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WARNING : Contains likely Spoilers for FROM THE DC VAULT : last IN THE FAMILY - ROBIN live # 3!DC rewritesA Death in the Familylore , expose that Jason Todd ’s brutal death at the custody of theJokerin 1988 may have been the best potential resultant for the secondRobin , as far tough fate lurk beyond death . Yet , the honest extent of Jason ’s new , dark luck has yet to completely extend , giving fans much to speculate about .
The preview for J.M. DeMatteis , Rick Leonardi , and Rico Renzi ’s From theDC Vault : Death in the Family - Robin Lives#3opens with a literal smasher . On the first Sir Frederick Handley Page , the Clown Prince of Crime lies slumped on the floor , a smoke wounding square in his brow and his middle lifeless . The next page picture Jason Todd , still in his Robin uniform , holding a gun , his face one of skepticism as he struggles to march his actions . Batman , equally shocked , asks,“Jason , what have you done?”This scene leave behind no doubt — Jason Todd is the one responsible for killing the Joker .
Jason Todd’s Robin Kills the Joker InFrom theDC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives#3
“It Was a Turning Point. The Moment When Jason Todd Was Truly Born and Robin Was Buried Forever.”- Jason’s Therapist inRobin Lives#3
Despite the exhilaration among Jason Todd devotee overthe Joker ’s end , they may need to bear off on their applause . According to the narration by Jason ’s therapist , the Boy Wonder ’s fate is anything but a happy end . Narrating from a future perspective , the therapist provides a sobering sentiment of the aftermath of Robin ’s natural process . She cite Jason ’s own troubling recollection , wherehe let on that he ca n’t even remember how he got to the full stop of obliterate the Joker . Jason describes the experience as if he were in a disorienting“fugue state,”underscoring the profoundness of his excitement and fray mental land .
Jason then admit that killing the Joker“broke”him , yet he report this wear as“the upright matter that ever materialise to [ him].”While Jason speaks positively about his experience , his words produce significant red flags regarding his mental state , suggesting an unsettling grade of instability . The business organization is echo by his therapist , who recite , “ ‘ The best thing ? ’ Debatable . But it was a turning point . The here and now when Jason Todd was truly born and Robin was immerse everlastingly . ”This preview sets an sinister tone , hint at a potentially even more tragical outcome for Jason than what was ensure in the originalA Death in the Family(1988 ) plot line .
Robin Lives#3 Teases the Consequences of Robin Killing Joker (Hint: There’s A Lot)
Robin LivesIs Gearing Up to Be a Brutal Repeat ofBatman#424 (1988)
The confirmation that Jason has killed the Joker raises a boniface of motion , in particular about what drove him to pull the gun trigger , peculiarly since the Boy Wonder himself does n’t seem to remember how things reached that stop . Fortunately , issue # 3 appears to focus on unraveling this whodunit . Jason ’s healer narrates that to read this polar moment in Jason ’s life , it is substantive to first test the days leading up to the incident . Thus , it seems that issue # 3 begin with Joker ’s last and will now delve into the key events that led up to it .
Another major inquiry arising from this reveal is what the import of Robin killing the Joker will be . The most challenging consequences to chew over about are how this deed will touch Jason and Bruce ’s relationship and who Jason will become as a person , especially since the therapist betoken that Robin was“buried”that day . reckon Bruce ’s reaction whenhe thought Robin had killed Felipe Garzonas — a rapist who fell to his death inBatman#424 ( 1988)—it ’s likely that a significant emotional divide will take form between them , with Bruce potentially take the Robin mantelpiece awayfrom Jason .
Taking the Robin mantle away from him could potentially go Jason to strike out on his own and pursue a vigilante sprightliness independent of Batman , much like Dick Grayson did whenBruce similarly take the Robin mantle forth from him . However , given Jason ’s trauma and frail mental body politic , it is unlikely he will thrive as Dick did . Instead , Jason may face a black circumstances , either getting himself obliterate or adopting a persona that lean more toward scoundrel or anti - hoagy rather than traditional hero . Therefore , the wrench in Robin life could be that Jason Todd was always destined to die and/or become the Red Hood .
Robin LivesProves That Jason Todd’s Robin Was Always Destined to Die
Jason Todd Surviving the Joker in theA Death in the Family storyline Is a Far Greater Tragedy Than Him Dying
In a mode , when Jason ’s therapist says,“Robin was buried forever,”it effectively substantiate that Jason Todd ’s Robin pop off . Although this is in all likelihood meant metaphorically , it is especially important because it represents Robin ’s death in an entirely new way . In ADeath in the Family(1988 ) , Robin died a hero , attempting to preserve his mother despite her betrayal . However , inRobin Lives(2024 ) , it ’s implied that Robin ’s death happen when Jason kills the Joker . In that moment , Jason becomes something Robin is not — a manslayer — make it impossible for the two identities to coexist , and thus leading to the expiry of Jason Todd ’s Robin .
' Robin Lives ' demonstrate that one ’s destruction can occur through the human activity of mutilate another .
The metaphorical decease of Robin overshadows the literal one , emphasizing the fundamental tragedy of Jason ’s continued being while grapple with the repercussions of his option to kill the Joker . This symbolic death is specially affecting because it sign the potential dissipation of the Batman and Robin partnership . In addition to potentially losing his relationship with Bruce , Jason may also face the terrible loss of being leach of the mantel that once gave him a sense of“magic . ”Most heartbreakingly , he will be left to endure injury that no child should ever have to confront .
Jason Todd Just Proved Why Batman’s ‘No Kill’ Rule Is For the Best
Panels Come From Judd Winick’sBatman: Under the Red Hood
Judd Winick’sBatman : Under the Red Hoodmarked the counter of Jason Todd as a rising crime lord with a blood feud against Batman and a military mission to rid Gotham of its unfit malefactor . This plot line was one of the first to put Bruce ’s ‘ No killing ’ rule under intense examination , presenting a lawsuit that fans could rally behind when it came to rationalize killings . However , Robin Livessuggests there may be more to Batman ’s ' No Kill ' principle than but maintain the GCPD ’s favor and showing mercifulness . The rule might also serve to protectBatmanand hisRobinsfrom losing themselves , asRobin Livesdemonstrates that one ’s dying can occur through the act of murdering another .
From the DC Vault : Death in the Family - Robin live # 3is available now from DC Comics .
Custom Image by Kate O’Donoghue (from Rick Leonardi and Mike Mignola)
