Arkham Knight

**Arkham Knight**is one of the main antagonists of *Batman: Arkham Knight.*He was a mysterious military commander who emerged in Gotham City and was the antithetical version of Batman. He formed an alliance with Scarecrow and struck a deal with Deathstroke to transform Gotham into a city of fear and end Batman. He was also revealed as the second Robin; Jason Todd.

## History

### Background

Jason Todd was born on a rooftop to Willis and Cathy Todd, a pair of meth addicts in debt to Carmine Falcone. Willis tried to sell his newborn son to Falcone to settle the debt, but was instead beaten by Sal Maroni. As Jason grew up, Willis would frequently tell him he is so worthless he couldn't be sold and would also abuse him. His parents were both executed by Sal when Jason was 13 years old because Jason informed him where they were hiding, and in exchange, the Maroni Family gave Jason in his own patch in Gotham where he could commit crimes without interfering with any of their businesses.

Jason had his first encounter with Batman where he witnessed a fight between him and Joker after a successful robbery. Jason saved Batman's life by pushing him unconcious out of the way of Joker's machine gun fire. Incredibly, Jason used Batman's Grapnel Gun to defeat the Joker. Batman disarmed Jason's pistol with a Batarang before Jason could shoot the homicidal clown in the head and Joker then told Jason he'll never forget his face before Batman knocks him out. Batman had Jason arrested for his crimes, but he was charged as a minor and a Wayne Industries project that placed trouble teens in school ensured that Jason did not receive a full sentence. He was an A student and excellent athlete, attracting the attention of Bruce Wayne. A few months after being released, Bruce appeared in Jason's dorm and handed him a Robin costume and his own Grapnel Gun; giving him one night to impress him and so he did. Months later Jason became Bruce's Ward and had his own entrance to the Batcave built into his bedroom.

Like Dick Grayson before him, Jason assumed the role of Robin, Batman's sidekick. While enjoying being a hero and had an aptitude for it, he had trouble with his temper, recklessness and self-control, and he frequently disobeyed Batman's direct orders. Jason expected to be treated like a partner and a son to Bruce, but felt like a mere assistant. At one point as Robin, Joker blew up a school full of children and it was at that moment Jason decided that he must kill the Joker. Going alone, Jason turned off his comm link and tracer, and tracked down Joker to Arkham Asylum. There, Joker trapped him and beat him to unconscious with a crowbar.

Joker kept Jason in a sealed off and abandoned wing of the asylum, and tied him to a wheel chair with barbed wire. There, he would torture and brainwash him, Joker would force Jason into believing Batman has abandoned him and that he is the true villain. Jason however was strong and kept onto the belief that Batman was searching for him, and would not find him. In order to ensure Batman would not find Jason, he sent faked footage of his death. To break him, Joker told lies to him about Batman and would beat him. Eventually Batman believed Jason was truly dead and recruited Tim Drake as the third Robin.

Using this to his advantage, Joker showed Jason pictures of Batman with Tim, and told Jason that Batman had cared for him so little he replaced him. Joker then branded the letter "J" on his left cheek and with him fully broken, Joker forced Jason into revealing Batman's true identity, but before he could, Joker shot him, and gave that footage of that to Batman. Eventually, Jason escaped, and believed that Batman was weak, for not only not finding him, but for not killing Joker and began plotting his revenge.