Why Jason Todd (ROBIN) Had To Die

Jason Todd, the second Robin, is famous for having died at the hands of Batman's arch nemesis The Joker. DC Comics held a now infamous vote to see whether this new Robin would live or die. Fans voted for Jason to die and he would end up resurrected decades later as the villain and later anti- hero Red Hood. 35 years after the story line Death In The Family, wherein Todd was brutally beaten with a crowbar, the version wherein he survived has been released. Robin Lives now sees the light of day. Learn the story behind how Jason was killed and what his survival would have looked like. It's a journey into the minds of Jim Starlin, Dennis O'Neil, comic fandom of the late 80s and more here on Casually Comics! Don't forget to subscribe for more thrilling comic book tales!
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The Time Robin Went Too Far...
• The Time Robin Went To...
Meet JASON TODD...Again
• Meet JASON TODD...Again
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[@CasuallyComics]

Which version do you prefer?

[@rodneylindsey849]

The OG 🖖🏾

[@SamuelSummers5]

I prefer the original.

[@puente29712]

Published version 💯%

[@samuelanderson1862]

While I feel dc has 100% ruined things with these family's as well as Batman getting more and more child soldiers Bringing Jason back Undoes batman's guilt I feel in the face of more and more children are being signed up Like he even goes after Lucius Fox kid. Batman is a straight menace at this point

[@carolgottlieb1271]

the published version. I was reading Batman at the time this came out, and I absolutely hated Jason. (I only knew him post-crisis). He was constantly obnoxious, bull-headed, and running into danger. In short, he was a dangerous jerk. I didn't get to vote (my parents wouldn't let me). At the time it happened, I was actually sort-of happy. I thought it was something the comics needed. When he came back I was honestly upset. I thought it was stupid and that it was important that he stay dead (because death has always been too much of a revolving door at DC). But in the years since, I've grown to like adult Jason. It just wouldn't have been the same if he lived.

[@Corey.Coolidge]

What gets me about Jason Todd's death is that everyone focuses on the Joker and the crowbar. That crowbar gets so many cameos in Red Hood comics. I thought the most poignant part of that story was Jason's mother, a woman who betrayed her own son for her own sake. When I read it this betrayal hit me so hard and kept me up at night. It got pretty existential: What would I do with my own child? Does my life matter more than my offspring? Why does it matter more? If I abandoned them once would I do that again? I read Red Hood books to see if they come back to this story, how Jason feels about his own family's betrayal.... yet nothing. No writer has explored this and I really feel like this is a huge hole in Jason Todd's story. If he can make peace with Batman, the Joker and that crowbar, where is his mother in all of this?

[@Nala15-Artist]

Makes sense. He is pushing the thoughts aside, some people take decades to figure out the ACTUAL reason for their trauma.

[@ethanrodgers2838]

Yeah I wished they would bring this reason, his actual reason for being in close proximity to the Joker (Because he wasn’t really going after him) into the mainstream. I feel the betrayal of his mother as well as Jason’s conflicted feelings for her after the fact makes the story sadder and hit harder.

[@JohnPlays99]

I wonder if the fact that the Under the Red Hood movie not including Jason’s mother has something to do with it since that movie has been really popular with everyone

[@rwg6357]

Cause bringing up Jason's mom place in the ordeal runs counter to the whole "Jason got his own self killed" argument which lets be blunt is 100% victim blaming

[@mr.protagonist5639]

Yeah I've thought the same thing. The entire reason he was even in a position to die is because he was looking for his mother and was betrayed by that same mother. He literally spent his last moments attempting to save her despite that betrayal, It would be interesting to explore that.

[@mrbrainly]

I can't help but feel if this was done today Jason would still end up dying as the result of a poorly conceived internet poll

[@brianshea2515]

He would be beaten to death by Boaty McBoatface.

[@avace917]

Most people voting wouldn't have even read the comics

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Or Boaty McBoatface would have killed him and assumed his identity for a big reveal two issues later.

[@madnessarcade7447]

lol also people are ass holes

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@avace917they’d still know Jason from movies and tv

[@The_Phantasm]

Not going to lie, when you said "Never forget how popular Tim was for a time" it did break my heart a little bit considering that he is my favourite Robin and the one I grew up with to see what has become of his reputation amongst more modern readers has been pretty frustrating over the years.

[@brettmajeske3525]

Even though I grew up with Dick, I always liked how Tim was different from the first two, right up until he wasn't. Killing Tim's father took away some of what made him special.

[@JanArrah]

DC has tried so hard to make people forget Tim so Damian can be the Robin.. and they just don't have any idea what to do with Tim.. all because they needed to give Morrison carte blanch to do whatever they wanted to do.

[@MidnightAge]

Tim is still my fav Robin and probably always will be. Honestly my fav comic character, full stop.

[@jayinsult]

+1 for team "Tim will always be our Robin!"

[@bostonrailfan2427]

Tim was a lot more fleshed-out than any of the others, he was relatable and likable and not afraid of telling Bruce to stop being an idiot when he needed it most…he deserved more time as Robin but of course that wasn’t happening

[@emperormegaman3856]

Shocked to hear about Jason's mother. I'm surprised this element of the story is never brought up. You'd think some writer would deal with the fallout of that.

[@KodyCrimson]

Jason is one of the very few times where a character revival was solely to a story's benefit, because the legacy his death left to the story and character growth are so interesting and create an interesting twist on Batman's mentees.

[@crows2808]

I'd say Winter Soldier too, and it even toys with similar ideas.

[@CometX-ing]

"But that just doesn't hit the same" No, I don't imagine it does. An explosion does a lot more damage than just blunt force trauma like a crowbar.

[@dallasgrey4247]

This just made my day better

[@ReflexVE]

Gotta say the storyline where Jason may have killed the diplomats son is one of the best Robin stories, and was in it's own way very humanizing. Maintaining control and emotional balance when you witness horrific crimes is not possible for most people and Jason was very human.

[@rwg6357]

Jason is basically the first step in a long line of decisions of DC struggling to deal with the whole Kid Sidekick idea, Essentially Half the Bathouse felt Bruce needed to outgrow the Robin concept while others felt it was too popular a concept to abandon 'IE Dick for a time was a Titan's character not a Batman character' Jason's death was the Height of the anti-Robin fervor among creative

[@bostonrailfan2427]

i don’t buy that Teen Titans character claim, he was being coddled then due to the cartoon shows so wasn’t used as much or in depth with either the Batman books or the the Titan books

[@joetune1945]

@@bostonrailfan2427 Death in the Family was 1989. The Titans cartoon was the early 2000s. Try to keep up please.

