#the death of Jason Todd

[magnoliasandarson]

april 27th

In Wayne Manor there is a room unlike any of the other. It is not the Batcave, with all of its wonderful and physics-defying technology. It is not the study with its auspicious clock. It is not the library with its hundred of rare and mysterious tomes. It is a room in the family wing, two doors down from the master bedroom.

This room is so special because it exists outside of time. In that room, it is always the morning of April 27th, just before dawn.

A small pile of dirty clothes is haphazardly tossed in a hamper next to the armoire. Drafts of half-written essays are scattered over the desk. A long-dead iPod is tucked between the pages of a lovingly annotated copy of Pride and Prejudice. A red hoodie is draped over the back of the desk chair, its pocket still holding a Batarang, a learner's permit, and a pencil.

In the center of the room, on the dusty floor, is a shattered picture frame.

If you were to look past the broken glass and the smallest blood stain, you would see a torn picture of a teenage boy standing between two men in suits. The boy was grinning like he'd won the lottery- crooked teeth on full display and blue eyes sparkling. The man on the right looks proud, also beaming at the camera with his hand clasping the boy's shoulder. The man on the left has his hands behind his back, the smallest smile pulling wrinkles into life on his face. The three looked like their lives had never been better; stood on the steps in front of a courthouse with the boy holding a freshly notarized certificate.

Perhaps that is why the frame was shattered.

Perhaps, on April 27th, in the early hours of the morning, Bruce Wayne knocked on the heavy mahogany door, regretful and wanting to make amends. But when he heard no response, he pushed the door open. Maybe when he saw the picture tossed to the ground, he panicked and dropped to his knees, slicing his fingers open on the glass in his haste to read the note that had been tossed onto the wreckage. The note crumbled in his hands as he raced out, slamming the door behind him.

The room remains untouched from that moment on, except on the 27th of April. Every year, a nightmare will rip Bruce Wayne from his fragile slumber, and he will tear through the manor in a blind panic, throwing the door open with the name Jason on his tongue.

Every year, he is greeted with the room that time forgot, and he falls apart.

[idekwthmuistb]

Popped up in my head, totally an angst idea that is unfounded by anything other than a few angst fics I've read and would probs never be said naturally but consider Bruce, soon after Jason's death/when Tim forced his way into Bruce's life, is talking to Tim and basically says, "You are hard to love because it's not You I want to give this love to" (familial love ofc) and I just feel like that could be potentially very damaging for preteen-Tim to hear yknow, just saying, idk I'm tired

[latinotimdrake]

the thing about the AU where Jason lives is that it's defined primarily by what it's not. by what doesn't happen. wherever the divergence point is, whether Jason never meets Bruce or never becomes Robin or never goes into the warehouse, you're always dancing around the event that did happen in every current form of canon: Jason's death. you can't escape it. Any AU where Jason lives is always going to be in direct conversation with the mirror image, the other version, where he dies. Because that's the version we got.

[jonmyblaze]

Uncle dent :au

And (The quest for mother )

Location: Arkham asylum

Cell block number '22--222-22

Harvey dent sat in his cell. Flipping his coin idlely waiting as the clock to tick by.

(Face: liberty)

(chance Scratched)

( face )

Scratched

Face

Liberty and Justice (face)

Or greed and chance (scratched )

It was pointless to him, he couldn't find the will to escap

"Harvey dent you have a visitor." A small speaker in his room notified him in a monotone slight east gothamite voice.

It wasn't like a harvey had anything better to do, so he went to the front of his cell.

Two police guards proceeded to take him to the visitor center. As were there job.

Harvey as he was perp walked he Wondered .

who the hell would be visiting him at this hour.

"At least Wayne had his visits on normal hours.' Harvey dent thought to himself

"But we already played chess that week! ' Big Bad Harve countered.

'So it has to be someone else. But whom?'

Harvey approached the visitation window

Harvey dent looked at the kid on the other side of the visitors window.

He looked vaguely familiar. he's seen that face before , a boy he watched grown up under his gang

"Well wat doya want kid" Harvey's gothamite accent sung through his voice.

He was Gotham's deputy the people's elected district attorney. He had to sound like them

"Information, as much as you got"the kid responds

Harvey balked

"Aren't you a little young to be propositioning super villains for information?" He questioned rhetorically,

"I'm as old as the lawyers allow for visitation alone"

"You barely looked like you can jack a car! let alone convince a guard that we are family.

