#jason and bruce

[ghost-bxrd]

The rambling cuts off abruptly, stony silence ringing from the other end of the line, but Jason knows Bruce is listening. Listening and running through several calculations on how someone— and who— could have gotten this number, while simultaneously tracking the call signal.

This is gonna be fucking gold.

Time to sell it.

“Dad,” he sobs, pitching his voice until it breaks, teeth chattering exaggeratedly, “Dad, please, I’m scared, I-“ Jason cuts himself off with a scream and another series of sobs, “Please, I can’t— it’s locked! Please, no, Dad, it’s locked—“

OR

Jason's need for drama successfully derails his plans for vengeance “Red Hood“ style

[slut4-haydenchristensen]

jason: who the fuck-

bruce: language

jason:

jason: WHOM the fuck-

bruce: NO-

[suguruslut]

Hate how they continuously portray Bruce as a "never admits they're wrong or apologizes" parent & don't let him unconditionally love his precious baby boy Jason who has never done anything wrong ever🥹💔

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

Gotham is sentient. Gotham knows what is going on in. Gotham knows who is fighting for her.

So when the Batman proves himself of trying his very best nearly every night to protect his city, Gotham announces him her knight and shows him a vision. A vision of the future. Of who her next protector will be.

He calls himself the Red Hood. Not the same guy he had already fought, but someone who stands close to him. Who is not afraid to kill.

He is allowed one question.

"What is his name?"

"Jason Todd"

Maybe he can change things.

Not a name that strikes out. Nothing special. But he remembers it.

And then, one night, he meets a boy stealing his tires. He definitely knows how to defend himself, Bruce's bruised ribs are proof of that. But he doesn't have anyone.

So he puts him in Ma Gunn's school for boys. Maybe with some proper guidance he could become Gotham's protector without killing.

But the school turned out to be a crime scheme. Better to remove all variables and train the boy himself.

As the months go by, Jason feels save enough to put his walls down. To not play into the tough guy act anymore. He is positively overwhelmed because this boy is so sweet, so kind and nice and enthusiastic. So Bruce might be doing a good job apparently.

Until. Until the Garzonas case. Bruce has seen it. The man with the red helmet, the guns and the corpses and blood surrounding him. With the same eyes as his son. The knowledge of the future leads him to think that Jason HAS to have pushed Felipe.

Bruce blames himself, thinks he has wasted his time and resources. And it hurts because despite everything he has begun to love this boy. But he is just Batman, he can't change the future.

But then Jason dies. And that hurts more. Because now Jason never even has the chance to grow up to be Red Hood, doesn't have the chance to grow up at all. And he hates himself because sometimes he thinks about if this might be a good thing actually. He died as an innocent child. It's tragic, he deserved better. But maybe this is better than becoming a murderer and it is mercy.

Years later, Red Hood arrives in Gotham.

In front of him stands the man he saw in the future vision all those years ago.

Bruce reflects. If he had just left Jason alone when he first met him. But who knows if it would even have mattered? His biggest regret though is that he ever thought that a child dying might be something good.

After the debacle that was the Joker showdown, Jason multiplies his effort to help Gotham his way times ten. And that's when Gotham awards him with a vision, tells him that he is her paladin and tells him her rules, how he has one question open after seeing who her next protector will be.

Jason doesn't really care for the person in the vision, what happens in the future should stay in the future, because otherwise they were always doomed.

But then it strikes him. An idea. A terrible one but it seems logical. He has to word this carefully. "Has Batman known that I, Jason Todd, would become Red Hood?"

"Yes"

At their next encounter, Jason tells him how much of a savior complex he has. In reality, Jason is deeply hurt. Bruce treated him as someone that deserved to be cherished, to be loved. Treated him as someone valuable. But now he sees that Bruce had only ever seen him as broken, something to fix, someone doomed. Nothing more

[melloollem]

Jason would never say what he felt out loud and neither would Bruce and they always hurt each other because between half-words Jason saw the worst in Bruce and Bruce saw a lot of his faults in Jason.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

I created this paragraph for a fanfic, but I think it's so good that it deserves its own post on my profile.