[@malachibaskette908]

@@bostonrailfan2427no at tht time period dick popularly in the titans made him ease away from the bat universe decade prior to the cartoon n when the cartoon came out he was a strong character with strong ties to the batverse n titans verse

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@malachibaskette908 even in Teen Titans he wasn’t the main character, he was there but didn’t do anything. it’s more like he was in limbo because the writers wrote him into a corner and couldn’t get out without hurting one or the other before getting a new character to take the Robin name and letting Dick be free of it all. it’s no shock that once Jason was created they had more fir Dick in the Titans and directly led to the Starfire and Donna Troi arcs

[@malachibaskette908]

@@bostonrailfan2427 yhus make no sense. If anything dick would still be a sidekick if it wasn’t for the titan series. Tht laid the grownwork for him to be Wht he is today

[@MP.860]

I agree. Jason’s darker and more violent characterization as Robin makes him far more interesting. They could’ve done more stories showing Jason’s darker edge leading up to his death. Somewhat untapped potential.

[@SuperEasywalker]

I will admit the UNDER THE RED animated movie with Jason Todd voice by Jensen Ackles is good.

[@The_Blue_Otaku]

Let's be honest Jason Todd's post-Crisis origin story was better than the original origin story

[@critique0767]

Idk I feel like Jason as a whole could be more interesting if he starts off rather good and whole heartedly believing in Batman’s mission. His death and resurrection changing his views into what they are now. He did everything he was supposed to do and what he get for it? Betrayed by his own mother, murdered by the Joker and unavenged (if that’s a word) by his Father. It would paint his progression to Red hood as a tragedy rather than an inevitability. That being said I haven’t read much of Jason so that might be changing the story too much.

[@BabyGirlTiny]

Nope making him darker and more violent was the reason they kept blaming him for his death. It’s also why he’s being so terribly written now

[@BenChanNYC]

I imagine the "Jason in a coma" result was a way to get him out of the way since they likely had to start working on the following issues before knowing if he was meant to live or die so that way they'd only have to change a word balloon or two rather than draw completely separate issues with him alive. I imagine he would've woken up once real life caught up to the artists.

[@EnerKaizer]

It is kinda crazy to think that Jason was re-used by the writers as a tool essentially to "destroy" the classical concept of a sidekick in their attempt to make comics more "mature" by changing him into a villain, only for them to not realize that, when Jason returned, he'd become a very sympathetic character to many. Not everyone sadly has the luck to have a healthy relationship with their father/-figures, it is more common for many to clash with them, so Jason became an easily selfinsert character for a big portion of the people. Add to this the massive amount of self-doubt many also have and compare this to how Bruce described Jason: "His (Batmans) biggest failure". So, many people can see themselves in Jasons place, including, in concept of course, the tragedy that befal him. While nobody ever came back from the dead there are still many who lived through events that massively hurt and damaged them just like him, so, again, it is another point that made people latch onto Red-Hood.

[@evansgardens]

I think that Jason dying was the best decision. Him eventually coming back makes more of an impact for Bruce than if he was just in a coma. However I feel like Dc has just glossed over the fact that his OWN MOTHER betrayed him...

[@AdamYJ]

I kind of wonder if some people voted to kill him because they thought there shouldn’t be a Robin at all.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

there were…

[@scaryharpy]

Batman was in a dark, loner stage...a boy with pixie boots and a neon yellow cape didn't fit. I like Jason as Robin and even I agreed with this.

[@BigBadWolframio]

Death in the Family and Under the Red Hood really cemented my love for Jason. I liked the possibility of exploring how different socioeconomic and individual character status may affect the way adults deal with kids. Dick's origin is tragic, yeah, but his life was so full of love and wonder. He had some rough moments with Bruce, but he practically rose himself as and his parents memory was forever a positive one. There were more positive memories and feelings attached to his childhood than bad ones, whereas the second version of Jason was, for all purposes that matter, an abandoned child in a context of violence and a heavy lack of love, and Bruce doesn't know how to deal with that; Alfred doesn't either, so Jason's trauma and anger goes unresolved and the older (more hormonal and independent) he becomes, the least he's able to manage his righteous fury. Jason needed to be pulled out of the violent setting that was triggering him, he needed a different space to heal, he needed love, affection and a chance to learn how to fight injustice outside of beating people up at night; however, Bruce didn't do that, he simply blamed Jason for his own upbringing and lack of self control, and Jason was killed looking for what he truly needed: love. And he didn't find it. I dislike how much of the narrative seems to try to victim blame Jason who, let's remember, was a child under Bruce's ward, and even though Batman himself recognises it was "his greatest mistake", they phrase it in ways that still shift the blame to Jason imo. I wish they acknowledged that Bruce had an upper class bias that he didn't acknowledge while trying to take in a child from the violent streets of Gotham, and that lead to disaster. He also had loving parents that did right by him, the same could be said of Dick and Tim. Batman could've learned about those crucial differences and apply his newfound knowledge to change how he combats crime (I know that Steph "failed" as Robin because the writers used her as a Joke, but we could reframe it as Bruce not getting how having a lower class upbringing with an unloving, violent parent requires a different approach for him when dealing with damaged teenagers. He failed Steph too, not the other way around.) I wish those differences, were the basis for Jason developing a different moral code, not simply the fact that he died and came back (which, at this point, haven't all the Robins done?). As of late, Jason's character seems stuck, always coming back to the Joker and the crowbar. His morality and ethics are stuck in a loop of "do whatever Batman says or rebel against Batman's methods" that lack either depth or integrity. Anyway, I appreciate those stories for what they did and for the ideas that sparked in me. Red Hood will forever have a special place in my heart for this.

[@Skeezer66]

I remember that, lots of fans wanted the Dark Knight Batman, more angry and brutal, and that part of their thinking was Jason needed to die to reach that point. Instead, we saw a Batman in mourning, and THAT ticked them off! I was one of the votes to keep Jason alive, and I read an editorial crushed by this being what the fans wanted. Divided fandoms go way back, lol!!!