"Hey I got off the streets with my jacking skills" he defended himself,

Well bully for you kid! your parents must have been proud at your jacking skills."

Harvey chuckled with a bit of childish humor he asked" and Sense you brought it up which hand do you jack best, with lefty or.-"

"Can it dent" the boy cut off the mobster before he could finish his crass punchline. "all I want is information, nothing more "

I think a kid as old as you should know the prison rules by now. snitches and stitches and all"

The boy looked into the partition. huffed a laugh

"No not anything of the mob, this is I something that's rather more mundane that I need to ask"

Harvey cocked his unscarred eyebrow.

"what information would a young man like you come all the way out to Arkham asylum in order to ask me known mob boss Two-Face"

The kid placed a small book in the small open section of the divide..

It was a photo album. The Cover looked slightly burned and dirty but for the most part it was genuine. Two-face idly flip through the pages annoyed that this is what this strange visitor wanted

mostly baby pictures and likely pictures of young man in front of him.

"You were asking about a photo album? "Two-faced asked

"Flip five in from the front. ,"

It was there that he saw the photo.

.

Recognizing the photo

Huh

It held three people in the image. One former goon named Willis todd, his young son and Harvey dent himself.

Harvey remembered that day, Catherine (was that her name) had taken the photo. A smiling young woman. Willis's fiance if he remembered correctly.

Such a shame that Willis died in a gang encounter between his and cobblepots goons.

"You recognize that man?"

"Course I do it's it's good Old Willie Todd. Best gun runner and international arm dealer I had."

" Yeah and my old man too" the boy said blunyly

"No way" Harvey denied at first then he whispered

"Son of a bitch" he said in amazement!

There he was Jason Peter Todd, son of Willis and Catherine, the current adopted son of Bruce Wayne.

(this is a slight au of death in the family, Harvey and Jason has a better relationship then Canon.)

Harvey haven't seen the boy in person in ages

" Yes shit that baby there is me. "

" Well You grew up kid, congratulations"Two-Face said matter of factly, leaning forwards he asked jovially like a cranky cool Uncle. "got a car yet?"

" Nah, I'm only 15, do know how to hotwire one though."

"AH They keep getting younger" Harvey smiled ironically .

" Now what did you come all the way here. Besides reminiscing about old Times"

I'm trying to to find my mother"

" Pretty sure Catherine died of a drug overdose from the papers I read." Two-Face didn't often read obituaries but that was one of the more sad ones he read.

" It was cancer, she died of the pain meds she was given to help relieve the pain from the cancer."

"Sorry kid but if that's the case your ma's Dead and gone, what about trini and Joe? What happened to them "

Harvey remembered that lengthy custody battle with Willis, being unable to afford to take care of the boy and thus having to put him up for foster care temporarily. He was lucky that that boys measly acrobatic Aunt and Uncle to take him in as a way to keep him from experiencing the worst of the foster system .

This in turn forced Willis to take the more dangerous jobs that Two-Face had. And earned him much respect. Dent never got to hear the end to that story.

"unfortunately, they fell to their death when I was nine"

“Huh... Went out like the graysons. " Harvey commented nonchalantly.

Harvey, before the acid, had seen the flying Grayson's last performance.

He remembered the gasps of the crowd, the look of horror as they fell, the sickening sound of their landing. The cries of traumatized civilians

He distinctly recalled Bruce's expression of sympathy looking at the newly made orphan of the Grayson family.

And he recalled The pride on Bruce's face when he revealed that he adopted the kid to save him from the Foster system.

He may not have gotten the boys official custody in merely a wardship at the time but there was still so much pride in his face so much help in a brighter future.

" is that why Wayne took you in?" Harvey asked. He he may have missed a few things during one of his breakout and was way behind the papers..

Jason todd looked confused

“No, why would you say that “

"You lost your parents because of a acrobatic accident, you know what they say '

once is incidental

"twice is a pattern"

"Bleh I haven't met Bruce until after I was at 10 and already an orphan twice over."

"Really ?.So how did you catch Wayne's eye? "

"Wait You mean he hasn't told you? I thought you two were friends.

Nope, all he said that he found you and took sympathy in yout plight. Are you implying there's more to that story?

Definitely"

" So tell it kid”

And tell it Jason did. And it was the funniest shit Harvey ever heard.

‘See, remember how I said I got off the streets thanks to my car jacking skills.

" No way, what did you do?" Dent asked, like a schoolgirl wanting more gossip. Which was as par for the course in police work, they were just as bad when it came to gossip.