[theartistonthemoon]

Line art here

Top left here

[sleepingontheclouds]

I’ve been getting more and more attached to Jason’s character so please indulge me. I will be having to section these off cause I’m gonna be talking about two pieces of media </3

Titans

I’m watching season three of Titans right now and, it’s a wonder. There’s a few aspects that bother me but overall I’m in love so far.

The season makes a bold choice by literally opening on Jason- a hero- doing drugs. Sure in season two it mentions Hank doing drugs because of Hawk and it does show him in the act of snorting a substance, but the difference is, he’s an adult. Hank is a thirty something year old man who has probably most likely killed people, Jason isn’t.

Yes, Jason is violent. Yes, he did assault police officers, but he never killed anyone. Jason may legally be an adult but he still acts like a teenager because he is one. He’s a traumatized teen having to deal with the fact that he’s repressing so much from everyone he loves. He never gets an outlet to discuss what’s happened to him with people he trusts.

A great example of this is when he’s about to jump off the the Titans tower in season two. He tries talking to Dick, he says how he feels and he try’s expressing himself, he tries so hard to get his brother figure to understand what he’s going through. What does Dick do? He flips it around and unintentionally makes it about himself.

The closest we get to him actually opening up is when he starts trusting Rose, telling her about his upbringing and starting to get comfortable with her, comfortable loving her. Then she reveals that she only met him because she was trying to manipulate him.

The impact of him turning to drugs hits so much harder. He’s just scared, he turns to anything he can to help. It’s so much deeper when it’s shown that the drug he takes isn’t heroine or coke or anything like that. It’s a drug that stops fear.

He literally felt so weak that he took drugs to repress his emotions to the point where he felt nothing, he felt nothing and thought he was better because of it. There’s no doubt that at this point in the story he’s addicted. Jason started using before he died and the madman who gave him the drugs started using them to manipulate him. I’m really interested in where the story is gonna go with it, I really hope it actually dives into withdrawal and how Jason would cope with everything going on around him without the help of drugs.

Comics/Animation

Overall with every piece of media I see regarding Jason and the batfam, it never really manages to depict Bruce and Jason’s relationship accurately, one of the good ones was that single episode of Titans. (in my opinion).

Me personally, I see Bruce and Jason’s relationship in a very complicated light.

When he first gets adopted, Jason views Bruce as a nurturing figure. He sees him like every child sees their parents, perfect. It’s like he can do no wrong. He’s Batman! And he made Jason Robin! It’s a perfect opportunity, he was being helped, he finally had a dad, one that loved him.

Before Jason died, he still very much idolized Bruce but not to the point of thinking he was perfect. He knew Bruce wasn’t perfect, he just couldn’t bring himself to actually say it. Jason couldn’t face the fact that Batman didn’t need a Robin, he didn’t accept that he could still be Bruce’s son without being Robin.

After he died and came back, there was resentment. He hated Bruce, despised him with every fiber of his being. Depending on what canon you’re watching/reading, there’s different reasons for why. Either Jason is mad that Bruce took Robin away from him before he died, effectively taking away his only coping mechanism, therefore resulting in his death. Or, he hates Bruce for not killing Joker. His father didn’t avenge him, he could care less about Batman having an obligation to avenge Robin as his sidekick—fuck Robin. He cares that Bruce, as a father, didn’t kill the Joker to avenge his son. He let his sons killer roam free, putting the psycho in Arkham won’t do anything. Or or, he holds resentment that Bruce couldn’t save him. He couldn’t save his sidekick, his son, his Robin. He failed.

No matter what happens between the duo, Jason always holds self loathing in his heart because of Bruce.

Across all forms of media, he always develops the thought that Bruce hates him. He always thinks that he’s the ‘least favorite/most hated child’ even though it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Bruce loves him, Jason is undoubtedly the favorite child.

