in the playable roster of Gotham Knights. With Gotham Knights taking inspiration from Batman's coolest era, it would have been great to see some of these characters taking center stage. Red Hood not only sticks out due to his moral differences from Batman, but also for taking a spot that would have been better suited to one of the Dark Knight's other allies.
Red Hood will likely play just as well as the rest of the Gotham Knights cast. However, that doesn't change the fact that his inclusion in the game's version of the Bat Family feels odd considering his history. Given the other options available, Red Hood doesn't fit in with the other heroes of Gotham Knights.