Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: Urban Legends #2, "Cheer-Part 2"
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Batman: Urban Legends, Jason Todd's Red Hood is in the midst of what may be his most important story yet. Jason Todd has just killed a man, and while that's typically a frequent occurrence for the often lethal Red Hood, he's never really had to deal with much fallout on a personal level...until now. During his investigation into a new drug plaguing Gotham, the vigilante came across a woman in the middle of a drug-induced coma, leaving her young son, Tyler, alone. Seeing no other option but to protect the boy until they could find his father, Jason has himself in a position where he's fighting to protect this child from experiencing the same darkness he did in his own childhood before being taken in by Batman.
While Red Hood eventually found Tyler's father, he discovered that he was one of the drug dealers and couldn't care less about Tyler or his mother. He arrogantly admitted that he had given Tyler drugs from time to time to keep him quiet, which enraged Jason. Despite having an agreement with Batman to not kill in Gotham, Red Hood shot and killed Tyler's father before Jason was brought back reality, realizing that he may have just turned Tyler into an orphan, just like he was when he was his age.
Now, the second part of Red Hood's story in Batman: Urban Legends #2 from Chip Zdarsky and Eddy Barrows sees Jason grappling with what to do next. Unfortunately, Tyler will become an orphan if his mother doesn't come out of her coma, which will then mirror Jason's own childhood with his drug-addicted mother and his father who was out of the picture. However, Jason is determined to make sure Tyler doesn't go down the same dark path he did because of the Red Hood's mistake.
In Jason's mind, he never had chance to resist the darkness. His mother was an addict, and drug dealers were taking advantage of her, leading to Jason pushing one down a flight of stairs which effectively began his dark path early on. If Red Hood can help it Tyler won't share the same fate, and Jason is going to do everything in his power to protect and keep him safe, making this one of his most important stories and challenges ever. Likewise, it doesn't look as though Batman is going to stop the Red Hood either.
While Batman is of course angry that Jason broke his no-killing rule, the end of this new chapter sees young Tyler standing between Red Hood and the Dark Knight, as he's seen the good in Jason and identifies him as his protector. Hopefully, this will help Batman realize that there's more going on and he can see the complexity of the situation. While killing should never be the answer in Batman's mind, a young child was being abused by his parents, especially by his father. While Jason's emotions got the better of him, he did what he thought was right, and if there was ever a time for the Dark Knight to show some leniency, it's now. Here's hoping Batman and Red Hood can come to an understanding in future issues for Tyler's sake.