[@matman329]

Something I don't think is talked about or used much in comics is that Killer Croc also debuted with Jason and if I remember correctly was also the reason Jason's parents originally died pre-crisis

[@The_Phantasm]

It's probably not talked about as much because most of Jason's origin was a copy of Dick Grayson's origin minor differences and the one most known now of him stealing the tires from the Batmobile just made him stand out more.

[@matman329]

@@The_Phantasm you're probably right

[@adrianomoraes5992]

I find those first stories with Killer Croc are a straight out proto Bane. Killer Croc was initially portrayed as this absurdly strong criminal mastermind getting control of crime in Gotham that could match Batman with brain and brawl. Following stories fully abandoned the intellect part to make him more and more of a beast.

[@emeraldkoala2543]

I do get the feeling he probably would have come back as a similar character to Red Hood at some point if they had gone with the coma. But like you said we, as the audience, are somewhat biased because that's the world we saw. I do hope if we get Jason as Robin in movies or a tv series at some point his character as a darker Robin is explored and developed more before they inevitably turn him into Red Hood. Also the part his mother played in his death definitely doesn't get the attention it deserves. I do love the Under The Red Hood movie, but it's a shame that they cut her out. Edit: also, I like the idea of Batman doubting himself and starting to believe that Jason isn't cut out to be Robin, while Dick actually has faith in Jason and sees something Bruce doesn't. I think that would be interesting.

[@RainbowWarrior71]

One of the things I thought influenced the vote was the fact Jason was dead in The Dark Knight Returns.

[@rei-rei]

I don't think the coma is an indication of Jason being sidelined, it's simply that whichever way they went, the nature of a monthly comic means that the next issue would already be in production and likely the next couple of issues would have already been written, so they needed a reason to not have Jason present if he wasn't dead.

[@StonedHunter]

I feel like a "robin lives" version would still have him become Red Hood (or some variation of it) but likely skipping some if not all of his villain era (ideally replaced with a lot of self reflection on how he ended up in that situation and what he wants to do going forward, whether he should be Robin, etc etc). I think with a good writer it could have worked, but would not have been as dramatic as the version we got instead and much more prone to mishandling (imo).

[@bostonrailfan2427]

he’s more like their Vigilante character, so maybe he takes that mantel up instead of Red Hood

[@esiasfrost2306]

In the death in the family animated movie where you can pick multiple choices and there's one where Jason does survive the explosion and grows a resentment towards Bruce for not killing the joker ends up becoming a version of hush

[@roberth.9664]

Jason is a character I've always been able to enjoy, he just is a character that is so interesting to. Tim will always be a favorite Robin, but Jason is a close second and the rebirth run of pairing him with Artimus and Bizarro is for an all time favorite series. That team really elevated all of those character for me.

[@ncwordman]

Death in the Family, the Killing Joke, and the Death of Superman was when I parted ways with DC. It wasn't just that the stories were needlessly dark and brutal, but for the purpose of boosting sales. Such dishonesty in writing, along with the really bad writing of it all, was too much for me. Their purpose was to boost sales. They could have done that with a fun, cool story, as Marvel was doing with Secret Wars and the Infinity Saga. Instead, the Joker shot and sexually assaulted Barbara Gordon--in front of her father no less--and beat Robin with a crow bar, joking afterward about how messy all the blood was. Then inventing Doomsday out of nothing, and him smashing out of the ground (??), and make his way to Metropolis, because he saw a road sign...!? It was all so superfluous, so completely unnecessary, and cynical of the writers and fans who voted to kill Jason. Worse yet, it was dumb. I'm not talking corny or cheesy or absurd, but without any engaging, intelligent writing, except for how "messy" it was.

[@manicpixiefangirl4189]

I pretty much agree. I’d say Death in the Family was the only one that holds up at all. The only thing I’ll give credit to Killing Joke for is that Barbara is way more compelling as Oracle than Batgirl. But since that doesn’t happen until basically the last panel, I’m not giving Moore a pass for his shit taste in storytelling.

[@bingus14566]

Would be fascinating to see a series set in this "robin lives" universe. Infinite Frontier claims that "Everything is canon," so I'd really like to see how things would play out. Even just 6-12 issues would be reasonable. Not enough, but reasonable. Great vid!

[@Connortheblueboy]

Who thought it was a good idea to give Jason such a great modern updated Robin costume only to give him Dick’s old costume?

[@jerfuhrer2581]

Pour one out for Tim Drake's popularity. We miss you

[@ravenpride70]

I just realized, we probably would have never gotten Tim Drake had they went in a different direction. It's likely we may have gotten a new Robin had he stayed in the coma, but it would have been an entirely new character. Would be curious as to who that would have been

[@scaryharpy]

We would have another Robin for certain...even DC finds it difficult to market murdered teenagers. That's what confuses me. Whether it's Jason or Tim or Damian or Duke...DC WILL HAVE A ROBIN character. So killing a character does not change this.

[@jj-reads]

Jason is one of my favorite characters in comics. His history is part of what makes him so interesting. Ever since i first read Death in the Family, I can’t help but feel like the blame Jason gets and continues to get for what happened to him is so cruel. That being said I think part of the tragedy of the story is also how it was determined. I don’t think this kind of vote could ever be had today, and in the culture of comics today where character death rarely sticks, nobody would take it seriously anyway.

[@rodneylindsey849]

The Death story is more impactful, as you so rightly pointed out the coma would have been to Soap Opera…I think they did a epic job initially on his resurrection ( pre future writers adding things like Talia going cougar on him) … because of The Killing Joke Red Hood was brilliant (I wish they had been as brilliant & given Tim a non Robin hero name when they introduced Damian ) …Keep Up The Outstanding Work Sasha 🖖🏾

[@TxSonofLiberty]

There should be some serious controversy over the vote. While much of the info has been pulled from the internet, an attorney in California set up an auto-dialer, and admitted to having it make a call every 30 seconds, spending $750 (that is $0.50 every 30 seconds, for 1500 minutes, or 25 hours of the 35 hours of the call in period). There is no question that nearly 1/3rd of the votes to kill Jason Todd were just one angry Lawyer, nearly 15% of all votes came from one person (yes, it is possible other people voted multiple times, but one person seriously slanted the votes... when the margin was a mere 72 votes, that is a huge swing).