(Sneaking a Titans reference in here—) The fact of Bruce caring for Jason more than his other children, (cough cough DICK) is solidified when he takes the Robin mantle away from Jason. He’s trying to protect his son in a way he thinks is best. He saw and heard what being Robin did to Dick, he doesn’t want to put Jason through that. Even the line where Bruce says “I don’t want to make the same mistakes.” Jason perceives it as Bruce calling him a mistake. He lashes out and gets angry because he thinks that he’s being called a mistake. It’s not true, the sentence itself with the context of the episode and the episode before show that it’s not true. Bruce is calling Dick his mistake, not Jason.

Throughout everything, Jason sees anything negative that Bruce says or does as a direct attack on him, when he’s the only one Bruce actually tried to parent. Dick was treated like a weapon. Jason, as a child.

[evilwickedme]

No no you don't understand. It's not about Jason being always right or the person who suffered the most. It's that he's a victim's power fantasy. It's that he's fundamentally changed. The tragedy of Jason Todd is that he was the best goddamn kid - he was kind and thoughtful and smart and passionate and caring - and that that was taken advantage of, and that's what got him killed. It's that he can't ever be that kid again because his trauma is all consuming and yet he has used that to create a new identity where he is in control. That trauma defines him. It also leaves him frozen, incapable of true character development, makes it so he can never cross that gap between him and Bruce. He cannot separate being Bruce's son from being Robin, and therefore if he is not Robin, he is not Bruce's son. He cannot move on from being a victim, not ever, and therefore he is always going to be representative of victimhood being utilized for something else. When the anger consumes you and you mourn your past self because you can never be that person again. When it's the happy memories that hurt the most. That's where his narrative is the most powerful. It would be so satisfying on a certain level to see him grow past that. But he would no longer serve his purpose, not in challenging Bruce, and not in representing that need to empower yourself after the worst thing that ever happened to you.

[lotusxpop]

Bruce: it cost zero dollars to be nice

Jason: how much does it cost to be an asshole?

Bruce: ...

Jason: I can venmo you.

[mikakuna]

the song "i love you so" by the walters but with jason and bruce

bruce, who can't let go of his little boy and refuses to believe his child would ever become a murderer: i love you so

jason, who can't stand the way his dad keeps letting him down and hurting him and clinging onto a version of him that doesn't exist anymore: please let me go

jason, who keeps coming back to bruce no matter how much he hurts him because he thinks his dad is still in there: i love you so

bruce, who knows he isn't the father anymore that jason remembers and wants back, and can't be: please let me go

[wicca-void]

It doesn't matter that they have Jason alive in front of them, the ghost of who Jason was will haunt them throughout their lives.

[ghost-bxrd]

Calmly sitting and dreaming about grave pretender getting attention<3

I lied I'm actually dancing in joy that it's still on the roster:)

Happy 😊

It’s definitely going to be posted sometime in the future and is currently sitting at 2k words! 💚 I estimate it to have anywhere between 3-5k words when it’s done ✨

Here’s a lil sneak peek to tide you over until then~ 🦋

“Jason doesn’t stop until he‘s standing by the bedside, blinking down at the curled up form of Bruce Wayne at the foot of his old bed.

There are dark bruises under his eyes, his face pulled into a distressed little scowl, muscles twitching every couple seconds. A nightmare, then.

Unlike Jason, Bruce’s nightmares are always silent. Soundless. Jason wakes up screaming where Bruce simply opens his eyes to blink at the ceiling. Jason flails until the blankets twist around him like restraints and Bruce doesn’t move an inch the entire night. It’s kind of funny, actually. One of them has actual experience being a corpse, yet Bruce knows how to act the part better than Jason ever has.”

[ryemiffie]

Not sure if this has been thought before, but I was thinking about Jason and Tim's relationship and how everything went down with Jason's whole revenge plan or whatever and I present the thought of:

Jason is revived, spends his time with the league and then goes and sees that Batman has 'replaced' him with Tim, of course he's hurt by this and he starts to question if Bruce ever really viewed Jason as a son or if it was all just in Jason's head, he doesn't want to believe that Bruce would replace him but the evidence is damning.

