Warning: Spoilers for Task Force Z #1!
As DC Comics’ second Robin turned Red Hood, Jason Todd has gone through a lot of ups and downs in his vigilante career, and now he’s just admitted a hard truth about himself that’s more heartbreaking than anything else. Having done some terrible things before he saw the light (shadow?) of the Bat and fully stepped into his own as a hero, Jason undoubtedly deserves more credit than he gets, but he may not think he’ll ever get the redemption he so craves.
Alluded then admitted to in Task Force Z #1, by Matthew Rosenberg and Eddy Barrows, Jason Todd is a Bat-Family member that’s had a hard go of things as of late. Having a sort of existential crisis as he continues to try and put his violent, villainous and bloody past behind him — including his brutal death at the hands of Joker — Jason is caught in the middle of a conversation with a new mysterious acquaintance, Ms. Hobert, where he seems to come to the subtle conclusion about his fate and destiny as an individual and hero.
Discussing the effect Lazarus Resin, or the substance that keeps Jason’s team of zombies half in the land of the living, has on living tissue after a mission, Jason comes across Ms. Hobert and immediately strikes up a conversation. Going on to reference his undead Task Force Z teammates as “monsters,” Ms. Hobert takes offense to the word saying, “Where one sees a monster, another might see a soul struggling for redemption,” and it’s here where Jason’s thoughts on his destiny come to light.
Continuing, Ms. Hobert pointedly asks, “Or do you believe that some souls are beyond redemption, Jason?” forcing Jason to come to terms with something that’s not exactly a happy thought for the guy. Saying, “I’ve spent more time thinking about that than most. And I think I know the answer…But I really hope I’m wrong,” Jason stops just short of blatantly admitting he doesn’t believe in redemption for himself, let alone at this specific point in time, giving fans a subtle reminder of what Red Hood truly thinks of himself and his past actions.
Having killed, maimed, been an all-around bad dude, somewhat reformed anti-hero, and a stickler for the more violent side of his vigilante job for most of his initial appearances after being brought back from the dead, Red Hood still believing he isn’t worth the vindication he deserves even after making a concerted effort to change his ways is a sad fact for a character that’s been through far more terrible situations than most. And even though he knows he might have to spend the rest of his life atoning for the sins of Red Hood's past, that doesn’t mean that he’ll let himself off easy by considering the thought of absolution, making this exchange an even more sad interaction than it might have initially seemed.
Jason may be trying his best to become a better hero than he was a bad guy, but in this line of work, especially as the leader of an undead team of bat-villains, it’s harder said than done. Red Hood undoubtedly deserves some kind of redemption, but the worst part is that it most likely won’t come from himself.