[@redhood7778]

As a teen, I identified with Red Hood. I grew up in the gettho, and my brother was part of a gang. Looking back, I was just full of anger, but Jason is a real representation of teens living in the hood.

[@Windona]

You mentioned a lot of reactions I had when I went to read the OG Death in the Family comics and post-Crisis Jason. It's weird seeing modern Red Hood comics and the like give the vibe of 'he was always a bad seed and bad- clearly set for villainy, a Bad Robin' versus reading the comics where he's complicated and interesting, also incredibly sympathetic.

[@YakBat]

Still remember my cousin egging me on to call in for Jason's death. Even more vividly, I recall the beating my dad gave me when that months phone bill came in. Hated him at the time, even more so when he came back. Have grown to appreciate his place in the mythos.

[@wylde_hunter]

Another great post Sasha. I would love to hear your take on 'Marvel 1602' ps.Your Batman voice cracks me up every time!

[@TheSwamper]

I used to work for a comic distributor and I did visited a lot of comic shops during this period. I recall many people being "meh" about the contest, assuming DC would never go through with killing a character. I remember a short burst of enthusiasm for the title shortly after they actually killed him.

[@thehonoredone2361]

All it takes is one crowbar to have a bad day.

[@beautifulmind0711]

I love all the Robins for their own individual personalities and stories. I think Jason is my favorite simply because of his anger and how he handles the pain of realizing he wasn't enough of a reason for Batman/Bruce to finally end Joker.

[@lanternsown3525]

Without Jason Todd's Death we wouldn't have gotten to Tim Drake one of my favorite characters.

[@christianemden7637]

My favorite Robin as well, Dick is much more interesting as Nightwing than he was as Robin. I neither like Jason nor Damien

[@MatthewPrower]

i’m pretty sure he would’ve been introduced regardless, considering the soap opera coma

[@robertboden2744]

I always believe in the three death rules in comic. Jason, Barry, and Gwen. Thought about Hal but he was done wrong....but those three deaths should never change

[@johnbiela9442]

The last few pages of the comic were not penciled and inked until Monday, after Jason's fate was sealed. I was Production Manager of the company that did the color separations. On Monday, I was given the heads up to expect the final pages on Tuesday. We recieved the completed book on Tuesday morning, rushed it through the shop and shipped negatives to the printer that same night. DC may have plotted a story finale for each outcome, but there was only one set of artwork of the book.

[@9Maciej]

Not the first to make this statement I suppose, but it doesn't change the fact the irony that Jason Todd's death is what gave him a new life in DC history.

[@jackpendragon6080]

Honestly happy with how things turned out. Jason ended up being his own character and not a reskin of Dick

[@jonathonriddle9922]

My grandma bought me a copy of Batman 441 off a spinner rack in a mall bookstore when I was 8 years old and it blew me away. It was my first introduction to Two-Face, which is plenty intense for a child, but I also learned in that issue that Dick Grayson had grown up and was some hero named Nightwing and that Robin was dead. I was numb with shock from reading that comic. It stayed with me for days and days. When 441 was recollected in the "A Lonely Place of Dying" trade paperback, I begged and begged Grandma to buy it for me, but collected paperbacks (even cheap ones on newsprint) were more than she wanted to pay. I bought a copy for myself 12 years later. Satisfaction at last!

[@mikeyjhilli]

Was wondering if you was going to do a video on it. Interesting.

[@brandonscott4808]

Personally I consider Jason Todd an underrated Robin because to me he was the right Robin to fit the more dark modern take in the Batman comics during the Post-Crisis era. Dick Grayson's time as Robin made sense in the Golden Age and Silver Age, but by the time Bronze Age kicked his time as the Boy Wonder would be over. Because by the time we got into the Bronze Age, the world in the DC Universe started to become darker. The creators altering Jason's origin in the Post-Crisis was the right call because I think is Pre-Crisis origin would've worked if DC rebooted the Robin character during the Silver Age, like they did with the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, or the Atom for example. Though i won't deny some of the good elements from Jason's Pre-Crisis history, such as Nocturna being his adoptive mother and a love interest for Bruce. Had Crisis On Infinite Earths hadn't happened, I could see the three of them grow into a family. Lastly I really wish DC had kept Jason's being a redhead because it helps identify him as his own character and not another copy of Dick Grayson.

[@Beccah02]

I really enjoy Jason Todd as Red Hood and I really admire his journey to get there. I like the hero/antihero thing he has depending on what you read/watch and I find him fascinating. I don't think he would have gotten there if he hadn't of died and been resurrected. That has become such a core part of his character and makes him unique to the other Robins.

[@JW666]

I prefer the death version than the coma version. The death angle had more impact while the coma angle felt more like an excuse to put Jason on the shelf for a long time because it looks & sounded like they really had no idea what to do with him next. And Jason coming back to life & becoming a violent vigilante makes sense considering his full of rage personality. Him taking on the role of Red Hood worked also & he's definitely the most well known version of that role today.

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

When is Uncle Ben coming back as a villain? It's on high time it happens.

[@jordanloux3883]

I mean everyone else seems to get a Carnage symbiote, why not him?

[@joshuaingobo1559]

For Batman 428 Robin Lives, it’s interesting that Bruce Wayne Batman was overjoyed that Jason Todd Robin is alive and that Dick Grayson Nightwing arrived at the hospital (after going into space with the Titans) to see if Bruce and Jason are okay, resulting in Bruce telling Dick that he’s okay and Jason’s in a coma and for Bruce to face the Joker alone (although he’s thankful for Dick to arrive at the hospital to keep him company and to see if Jason is okay). Also, Clark Kent Superman telling Bruce not to do what’s next after learning that Joker gained diplomatic immunity.

[@minimi870]

It's really interesting to me that you say that Jason becoming Red Hood felt in line with his trajectory. Because I've kind of felt a lot of dissonance between the Jason that came back and the Jason that died. Now, I will admit that I haven't actually read a lot of comics, so most of it is from second hand accounts. And I would guess that it is also influenced greatly by fanon perspectives. But I've just felt for some time that Jason's character was changed a lot postmortem.

[@emsleywyatt3400]

Leadership of the Legion of Super-Heroes was typically decided by reader poll.

[@andynystrom1519]

What's interesting about Jason's apparent murder of a criminal by tossing him off a building is that the Golden Age Robin murders two criminals by knocking them off steel girders in his first appearance. The difference is that when Earth-2 Dick caused people to fall to their deaths, it was depicted as heroic, whereas with Jason it was depicted as a character flaw.