Jason being so hurt by this he decides he can't tell Bruce he's back, and goes on to plan all his Red Hood drama. At first Jason is content with doing what he thinks is right as Red Hood and is fine just killing the Joker on his own. As long as Joker is off the streets and can't hurt anyone else Jason thinks this will be enough.

Years pass and Jason has made a name for himself as the Red Hood, and during this time he has become accustomed to seeing Batman fighting alongside his new sidekick, his new Robin. Whether in passing or from a distance, Jason has seen how the two interact and function with each other, and he recognises how much Tim seems to care for Bruce. It's hurtful to think of Bruce having moved on and replacing him but Jason sees his younger self in the way Tim looks at Batman while they're in battle.

In this time Jason has not been able to bring himself to kill the Joker, his own mental turmoil at the idea of facing the man who killed him keeping him from acting on his anger, instead he only fights against the joker from afar, foiling his schemes in ways that didn't require him to ever actually have to face the twisted man.

Jason tries his best to avoid Batman and his new protege, and just continue working in the shadows of Gotham as Red Hood without having to deal with any conflict from the dark knight/his dad, while from afar feeling a sort of connection with Tim, he is technically his younger brother now right? Even if Jason can't bring himself to so much as wave in his direction when near enough that Tim might see him. During a team up of some kind, probably with someone like Harley Quin, Red Hood is informed of the Joker Jr incident and is suddenly filled with such rage, such anguish at the idea that not only had Bruce failed to save Jason, had let him die and then allowed the Joker to keep his own life, but that Bruce would allow Joker to hurt another one of his sons, to hurt Jason's brother. That even after seeing both Jason and Tim suffer at the Joker's hands that Bruce would still let that man continue with his life, continue to hurt people whether those people be members of the batfamily or just civilians caught in the crossfire of an endlessly painful rivalry between the clown and the bat. That Bruce would continue to take Tim out in the field and put him anywhere near the Joker to fight. When it was just for his own peace Jason could've ended the Joker on his own and let that be enough, sure it hurt Jason to think that the man he had seen as his father didn't care enough to avenge him but he would've survived, as long as he got to watch the life drain from Joker's face and the smile spill off his face when he died. But now, knowing what Batman had allowed to happen, not just to himself, but to Tim as well? It was just too much.

That would be the final straw. The thing that makes Jason finally go directly after Joker, to reveal himself to his father, to scream at him and air out his pain, his sorrow and his anguish, yelling "How could you let him do it? How could you let him continue living after what he did to me? How could you have allowed him to live on to hurt Tim? You couldn't protect me so why didn't you protect him? Was it not enough? To lose me? Was that not enough to make you realise? If I wasn't enough why wasn't Tim? It should've ended with me and it needs to end with Tim! How many more Robins will you let him hurt beyond repair? How many Bruce?! You need to end this! Please end this! If you couldn't do it for me please do it for Tim, he deserves better than you gave me!"

Anyway, just a thought I had. it's kinda hard to articulate in this typa format but maybe I'll write it out as a fanfic and it'll make more sense? Don't know if I will though, let me know if that's something anyone would be interested in I guess. But yeah, I'm just like really interested in Jason and Tim's dynamic and the potential they have for brotherly angst and shenanigans so I might just write some random Tim and Jason interactions for funsies whether or not I decide to post 'em.

[dizaryswrites]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jason Todd & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: Canonical Character Death, Past Character Death, Hallucinations, Dreams vs. Reality, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Whump, Resurrected Jason Todd, Jason Todd has regrets, conversations with your past self, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Good Parent Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Loves Jason Todd, Jason Todd Calls Bruce Wayne "Dad", Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, off-screen batfam Summary:

His heart somersaulted. Standing right before the door was him. Robin. Bloodied and tired and still fighting. The boy turned to stare at Jason through a ruined domino mask. Somewhere in the distance, a bomb beeped steadily. “I was laying on the ground.” Jason whispered. “But I’m not you,” The boy frowned as he took in Jason’s combat pants, body armor, and leather jacket, “am I?”