‘I jacked the tires of one of his muscle cars when he was visiting Crime Alley.. “

“You jacked his muscle car?” he asked in almost amazement. Bruce love those things it was one of the few things that showed that he was a fucking multi-billionaire with hobbies.

“Yep took the tires and everything, nearly got away with it too."

Harvey burst out laughing, nearly worse than the clown. It was a low baritone laugh but it seemed to echo throughout the room

Harvey didn't care it was fucking hysterical.

SOME PUNK ASS KID STOLE the tires of his best friend's multi-million dollar muscle car and the man decided to adopt the kid

It was funny, objectively funny

It took Harvey a few moments to calm down. Other inmates looked at him with sympathy.thinking he might have got Joker gassed.

“Sorry sorry that's the funniest thing I've heard all week”

“That's what Bruce said too. I think that's kind of why he adopted me.”

“He took you in immediately?”

"He tried the system first the place he sent me was a child to the criminal pipeline system that Batman broke up. Bruce decided if the system ain't going to work for him then he'll do it himself. And that's how I got to stay at Wayne Manor."

“Well aren't you the quintessential orphan Anne, “

“Yep, I even got the Daddy Warbucks too.”

“Haha haha real funny now I only have one thing to ask, why was my boy Wayne in crime Alley in the first place..”

“If I remember correctly it was the 26th of june at 10:27 pm. One the alley right Behind an old theater in crime Alley. I was a petty kid who didn't know any better. Said it was his first time having that happen. “

Harvey sobered up

No wonder why Bruce saw so much in the boy, Wayne found the kid on the anniversary of his parents' death.

It was funny, on one of the most crime ridden parts of this hell hole of a city, the famous multi-millionaire who rarely got into trouble with crime, on on the anniversary of one of his most tragic days .saw some young orphan kid jacking his tires as something deeply sympathetic. And funny

whereas most people his status would have loved to see the kid behind bars for mildly inconveniencing them.

Unlike most, Bruce chose empathy and Mercy instead of petty vengeance.. (he was much better than Harvey ever was.)

Harvey had decided long ago his friend was a saint but this took the cake.

On the anniversary of Wayne's death of all days. It was tragic yet funny.

—----

Jason Todd was lying

Only partially.

Bruce as Batman had found him on a normal day. It was weeks before the anniversary of the elder Wayne's death. But he wasn't lying about anything else. He jacked the tires off the batmobile Batman found funny and took a liking to Jason enough to later try and adopt him. This was a story they told the press.

It can coincided with the anniversary of the Wayne's death, and told the story of a young kid being adopted into gothamite royalty purely out of the sympathy of his big childish heart

As Bruce's media manager had told Jason. It's good to sell a story but it's even better if the populace wants to believe that story. little details being fudged are fine so long as the greater narrative is intact.

Ultimately it was harmless of a lie nobody noticed but still it was a lie nonetheless to be noted

—------

" So both sets of your parents are dead but you said you were looking for your mother? What's wrong with living with bruce.

I think I should clarify .

I meant.. my biological mother. The one who gave birth to me,'. not, the ones who raised me.

As much as I like Bruce, I just can't help but wish to have some closure. I want to know where I came from. it feels wrong without at least knowing a little bit about her.

This is all I ask. It's why I came here.

Do you know anywhere where l can go to get that info." Two-face contemplated the request for a few seconds before relenting

" You know what? sure. I'll help." There was a brigh light in the boys eyes.. there was hope

Harvey had to temper that." keep in mind, kid that these details could be outdated, they are a few years old after all."

" Please. I'll take anything at this point" Jason looked happy. He cherished Catherine,he loved his foster parents/uncle and Aunt Joe and Trina Todd(before they ultimately demise) he genuinely enjoyed Bruce as his father figure and he respected his bio dad Willis Todd. He just wanted closure, that was all.

Harvey would give him the details to one of the more secure bases. Jason would visit once again and with Harvey's help succeeded in narrowing down the three ladies until he came across the final one, Sheila Haywood. currently in Ethiopia.

--------Weeks later-----

Jason Todd would go alone to Ethiopia unknowing the tragedy that would occur

--------in death in the family telethon-----

Call now Gotham will the bird Boy live or will he fry!

HAHA-HAHA-HAHA-HAHA!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harvey watched the television screen in the horror everything clicked into place. Jason Todd was the second Robin. A boy that he accidentally sent to his death. The clown viciously beat Jason Todd on one of his sick deprived telethons.