[@jayinsult]

A fair point, but the Sensational Character Find of 1940 was introduced a scant 11 issues of Detective Comics after The Bat-Man himself let a man fall into a vat of chemicals in HIS first outing ("A fitting end for his kind"). This was all retconned by the same creators who, as they were fleshing out the characters in real time, decided that Batman & Robin not only should not kill, but that it should be a foundational part of their characters. This is a total tangent, but Bill Finger, who wrote The Case of the Chemical Syndicate in 1939 and the Joker's first appearance in Batman #1 the following year, was the first one who came up with the Joker having fallen into a vat of chemicals as the Red Hood, as first told in Detective #168, in 1951. I do wonder if Finger was consciously making a referendum on his own portrayal of The Bat-Man being so callous about a man falling to his death in a chemical vat in his first appearance, by making the origin of his most deadly enemy being a fall into a chemical vat that he survives, and holds Batman responsible for.

[@rc5989]

I first started reading and collecting comics a few months before this “Death in the Family” storyline. As far as I knew, DC was where serious stories had life and death consequences, while Marvel was less serious. That was probably not an accurate impression, but stuck with me for years. I enjoyed the Detective stories with just Batman. Because of when I started, i have never really liked the dynamic duo and have always viewed the Boy Wonder as juvenile and unnecessary.

[@WinterRabbit1]

Considering how much I love Jason’s character now, I do like to think of the “what could have been” of the coma. Especially on how it would affect how Tim was not only introduced, but also how his run as Robin would go. Jason isn’t dead, but Bruce is still spiraling. Tim would still feel like he has to do something. I can just see him taking up the mask as an “intern”. He would have the possibility of Jason waking up at any time hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles. And Jason waking up…to see someone else running around as Robin. I can’t see him ever wanting to put the suit on again but I Can see him still being g adamant that Robin should have ended with him. He wouldn’t become Red Hood, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to make him go Villain again. He just wouldn’t have the League training he got under Talia. And also wouldn’t ever have gotten the All Blade. In the end though, I do think his death if to Character Defining to be ignored.

[@johnpotts8308]

This was 35 years ago? Boy does that make me feel old. I remember the vote - it made news, not just in nerd circles but the real news. It was a big deal!

[@andynystrom1519]

Going from memory the more mainstream media tended to leave out that it was Jason and not Dick, likely realizing that audiences unfamiliar with how comics worked would find it more compelling to believe that the character they mostly knew from the 1960s show was dead than someone they hadn't heard of

[@The_Phantasm]

Regarding the debate as to whether Jason should have ever been resurrected or not, I can see the arguement for both sides but for me keeping him deceased, while it did certainly have an important impact on Batman, having a character's existence that has already been portrayed as a type of either protagonist or co-protagonist in this case with him as Robin, for them to be defined by simply what they did for another character just feels like the equivalent of "fridging" a character albeit with some differences. Since his resurrection (as nonsensical as the way it came about was) the interest in the character has never been stronger and the message of failure Batman felt from Death in the Family still remain which is why I like when in the end of the original Under the Hood story when asked if he would want to remove Jason's memorial in the Batcave, he refuses and says that it doesn't change anything at all. However, since his resurrection I think it's fair to say that the way he has been written has been pretty all over the place and for the most part I have not cared for everything that they have done with his character. And to be clear, as a character, his concept as Red Hood where he killed people and Batman was a failure for never killing the Joker is something I never agreed with and always found edgy for the sake of being edgy, which is why I loved what Chip Zdarsky did with him (as short lived as it was). Like I said, I think bringing him back was the right move, it's just what they have done with him since could have been better.

[@TheWilkReport]

I was only fourteen in 1988, and not into DC Comics like I was with Marvel X-Men and New Mutants. But I think the post-Crisis Jason Todd was better as he was rewritten to be more than merely a Dick Grayson clone and had not only his own distinct personality and problems, but loads of potential for setting up a future that was clearly already on track to put him at odds with Batman. I think Jason Todd post-Crisis was written to be a potential future criminal or anti-hero. Killing the character off was a mistake, but if he was going to be killed off and then resurrected, the animated version of the resurrection (Under the Red Hood) was the better one as it was nowhere near as silly as Superboy Prime punching through the walls of the universe and having ripple effects on reality within the DC continuity.

[@belgiumcomics2537]

A Death in the family is one of my favorite Batman stories. You explained exactly why its my favorite and why i too think he should not have lived.

[@ShadowWingTronix]

I never read the original death of Jason, but I do have the Legends Of Robin audiodrama, which I highly recommend and includes an adaptation of the story. It just sounds brutal. The coma might have been a, pardon the expression, wake-up call to Jason to change his ways so it could have worked to get a bit of sympathy for him and lead to a sort of redemption arc. At any rate I don't think we would have had Tim had Jason lived.

[@jimgillespie6109]

I'm an old school fan, so I don't believe anyone should make drastic, permanent changes to the status quo of iconic characters like Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin. Having anyone but Grayson as Robin dilutes the Batman mythos, and makes bringing in new readers a somewhat more difficult task. (You'll notice that in all the TV series, Robin is -- with very few exceptions -- Dick Grayson. The producers are aware that "everyone" -- the "normal," non-fans out there -- don't know who Jason is (or Tim, or Damian, etc.), and this could get in the way of them watching and enjoying their show.) The creation of Jason set the stage for even more alterations to the mythos, and is one of the reasons Batman's lore is becoming more and more impenetrable. Fans can't even agree who Robin is anymore (or Batgirl, or Spider-Man, or...). The simpler, established lore with the smaller Bat-family, (or Super-family, or Spider-Family, or Wonder-family, or...) helps make it easier for new readers to get up to speed. The non-Grayson Robins, and all the other extraneous Bat-fam members need to be retconned out of DC's main timeline to help potential new readers come aboard. If DC insists on Grayson continuing as Nightwing, they can keep the Robin trademark alive by doing a World's Finest-like flashback series starring Bruce and Dick as The Dynamic Duo.

[@Awakeandalive1]

Coma Jason waking up traumatized and consumed with hatred for the Joker, donning the Joker's old costume (if they went with that) to terrify and torture the Joker... Now a vigilante Bruce & Dick have to hunt down so he won't murder the Joker, even as they struggle with their own feelings of guilt. And Coma Jason could have been completely indifferent to Batman & Robin, except as they interfere with his revenge. That could have been awesome.