---

Jason has a chance to talk to his past self...and maybe fix some regrets.

“He’s crashing! Get that armor off!”

“Dammit Jay, you stubborn idiot, what were you thinking-”

“Keep compressions going, don’t stop!”

“Jason…Jason, please…”

Jason’s eyes fluttered open to see a dark warehouse ceiling above him. Stacks of crates towered around him. Where? How? None of it seemed important as he staggered to his feet. Instinctively his hand went to his chest–and felt nothing. Odd. He felt a pressure there, a memory of pain. But it slipped from his mind.

A few more steps took him to the edge of the warehouse. The door. He needed to get to the–

His heart somersaulted. Standing right before the door was him. Robin. Bloodied and tired and still fighting. The boy turned to stare at Jason through a ruined domino mask. Somewhere in the distance, a bomb beeped steadily.

“I was laying on the ground.” Jason whispered. Memories that felt like only yesterday.

“But I’m not you,” The boy frowned as he took in Jason’s combat pants, body armor, and leather jacket, “am I?”

Drugged. He must’ve been drugged. He was hallucinating. And yet Jason found himself walking closer, studying…himself. Had he really looked so young? There was a foreign softness to the kid’s features that clashed with his battered state.

“Oh, I guess I am,” Robin said, teeth stained with red, before swaying like a tree in a hurricane. Jason caught him, sliding down the wall so he could better cradle the boy in his lap. “So…I live? I make it out of here?”

Jason licked his bone dry lips, throat suddenly sticking together. “Kinda. But I don't know if you'll like how we turn out.” Robin didn’t reply, just wheezed softly, his cheek pressed against Jason’s chest. Yeah, real comforting, Jason. Tell the kid he’ll live but turn out a piece of shit. Why not add that he’ll want to murder his family?

[Continue Reading on AO3]

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

Bruce and Jasoncs first meeting- Transcribed!

Hello, I transcribed part of Batman #408, aka. Bruce and Jason’s first meeting! I did it so I would have an easier time writing my fic, like copy and paste certain dialogue, and thought that it may be useful for some others too. Each paragraph is describing one panel.

The Batmobile is parked in an alley. Three tires are missing.

Batman: I don't believe it!

Narrator: And Batman does something he has never done before, in Crime Alley

Batman: *laughs*

Batman: *kneels on the passenger's seat’s side to inspect the tires* I have to hand it to ‘em - it takes stones to rip of the Batman’s buggy

Jason is seen going to the Batmobile while looking over his right shoulder. He wears a red long-sleeved shirt, red jeans and a black vest.

Narrator: And as Batman kneels to appraise the situation, a criminal returns to the scene of the crime

Batman is still kneeling, but now Jason has walked around the car, standing in front of Batman.

Batman: Well- Come to finish the job, boy?

Jason: Whoops.

Batman stands up, Jason quickly hides the tire iron behind his left thigh.

Batman: *scowls* You’re going to give me back my tires

Jason: Who says I took ‘em?

Batman stems his hands into his hips. Jason has the tire iron perfectly behind his back. His right hand indicates that he’s nervous.

Batman: What else is the tire iron for?

Jason swings the tire iron right into Batman's right side, onto the ribs.

Jason: This!

Batman clutches his left side with his right arm. Jason is running away.

Batman: You little son of a gun

Jason: Come and catch me, you big boob!

Jason runs into an alley across from the Batmobile.

Batman looks around the corner of said alley.

Batman: I could stop him easily enough, but maybe I should let him lead me to my whitewalls.

Jason is seen climbing the fire escape of a condemned building.

He closes the door behind him. He is now in the hallway of said condemned building. There is a bottle and trash on the floor, graffiti and other writings on the walls, the ceiling has a hole in it. At the end of the hallway is a window. It seems to have been barricaded with wood planks once, but only the top ones remain, the ones on the bottom have been destroyed.

