The Red Hood might join the DC Universe following the announcement of DC’s Dynamic Duo. James Gunn recently confirmed production for DC Studios’ latest animated movie, though stopped short of stating whether it would be a part of the mainline DC Universe canon and timeline. While this may mean that Dynamic Duo could be another Elseworlds production in the same vein as Matt Reeves’ The Batman trilogy (though notably not a part of that universe, either), it could still follow the likes of Creature Commandos in being an animated production that feeds into the DCU’s live-action canon.
Story details about Dynamic Duo have yet to be fleshed out, though Gunn divulged that it will star two DC characters who each held the Robin mantle: Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. Given the DCU’s main live-action Batman installment, The Brave and the Bold, is set to star Damian Wayne’s Robin, the door is open for Grayson and Todd’s stories to be told separately as part of the DCU. Dynamic Duo could be that movie, capitalizing on the chance to launch the cinematic career of what could be one of the DCU’s most compelling characters.
DC’s Dynamic Duo Movie Is Perfect To Set Up Jason Todd’s DCU Story
Jason Todd Deserves A DCU Career After Dynamic Duo
While Robin is an underutilized character in DC’s movies, appearing only in live-action films in the lambasted Batman Forever and Batman and Robin in more recent decades, Dick Grayson seems to be the default iteration. This stands to reason, given that he is the original, but this focus on Grayson frustratingly disregards the narrative heft that comes with Jason Todd. The character is arguably Batman’s most tortured and therefore compelling sidekick and Dynamic Duo may be about to score a two-for-one in setting up cinematic careers for both characters.
Dick Grayson and Jason Todd are the first and second DC characters to take up the Robin mantle, respectively, in DC Comics. Both then go on to be independent vigilantes under exceptionally different circumstances, with Grayson becoming Nightwing and Todd becoming Red Hood. Nightwing is a firm fan favorite and is already expected to appear in the DCU. Jason Todd, meanwhile, is not only a perfect candidate to contrast with Grayson’s more overtly virtuous heroism but a character whose genesis as Red Hood would be incredibly valuable to the DCU.
Why The DCU Needs Red Hood In Its Story
Red Hood Boasts One Of DC’s Most Compelling Story Arcs
Jason Todd is largely known for being the Robin that was killed by Joker in the illustrious “A Death in the Family” storyline from 1988. This would not only cause Batman to be wracked with guilt over his failure to protect his young protégé from his nemesis but fuel Todd’s villainous resentment towards his erstwhile mentor after his inevitable resurrection nearly two decades later in 2005’s “Under the Hood” story. His initial descent into villainy as Red Hood would culminate in Todd becoming a violent antihero instead, whose violent methods nevertheless don’t preclude him from becoming a Bat-Family member.
Warner Bros. confirmed that it was Jason Todd’s vandalized Robin suit that appeared briefly in the DCEU’s
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
There is an in-built level of appeal that comes with antiheroes that Red Hood’s DCU debut could capitalize on. Furthermore, Red Hood is required to contextualize Batman’s complicated relationship with his own flesh-and-blood, Damian, who is an inherently violent sidekick hellbent on putting himself in dangerous situations. Ultimately, it would be remiss of DC Studios to sidestep adapting Red Hood into a live-action movie after Dynamic Duo debuts Jason Todd because of the simple fact that he boasts one of DC Comics’ most memorable and enduring plots.
The DCU Could Achieve A Selection Of Live-Action Movie Firsts With Jason Todd
Red Hood Has Never Quite Made It To Live-Action Cinema
Although he has appeared in live-action in Titans, a cinematic depiction of Jason Todd has yet to materialize. Dynamic Duo may be about to set this up, making Red Hood’s cinematic live-action debut another example of how the DCU is leaning into originality instead of relying on the same tried-and-tested origin stories of Batman and Superman. The violent Red Hood is also a prime candidate for starring in an R-rated offering that is part of an otherwise more family-friendly franchise, much like how Deadpool & Wolverine scored that novelty for the MCU.
The stage is primed to take audiences on a thorough journey through Red Hood’s origin story, from hero to villain to antihero, typifying what is starting to look like a more nuanced take by the DCU on the nature of super-heroism and the morality of being a vigilante.
If Dynamic Duo is DCU canon, then the DCU should ensure that it savors Red Hood’s origin story from start to finish. The stage is primed to take audiences on a thorough journey through Red Hood’s origin story, from hero to villain to antihero, typifying what is starting to look like a more nuanced take by the DCU on the nature of super-heroism and the morality of being a vigilante. Whether Dynamic Duo is the launchpad for this story or not, it might at least whet the general appetite for Jason Todd taking a starring role in the DCU.