[@russellharrell2747]

The coma ending reminds me of what happened to the X-men mid-80s. Half the team was written off, either ambiguously missing or dead in Rachel’s case or crippled or in a coma like Colossus, Nightcrawler and Kitty. They all showed back up several months or a couple years later and I still say that the Fantastic 4 vs X-men limited series that dealt with that fallout was some of the best writing ever in comics, but it was still obvious what was happening editorial-wise.

[@PsychoStreak]

At the time, I voted to keep Jason alive, and the results shocked me. I felt sure the voting had been rigged, or that people didn't really think DC would go through with it. I wasn't heavily into Batman at the time, as TNG had only debuted a year earlier and it was a year before the movie came out. Looking back, I'm actually certain the vote was rigged by people who wanted the character killed, half of those because they hated Jason and half just wanting the high of deciding someone's fate, even a fictional character. It would be interesting to see the outcome of that vote if they'd had the level if instant fan interaction as we do today.

[@ramblingRJ]

The idea of the writer wanting to kill off the hero's sidekick, finally doing it, and then having the partner brought back, is somewhat similar to Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs wanting to kill off Jane. Like Starlin, he suggested to his publisher many ways to do it. When he finally did give her a fiery death in "Tarzan the Untamed" (1920) he was pressured to immediately bring her back in the next novel "Tarzan the Terrible" (1921). He also tried to phase her out by keeping her far away from the action, but she was too popular and he had to keep using her, despite not liking his own character.

[@danielgreen2788]

Thanks Alan Moore. You showed them all. Jeez...

[@crimefightingspider]

I love your batman voice lol.

[@aqacefan]

16:00 Strong parallel to the cover of Batman #156, “Robin Dies At Dawn”.

[@jmcj810]

It lead to one 9f the great Batman story lines " A Lonely Place of Dying" . I'm glad the story went as printed originally.

[@stephenbitsoli3048]

How about a video on Rick Veitch's Bratpack, which starts with a radio station taking a poll on whether the heroes' sidekicks should die?

[@kilroywashere513]

I don’t mind this current version, and the alternate is interesting, and that idea was explored in that animated movie where Jason either: died like he did in the comics, or two he lived, but Batman died instead, three where he lived, and became Red Robin of that universe, and I think you mentioned Sasha in this video💁🏻‍♂, and I have read the graphic novel version of the death in the family comic where he died, and I was at a bookstore that used to be at a local mall here💁🏻‍♂.

[@Thecameraman-bg4ve]

Im happy we got Red Hood out of his death. He’s my favorite in the bat family

[@manicpixiefangirl4189]

Same.

[@furonguy42]

When Bruce found that the tyres on the Batmobile had been stolen, he quickly deduced that Jason Todd must be Robin. I'll see myself out.

[@apollolux]

When I was a kid in the 90s first reading the early Jason Todd issues (post-Crisis), it was around the time Batman Returns came out or so, so the animated series was right around the corner. I definitely missed most of the run including the death issue, so when the animated series started featuring Tim Drake as Robin completely skipping over Jason I was confused as heck because I was mainly a Marvel kid unaware of the comics Batman continuity at the time.

[@theabberration]

This could easily go down the path that Marvel did with symbiote Spider-Man. I see Jason having amnesia at first, then getting his memory back, only to be denied being Robin. Blaming Joker, Jason decides to do what Batman won't, starts training the way Bruce does, runs into Ra's who manipulates him to be the "Batman" he wanted, and this culminates to Jason still becoming the Red Hood. Except Damien becomes twins; one from Bruce, the other from Jason (or Damien ends up being Jason's son).

[@robboyte1101]

You have to wonder, if Jason's characterization hadn't shifted after Crisis on Infinite Earths, from a Dick Grayson clone to a barely tolerable J.D., would the fandom have voted to rub him out? Would there have even been a 'Jason problem'? The mind races. Still, somewhere in the DC Multiverse....

[@joshuaingobo1559]

It’s possible that the fandom would voted to rub Jason out if his characterization hadn’t shifted after the first Crisis because some fans found him interesting and that he has potential, while other fans still view him as a young Dick Grayson in a modern setting.

[@robboyte1101]

@@joshuaingobo1559 Could be. Alas, we will never know.

[@andrefantin832]

Not only (10:10) Batman left KG Beast to die at the start of Starlin's run, but in the same storyline Jason (probably) killed the diplomat's son, Batman let some criminals die as collateral damage in their fight (he feels bad for it, tho, reflecting on how bad the situation involving that case got) - not to mention his attitudes in The Cult, both under mind control and without it. Jim Starlin's Batman and Robin run is very different, the characters are much more human and we are far away from Batgod - Batman as an 100% efficiency machine - territory. Death in the Family, in a way, overshadowed all the other weird and interesting things of the run. I'm not sure I like it, but it is fascinating.

[@gemmonade_]

i love you besti e but seeing jason’s death panel in my subscriptions made me cry💯my kiddo did not deserve that😢😢😢don’t think i can watch this one ever but i will like and share with my mom💯💯🔥🔥🔥

[@hotspurre]

I was reading comics at the time, but not DC comics, so I only remember the events and didn't have a dog in the fight, so to speak. What I *do* remember, and I've never actually heard anyone talk about it, was that it was a 900 number that you had to call in to vote. 900 numbers (which were all the rage at the time,) are not toll free, they were ones you actually got charged to use. I don't remember the fee to call, I think it was a dollar or two, but this makes the story about someone who set it to speed dial *insane,* regardless of whether or not it was true. It would have cost a substantial amount of money to do it more than a few times.

[@GunmadMadman]

Assuming good faith, they’d have to keep writing the comic that would release after the fated issue, but before they knew the results of the vote. So putting him in a coma lets them write comics unaffected by the vote, until they could him back in had he lived. This Could also be the reason why it took detective comics so long before bringing it up.