Jason walks into a room across from the door he just closed. The green paint is missing here and there, leaving patches that reveal the wall material. There is a thin, rugged, yellow carpet on the floor. In the corner across from the door is a mattress on the floor. Two pillows are at the head of it that is touching the wall and a blanket is covering neatly the rest of the mattress. Next to the head of the mattress where the pillows lie is a pile of comics, the top one being “Ape-man”. A few feet in front of the mattress on the left side is also a passageway to the next room. When you enter the room, there are two tires leaning against the left wall. When you enter and look to the right, there are two tires stacked on top of each other with a third leaning against them.

Jason is now sitting on the mattress, about to light a cigarette. Batman is standing right behind him in the other room, a corner of his cape goes around the passageway. On the wall to the left of the mattress is a poster with a skull, the words “Poison Idea” written on it. On that side is also a stereo on a shelf, which also hosts other things, probably cassettes (as CD’s only became popular in the mid 90’s and this comic was published in 1987), maybe some comics and books too. On the wall behind the mattress is a poster of a man with the words “Eric Peters”.

Batman steps into the room Jason is occupying, standing in front of the mattress.

Batman: That’ll stunt your growth, kid.

Jason is standing up and pointing at the two tires leaned against the wall. His right hand is balled into a fist.

Jason: Take your lousy tires, already, and go- just lemme alone!

Batman spreads out his arms

Batman: Son… do you… live here?

Jason: Yeah! What of it? It’s mine and I like it.

We get a wider shot of the room. The mattress is at the left back corner. In the right back corner is an armchair propped against the right wall. Right next to it’s left is a small carton or shelf and next to it are stacked multiple cans on top of each other. On the right side of the armchair is a barricaded window, beneath it is a heating. There is not just one side board shelf on the back wall where the mattress is, but multiple. All filled very neatly. Next to the last shelf are again multiple cans which are stacked very neatly together.

Jason is scowling, having his arms crossed. Behind him on one of the shelves is a frame, in it the portrait of a woman.

Batman: And your mother?

Jason: She’s dead. She got sick. Okay? Now get outa here!

Jason turns towards Batman and swings his right fist at him. Batman has his left arm outstretched and put it on Jason's head in order to keep him away from him.

Jason: Or do I have to make you leave?

Batman picks up Jason by Jason’s left wrist, lifting him into the air.

Batman: You’re a scrappy one, I’ll say that much for you.

Batman is standing at the ground, at the bottom of the fire escape. Jason is letting a tire down from above, the tire being tied on a rope.

Batman: I’m afraid it isn't enough to just give me back my property

Jason and Batman are walking side by side, Batman having clutched one tire under his arms, Jason rolling a tire in front of him.

Jason: You’re gonna fink to the cops, huh? Figures.

Batman: Not the cops. I think we do have to tell the juvenile authorities about you…

Jason is still looking forward, while Batman is looking at Jason.

Jason: I can fend for myself just fine! I know how to make it on the streets - and I like it there!

Jason is looking up, pointing with his right thumb at himself. He seems determined.

Jason: I don’t want to wind up in some crummy orphanage. Or some foster home where I’m somebody's pet charity case. I’m my own man! Me, Jason Todd!

Jason is kneeling down and mounts a tire onto the Batmobile, Batman standing next to him.

Batman: Jason Todd, huh? Pretty fancy handle for a street kid. How long was your mother sick?

Jason: Over a year. I found her food and stuff - kepr her warm - and alive… long as I could

Batman is standing behind Jason now and puts his left hand on Jason's shoulder.

Batman: What about school, son?

Jason: I graduates a long time ago - from the streets of Crime Alley.

There is one more page which I didn't transcribe because it’s about Batman bringing Jason to Ma Gunn’s School, something which I won’t include in my fic. Feel free to check out the comic tho, I highly recommend it. Especially the next one too, because Jason helps Batman take down the headmaster in her crime scheme!

[jayson10traplo]

Bruce needs to give him an apology. Jason was in the right for many things, and he undermined it and just beat the shit outta of him for it. Sometimes Jason is in the wrong, but sometimes he doesn't deserve it like in the Gotham War, when the Outlaws broke up, and other times. Jason deserves better, and if I were him, I would leave and never return.