Where would Joker be hiding he couldn't be in Gotham Sheila wasn't any where near Gotham

."Unless the clown and jay never were in Gotham in the first place." Big bad harv suggested.

Joker's Gambit ultimately implied he was in Gotham but last he heard of Jason he was heading for Ethiopia to find Sheila.

He even saw that bitch Sheila taking a cigarette break! while Jason was being beaten and broken

Harvey try to call and hope that the vote would end up with a boy living. He Tried to call Bruce but the line ended up dead.

Batman was too busy hunting for Jason. He doesn't know the truth Jason isn't even in Gotham he's in Ethiopia

Harvey wanted to shoot the damn TV but he couldn't, his eyes were addicted to the screen hoping that Jason would live.

(Bruce Wayne had just confirmed that the bird that was being a beaten was a runaway Jason Todd, who dressed up in the robin outfit

at that moment it was very easy for Harvey to put together Bruce Wayne was Batman but to the crowd and inmates in Arkham

Bruce was just Batmans sugar daddy. And the punk kid from the streets was a sympathetic story to some in Arkham. Especially to Harvey himself.)

Harvey prays that Bruce would end clown this time.. for if not he would do it himself.

Harvey would watch in horror as the clock struck zero.

The vote said he should have lived. But the vote counter just kept going, even after the clock struck Zero.

----------

Joker had given Batman one final chance to save his bird tying up both Sheila and leaving Jason broken

He set the counter to explode

And yet somehow the boy struggled but escaped. Only for a locked door to keep them in the way.

------live from Ethiopia--------

Harvey watched as the screen faded to Black vowing he would kill that clown once it breaks for free

[dick-nightwing-grayson]

Hi, I recently saw a post where you told an anon that Jason was killed by Batman twice.

Do you have panels of that or comic and issue number so I can find it myself? (Specifically the second killing because I think the first was at the end of utrh)

Thank you 😊

Oh, I said I blamed Bruce.

Jason's first death was as Robin in "Death in the Family" and the Joker killed him

Jason's second death was at the end of "Under the Red Hood" where Bruce threw a batarang that slit his throat and then left him in a building wired to explode. Bruce straight up nerfed him

Jason's third death is in "Task Force Z" where deadshot shot him. He was then revived by the Lazarus resin. Bruce did not directly kill him, but Jason didn't want to do this mission and bruce pushed him too so I blame him in a very round about way, because it is easy to do

Task Force Z #2

Task Force Z #3

[ashoss]

patrol is fun :DD

[ghost-bxrd]

Headcanon that when Jason so much as says “ow..” on the comms the rest of the batfam immediately assume he must be dying.

[incorrectbatfam]

[at Jason's funeral]

Dick: *places his hand on the headstone and sobs*

Dick: How could you do this to me? We are so understaffed.

[desos-records]

suddenly struck with thoughts about the devastating concept of Jason Todd

because he was good. because he had a bleeding heart despite every reason not to. he loved school and was good at it. he was the first to be adopted, with little pretense of guardianship. he did everything he could to be a perfect Robin and live up to an impossible ideal. he only ever wanted Bruce and Dick to like him.

because he met Bruce in the same place and on the same day that Bruce's parents died--the single defining moment of Batman's existence. and he made Batman laugh. he hit the Dark Knight, Terror of Gotham, with a tire iron. he wasn't afraid of the man who turned fear into a weapon.

because he couldn't save his mother from herself, but he tried. because he was too good not to try and save the woman who gave him up. too good to play the Joker's game. the crowbar didn't kill him, the bomb did. he died knowing he wouldn't make it and tried anyway. he died a hero.

because other Robins have died, but none of them put an irrevocable tear in the mythos of Batman. because Jason Todd always dies, in every universe. he dies for the sins of his father. he was put to death by popular vote, sacrificed by the crowd. doomed by the narrative and doomed by the audience. the boy who only ever tried to prove he was good enough--wasn't good enough.

because he has every reason to be angry. because he didn't ask to be murdered, didn't ask to be brought back, and when he did everyone acted like he was better off dead. Bruce tried to kill him and nearly succeeded. he's blamed for his own death and blamed for his resurrection. he can never come home because the house is haunted by his own ghost.

because he's been the hero, the victim, and the villain. because his family and his writers and his universe don't know what to make of him. they don't know how to look his tragedy in the eye. and how can you?

it hurts to look at the hero who cannot be good enough, the victim who will only ever be angry, the villain who can sometimes be right. the audience hates to feel complicit and, in this exceptional case, they are.

