I don't know what cloud you judgment was. You're guilt or your antiquated sense of morality. Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. But why? Why on God's earth? Is he still alive? Batman has a history of transforming people. Some who are headed to a life of sure crime, some headed to a path of vengeance. He takes these kids and gives them a new life, a new purpose. He enrolls them in school, takes care of them. They also join him as his sidekick in his crime fighting. Is what he is doing good? Is it okay? Sure it may be good nature. These kids now have things that occupy them, schools to go to, outlets to release their pent-up emotion. But in exchange, night in and night out, they are risking their lives fighting crime at such a young age. Jason Todd is the prime example of when being a sidekick, being Robin, goes wrong. Jason Todd, when he returns as the Red Hood, stands on a line very similar to Batman, motivated by vengeance but not tethered by justice like the bat. Jason does not owe anything to justice like Bruce does, nor does he feel that he should, and this explains his MO, compared to batmans. The reason he kills and batman doesn't. First off, who is Jason Todd? Jason Todd is the second Robin. As we know Dick Grayson to be the Robin most known for his athletic abilities and combat skills, as well as him being the leader of the team Titans. Tim Drake, the Robin following Jason, is known for his detective skills and is impressive intellect. Even to some is known for his anger, but I will commend him on what Artemis commands him, his instinct. Jason Todd was born to a father who would spend his life in prison and his mother who died during his youth. So the orphan Jason would spend his night stealing to get by, which on one night led him to the batmobile. A prize he could not give up. The desperate Jason tried to steal a tire, but instead was met with the bat himself. James Wayne later took the kid in and because of his rough upbringing, Jason had a darkness to him. Anger and rage that was always looming in the background. Batman would make Jason Todd the next Robin, as an outlet to release his anger, and to teach him the woven ideas of vengeance and justice. This was a ticket out of a sure life of crime. While Batman would teach him about restraint and doing things by the book, this would begin to improve his attitude and his composure, but as he got older, that darkness would escape every once in a while. Later during a mission gone wrong, Robin was captured by the Joker. In a turn of events, the Joker would nearly beat Jason Todd to death and leave a bomb inside the warehouse that Todd's body was. And as Batman got close to reaching his young protégé, the bomb detonated, killing Jason Todd. When he was known to Batman, Jason's body was taken by Rachael Gould and would be resurrected by a Lazarus pit. And this is where we can delve into the mind of Jason Todd, or now the Red Hood. It is communicated by Rach that the Lazarus pits can bore people's minds when they entered. So when Jason Todd returns to Gotham as the Red Hood, his anger has less revengeance increases, that only against the world but seemingly against Batman as well. It appears as though Jason is out to kill Bruce for letting him die, but he wants Batman to truly suffer first, and that begins by him taking Gotham away from Bruce. Though an important thing to note is that Jason has forgiven Bruce for not getting to him in time. However the one thing he couldn't forgive Bruce for was allowing the Joker to still live after what he had done. This is something in every iteration that Jason stresses. How could Bruce allow the Joker to take Jason's life? A kid who had become like Bruce's son from this world? Even worse, how could Bruce still let him walk this earth? Which is where we can truly begin to question Batman's ideology. Jason Todd represents Batman's failure and the flaws in the Bat's ideology. He is the grim and possible reality of being a sidekick, being a kid in a truly evil world. He is Batman's greatest failure. He let the Joker kill Jason. Everything should have changed after the child died. Which brings us to the second question. Should Batman even be taking these children out to risk their lives? Because now again, this kid actually died. Though in the under the redhead comic, Alfred discusses this very idea. Alfred explains that these kids are a reflection of Batman's past. They aren't there to serve a role in Bruce's happiness nor does he really need them out on the battlefield. But instead, Bruce needs them on an emotional level. They are what Bruce needs to overcome the grief that he still has. They are there to help him bear the weight of him losing his parents. In young justice, Batman defends the young partners as he says that he is there to make sure that none of the robins or kids helping him become like him. Which could mean a number of things so that they don't become obsessed with vengeance, obsessed with the mission, so that they don't lose oneself or identity. Though moving back to the first point, Batman's ideology. Why doesn't he just kill the Joker? In the redhead outlaw comic, Jason mentions the revolving door of being Batman. The cycle of chasing after the Joker, placing him in Arkham, him escaping, harming more people. And Batman chasing him again. It's a game of cat and mouse that has real consequences for everyone but the two of them. And this is evident in Jason's death. However, the reason Batman does not decide to kill the Joker and his explanation is that it would be too easy. If Batman kills the Joker, he goes to a place where he could never return. If Batman kills the Joker, he becomes the redhead, a being of pure vengeance. As shown in the last days, comic, Jason represents vengeance at its purist. If we look at the panel, all of the words that are synonymous with revenge are bolded. Plotted, calculated, dwelled, reconsidered. This makes Todd Batman's perfect foil. They both stand on the two sides of vengeance. Batman stands towards justice, and Jason stands towards rage. So who is Jason Todd? When a family of Acrobat's genius detectives skilled assassins, Jason is the grounded child, the relatable one, the middle child. He is holding on to anger. Jason Todd is the second Robin who would follow in the footsteps of the legendary Dick Grayson, the perfect Robin. And Jason who was expected to be everything his predecessor was and more, unfortunately didn't make it. Jason is the one who doesn't succeed. Jason Todd is the one Batman failed to protect. Now Batman and Jason both have to live with that weight, trauma and failure for the rest of their lives. Jason Todd is Batman's greatest failure and Batman's perfect foil. I'm talking about him, just him, and doing it because he took me away from you.