Warning! Contains spoilers for Task Force Z #7!
With just a few lines, the Joker has cut Red Hood down to his core and exposed one of his biggest fears. In one sentence, the monster that murdered Jason Todd found a new way to psychologically torment his old foe.
The day that Jason Todd was beaten and killed by the Joker was a day that the comics world changed forever. The "Death in the Family" storyline made waves for its graphic portrayal of Robin's murder and would become known as one of the most consequential Batman stories of all time. Though Jason would return years later, his experience left him angry, confused and much more willing to brutalize criminals. Todd's even had several run-ins with the Clown Prince of Crime since his resurrection, and the hero has made it clear he hates the Joker more than anything else in the world.
But despite the tough guy act Jason is known for, even he has his fears. Task Force Z #7 by Matthew Rosenberg, Jack Herbert and Daniel HDR shows a nightmarish scenario where Jason Todd is surrounded by a group of Batman's biggest enemies. Attacked from all fronts, Todd swings wildly at the group of villains with his crowbar, until his hunk of metal collides with another. An eerie voice tells the hero how moving it is seeing him in such a display. The voice comes from the Joker, clad in a Batman outfit who sends a chill down Jason's spine by telling him "I'm proud of you, son."
Since coming back and becoming Red Hood, the question of why Jason would take on an persona once held by the man who killed him has come up quite a few times. In Batman: Three Jokers, Todd rationalized the decision because he wants to own his trauma and take the power away from the Joker. While that may be what he tells himself, Jason isn't prepared to be called out in such a brutal way, possibly revealing an internal struggle about his choice of identity.
Calling himself the Red Hood may make Jason feel like he has control, but his confrontation with the Joker speaks to a deeper anxiety in him. The deviant clown calling Jason "son" absolutely shocks him. Does Jason fear that instead of owning his trauma all he's done is follow in the footsteps of the person who hurt him the most? Taking on the Joker's former secret identity would be one thing, but now Jason uses a crowbar, the same thing he was killed with in "Death of the Family" as his main weapon. Joker's glib comment speaks to how much of Jason's life post-resurrection revolves around his connection to the Clown Prince of Crime. It looks like Red Hood is deeply afraid of how much he's borrowing from the Joker and what that means for him.