[trashmakerarticle]

Everyone thinks that dick was the golden child when in reality it was Jason.

Clark: Bruce who was your favourite robin?

Dick: obviously it’s me?

Tim: it’s dick

Damian: I am superior robin, it will be me.

Bruce: it’s Jason

Everyone: WHAT?!?!???

Bruce: why are you so surprised? He didn’t jump on too my chandeliers which I had to replace each week

*everyone looks at dick*

Bruce: he didn’t drop out of school

*everyone looks at tim*

Bruce: I didn’t have to stop him from killing everyone who annoyed him

*everyone looks at Damian*

Bruce: in fact, he enjoyed school and handed all his homework in on time, we would spend hours in the library reading his favourite classics. He even helped Alfred with most of the cooking, He was my little boy

Jason: stop spreading lies, I hate you go away

Bruce: my precious little boy

[violent138]

Obsessed with Batkids that came after Jason's death accidentally letting slip things they know about him/talking about him like he's there:

Tim: "Not that he's-- I mean, the way Bruce talks about him, sometimes it's like--

Duke, simultaneously: "We hired a medium last week to communicate with his spirit."

----------------

Steph, accidentally bursting out of the kitchen while Damian is being interviewed: "Someone tell Jason he's an asshole for finishing all the peanut butter." *spots camera crew and freezes*

Damian: "Jason's what I named our new dog. Right Baba? He's the dog we saw last week at the shelter."

Bruce, through gritted teeth: "Yes, I remember saying that we had too many animals already, but anything to make my kids happy."

Steph, awkwardly sidestepping out of the frame.

[uinferno]

Love Under the Red Hood as a story but this always stood out to me.

Quick doodle to reacquaint myself with drawing.

[cardinalcheerio]

Half the time I'm like, "can we have jason todd media not all about his death"?

Then I realize. If I died I would never shut up about it.

"Can you get up and grab that for me?"- absolutely not. My legs are tired from death.

"Will you go to the store with me?"- leaving the house?!? What if I die AGAIN.

So yeah, anyone who thinks jason talks about his death too much. Be honest. We'd all do the exact same thing.

[charlietheepicwriter7]

De-Aged Danny, gesturing to a dazed Bruce inside Wayne Manor: And this is Bruce! Otherwise known as the Himbo! Reporters: Hmm, yes, interesting... Bruce: What the- Danny: I'm not sure what that word means. I heard it from Dick, but no one will give me my answer, not even Jason, who is easily bribed. Bruce: Why are there reporters in my house!? Danny, innocent and childlike: They asked to come inside, Bruce! They seemed like really nice people, so I thought it'd be polite to give them a tour. Bruce, filled with infinite patience: I really wish you had asked me before you did that, chum. Danny: But why? We don't have anything to hide... do we, Bruce?

Or, in order to rise to the Ghost Throne, Danny has to complete a series of trials to prove he is capable of ruling (or any other reason, Danny just needs to do trials to prove himself).

The last trial, issued by Clockwork, is thus: discover the Wayne Family secret in two weeks without the use of any of his powers.

He has one shapeshift to pick a form that could endere him to the Waynes, but only one before he starts and he has to get close to the family by his own wits. Danny, after studying the family and reading of one sentence summary of each Wayne, picks the body of a six-year-old little boy that looked like a child Jason Todd.

Bruce: That child is up to something. Dick, third favorite: I don't know, Bruce; he acts like a normal kid. Jason, #1 favorite: I doubt the old man's ever met a normal kid. Tim, least favorite: Bruce is right, but can you please not talk like the villains from Chicken Run.

[birdean]

What a wild little guy, I hope he doesn’t end up in a horrible life-or death poll

[beechfruit]

So in my class we name our glue sticks to stop the kids losing or mistreating them - they're much less likely to lose a glue lid if you're shouting "oh no, Alfred's been decapitated". It's fun.

Now, I'm a big batfam girlie ✨ so naturally I named all our glues after these characters. We have Richard and Bruce and Stephanie and Barbara etc. you see the point.

Recently, the first glue stick ran out. It had to go in the bin so unfortunately it "died", and you'll never guess which glue stick was the first to die...

It was Jason.

You could not conceive the sound I made as I had to throw Jason in the bin as all the children shouted things like "Jason's dead" and "noooo Jason!"

Worst things worse, I couldn't even explain how ironic that was that Jason, the second robin, was the first glue to go!