[@jayinsult]

I started buying and reading Batman comics regularly in late 1992/early 1993. Between stories like the three Robin mini series, Knightfall, and the kickoff of Tim Drake's ongoing solo series, Tim as Robin was a major character, and Jason's death still loomed large in the books (to the point that it had supplanted Bruce's own parents' death as the traumatic fear Bruce would see when dosed with the Scarecrow's fear gas). Going back just a few years through back issues and trade paperbacks (trades were not as comprehensive and readily available in the early 90s as they are today, so many of these stories I was assembling piecemeal from scouring back issue bins) to read A Death in the Family, Year Three, and A Lonely Place of Dying were part of my foundation in reading comics, and helped cement me as a lifelong Tim Drake fan (as well as a fan of Dick as Nightwing). As callous as it may sound, I will always say that Jason Todd served the Batman mythos better as the Robin who died, and I thought it showed integrity that DC took this very human death and never cheapened it with comic book bullshit...until Superboy Prime punched a wall, of course. A few points of note that didn't make it into the video: 1) Jason's death and subsequent memorialization in the Batcave as "A Good Soldier" was first the brainchild of Frank Miller in 1986's The Dark Knight Returns. Jason's death had been the inciting incident that initially ended Batman's career. When DC actually killed Jason in continuity ~3 years later, it was a move that on some level moved the mythos one step closer to TDKR becoming the canonical future. Of course, obviously Batman continuing and taking on Tim Drake would then be a further divergence, but the Batcave memorial and the use of the phrase "A Good Soldier" always packed an eerie punch in early 90s comics as the specter of the dark future Miller envisioned might actually come to pass (before that story was tainted by harebrained sequels, of course). Hindsight has a way of muddling these timelines, but the idea that Jason would die in the line of duty was an element of a dystopian potential future for a few years before it came to pass. 2) Jim Starlin, who wrote Jason's death and as Sasha points out, seemed to perhaps dislike him, ALSO wrote perhaps Jason's most heroic story. In the miniseries Batman: The Cult (illustrated by horror legend and Swamp Thing co-creator Bernie Wrightson), EASILY one of the BLEAKEST Batman stories of all time, Bruce has been defeated and mentally broken by Deacon Blackfire and his sewer-dwelling cult of Gotham's outcasts, and it is ONLY through the bravery of Jason's actions - single handedly entering the sewers to find and rescue a traumatized, hallucinating Batman - that Batman survives, let alone is able to claim victory. 3) Something that doesn't get discussed much is how little time there was with the post-Crisis, street punk Jason. He was introduced in Batman #408 (cover date June of 1987) as a new character, ignoring the pre-Crisis Jason stories from 1983-1986) and killed in Batman #428 (cover date December 1988), so in the space of 20 issues of the regular series and less than 2 years, he went from his introduction to his death. Nowadays a 20 issue arc for a character would be planned out so far in advance they would have known they were going to 86 him before his first appearance! Ultimately, I'll be up front about my biases: I love Dick Grayson, and I love Tim Drake. I dislike resurrected Jason Todd, and I dislike Damian Wayne in general. If the story of the man with the auto-dialer tipping the vote to Jason's death is true, then I honestly believe he did us a service, clearing the decks for the true greatest Robin to be created (for which so much credit must be given to Marv Wolfman, who was also the great steward of Dick Grayson in the Titans and the creator of Nightwing). It also gave the Batbooks a compelling tragedy other than just re-hashing Bruce's parents death every other day, which the resurrection cheapened (in my opinion, of course). One thing that cannot be overstated is that the greatness of Tim Drake was an intentional course correction of the part of the creators. They knew that a carbon copy Jason was lazy, and a brash, reckless Robin was unpopular. They poured every bit of planning and deliberate, creative storytelling to craft Tim Drake as a Robin who would not only survive, but thrive. And it worked. Tim was the first Robin to headline his own books, and he was wholeheartedly embraced by the fans, because the efforts of the creators to get his character right actually succeeded. Unceremoniously putting him aside will forever be a mistake to me. I did buy the Robin Lives "faux-simile" edition, but really just as a novelty since A Death in the Family is such a major story for me. While it's an interesting exercise to see how they had to prep different versions of the story, ultimately the story simply works better with Jason's actual death. The subtle changes such as Dick showing up are the most fascinating, especially since they chose NOT to have Dick show up in the published version. Thanks for a great video on a subject very close to my heart and the origins of my comics fandom, Sasha!

[@nicholashodges201]

This was literally the first comic I read. The second comic I ever read was a later story that had a flashback caused by Batman seeing somebody beating another person with a crowbar...

[@ravenwilder4099]

If Jason had lived, but been shuffled out of the Batman books ... given the time period, and Jason's temperament, I could see them finding a new home on John Ostrander's Suicide Squad.

[@binsoku6]

What do you mean "how powerful Tim was?" I'd argue he still is a powerhouse

[@lionboi2]

Starlin doesn't really like many of his characters, just based on how many he's offed. However, I was travelling cross-country a lot in this time and had to hit numerous local comic book stores as a result to keep up my reading, and there was a contemporary fan theory that was pretty national-Dennis O'Neil supposedly had DC staffers working in the offices calling the kill number to weight the vote because the death of Robin was worth it in free advertising since every news outlet could be expected to cover the story. Story only had legs because O'Neil had a rep that fit and was still struggling over his handling of Wonder Woman turning the Feminist Movement against her (that stigma still sits for his haters who can be expected to drag it out of the dustheap along with the theory he weighted the Robin death vote using office staff, but some people just don't like O'Neil)

[@Gittykitty]

I think the coma angle would have worked and introduce Tim. Maybe Tim could have been revealed to be his half sibling. Jason woke up angry that Bruce gave Tim Robin after what happened to him, leaves Bruce but protect Tim on the outside. I'm in the Jason was a good Robin camp and annoyed they killed him.

[@EnerKaizer]

I think thatn would've been too complicated. If Tim would still be created as Robin-3 I think they would've just used the comatose Jason as Tims biggest clue to finding out Batmans secret identity. After all, Bruce adopts a new boy, suddenly Batman has a younger Robin. Then Bruce Waynes new son gets critically injured in some weird "accident", and suddenly Batman no longer runs around with Robin. Easy then to figure out what would be going on.

