Of all the horrible things the Joker has done to his victims, the brutal murder of Jason Todd will remain one of his biggest moments of cruelty. Beating the young Robin with a crowbar and leaving him to die in an explosion is looked back on as the act that permanently changed the Joker into one of the DC Universe’s biggest monsters. And if it wasn’t bad enough, one of Jason’s last words made his harrowing death even worse.
“A Death in the Family” is a landmark DC Comics’ storyline that took place in Batman #426-429 by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. The story is notable not only for the Joker brutally beating Robin, but leaving the boy’s fate in the hands of fans via a call-in contest. With only a slim margin towards "Yes," voters chose to let Jason Todd die and the event would cast a dark shadow over the entire Bat-Family for years to come.
Though Jason did come back to the land of the living, he would be forced to face his past in stories like Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. The DC Black Label series involves Red Hood and Batgirl helping Batman investigate a curious murder case. The bodies lead them to discovering the multiple set of Jokers, one of which appears to be the Joker that killed Todd years ago. Even threatened with a gun, the Joker taunts Red Hood, revealing that in his last moments, the young hero pleaded for his life saying “I’ll be your Robin.”
Ever the tormentor, Joker gladly brings up the painful reminder of Todd's torture and execution right up until the point Red Hood shoots him dead. The death of Jason Todd has long been seen as an act that helped usher in the "Dark Age" of comic books. The brutal torture and death of the Boy Wonder had a profound effect on the history of Batman. Bruce went to a dark place, forever regarding Jason's murder as his greatest failure and for years refused to allow another Robin to take his place. The "Death in the Family" arc took a bold step for comics at large, showing that even beloved heroes can't always avoid the worst endings.
And despite how heinous the storyline is, Joker's cruel mockery makes it even worse, reminding readers how young Jason was. The idea of a child being confronted by an insane killer is awful enough, but hearing that he begged with such a sad offer shows how undeserved Jason's fate was. "I'll be your Robin" is a chilling thing to hear because of how it elevates Todd's murder into something more frighteningly real. Instead of being placed in a complex death trap or being captured by cartoonish henchmen, an innocent teenager was viciously beaten, with only pitiful words to try and save himself.
"A Death in the Family" has always been one of the biggest tragedies in comics. Knowing the last words Robin said as the Joker beat him to death makes what transpired all the more heartbreaking.