[@stephenpaschoal8162]

I was wondering if you were going to talk about Rick Veitch's Brat Pack as it was inspired in part by DC's telephone poll and the speculation on the value of those comics after DC actually killed Jason off. As for me, I recall thinking at the time that they wouldn't go through with killing Robin and that it was just hype to sell comics -- that they'd rig the contest to keep Jason alive. Turns out that wasn't the case and that was what helped to sell the comics. It made the news as I recall, and that had to drive up speculation of the value of those issues. The sales and that attention outside of normal comic circles when Robin did die probably paved the way (at least in part) for stories like the 'Death Of Superman' (which also made the news). Turns out killing off iconic characters is a pretty good way to fill the coffers, at least until being dead in story line was about as serious and lasted as long as a sinus infection. I distinctly recall a point where the rule seemed to be Bucky and Mar-vell stay dead, at least until the revolving door of death let Bucky back in as Winter Soldier and then all bets were off. It's probably just a matter of time before Alex Kintner comes back as a cyborg to exact his revenge on sharks in New England.

[@SimonMoon5]

Jason should've stayed dead. Bucky too. Resurrecting them just invalidates the weight of the previous stories. And if they *had* to resurrect Jason, they needed a much better excuse than "Superboy Prime punched reality". I mean, come on, the Bat-universe has Lazarus Pits but it took a Superboy Prime punch to resurrect Jason? Maybe someday, Superboy Prime will punch reality again and Jason can go back to his coffin. And, like, how does a normal human with normal human strength break out of a coffin that's been buried and dig his way back out? That can't happen.

[@commonsense5199]

0:25 Since you mentioned that. You think Wallace West, The Current Kid Flash and Wally’s young Cousin be the Jason Todd of Kid Flashes. I mean Wallace Found out he never existed before Flashpoint and DC didn’t anything with that plot thread.

[@christopherulichney]

I remember being really pissed off that I got my copy of the issue with the 900 numbers to call and vote after the time to call and vote had expired. I don't remember why I got it late, just that I did. The original version of Jason (Earth-One, red hair, version 1.0, "pre-Crisis" [even though he appeared after Crisis]) was a great character. Everyone forgets that he is the one to defeat Mongal in Alan Moore's "FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING". Not Superman, not Batman, not Wonder Woman, but redhead Janon Todd. I would love a Bronze Age Jason Todd Omnibus.

[@saavedra77]

Oh, I remember when this story came out. I had complicated feelings about it: On the one hand, I never liked the idea of teen sidekicks, certainly ones without powers. I mean, when I was a kid, I got beat up on the regular -- I sure didn't think anyone my age was up to fighting crime (let alone going to war, RIP, Bucky). I preferred solo Batman stories: the brooding detective, the mysterious figure who emerges from the shadows, the damaged guy in a damaged world from Batman Year One. More like the Batman we've seen in recent movies. Maybe he would inspire other vigilantes -- but he wouldn't seek out partners. In fact, he'd actively discourage underage and amateurish imitators. On the other hand, I identified with post-Crisis Jason Todd. (I'd never been interested in Dick Grayson's pre-Crisis ginger second edition.) I'd spent some time as a kid scrounging to get by on my own, knew what it was like to wonder who your parents were. I wasn't a big fan of the creative team working on Batman at the time, but post-Crisis Jason was the most unpredictable, interesting character the book had seen in awhile. Add that all together and ... I kind of expected him to die. Not that I was bitter about that. I was bitter about the idea that they would replace him with yet another Robin. The fundamental problem for me was the kid sidekick as such. Conceptually, Robin was just one of those campy aspects of the Batman mythos that asked me to suspend more disbelief than I wanted to. He was the Hardy Boys in the goth noir I wanted. Anyway, I quit reading the main Bat-books after A Death in the Family. I realized that I wasn't the target audience. I kept reading Legends of the Dark Knight, but it was mostly Vertigo for me after that. Oh, but I was totally there for the first two Christopher Nolan movies and Matt Reeves' Batman. That's more like what I'd wanted from the comix, all along. :)

[@scaryharpy]

And you were right. Eventually, DC made Tim the NEW robin. Now, DC has no idea what to do with Tim. And I identified with Jason too. He was my Robin. We all know how that worked out.

[@DSzaks]

That is not a backhand, Bruce gives Dic a full blown fist in that panel.

[@ThatJohnKillion1970]

Jason Todd was in a no-win situation.

[@alexnejako777]

in many comics except for a notable role in a Superman Annual, Jason was made to be a rebel and a difficult partner for Batman. He had a few good comics here and there and I liked it when he helped out the New Teen Titans vs Cheshire.

[@daveluna7931]

Facts !!! 🎉🎉 I can’t believe the public voted Robin - Jason Todd to be “ Offed “

[@sirbruce70]

So I was around at the time (started collecting comics in 81). At the time, I didn't know ANYONE who liked Jason Todd. Why? 1. His original version was just a copy of Dick, which seemed lazy and pointless. 2. His post-Crisis origin was not credible. Who would try to steal the tires off the Batmobile? How would that even be possible with Batman's tech? Why would Batman reward such behavior? And stealing tires/hubcaps off cars was *such* a cliched representation of inner city crime by this point it just seemed ridiculous. 3. But the most important reason was we were already well into the "darker, gritter, serious" Batman era. The Dark Knight Returns had already come out. Batman was a brooding loner; vengeance lurking in the shadows. He was doing SERIOUS STUFF. It made NO SENSE to have him hanging around with a brightly colored child while he dispensed justice. The very "idea" of Robin had graduated into Nightwing. Fans just didn't see a new Robin as either necessary nor desirable. So I voted to kill him, and frankly I was surprised the vote was as close as it was. "Daring DC to follow through" was certainly a factor as well. But I also don't remember DC announcing in advance that a vote to save Jason Todd would mean he'd live but they'd still get rid of Robin. If that was an option, the vote might have been different. We did hate Jason Todd, but mostly we hated the idea of Batman still having a Robin, and one with a lazy/ridiculous backstory to boot. And killing him gave the Joker more gravitas, which played into the whole dark, serious, gritty vibe of the time.

[@euansmith3699]

I enjoyed Curran Walters playing Jason in the "Titans" series.

[@bensneb360]

I do find it funny that one of the biggest and most character defining moments in Batman’s history was decided by a call-in number… That would be like if today Catwoman and Batman’s relationship got decided by a tick-tock challenge lol

[@AstraFulminous]

To quote beast boy on the fable vigilante ahem ahem " I still think you're Jason Todd!" Let suppose Jason does wake up from his coma. The other branch of this in my opinion is clearly Red X

[@Marsh388]

It’s funny, after I read the alternative ending, I thought “they were going to take him off the table regardless!!”