Warning! Contains spoilers for The Boy Wonder #2!
Summary
Red Hood’s terrifying vision of the Joker in
The Boy Wonder
#2 is a haunting reminder of his traumatic past.
The Joker, depicted as a demonic being without a face, is a horrifying representation of Jason Todd’s worst nightmare.
Jason Todd’s rage and desire for revenge against the Joker stem from his deep-rooted fear of the Clown Prince of Crime.
The Joker has been a nightmare for every Gotham citizen, but few characters have had a more traumatic experience with the Clown Prince of Crime than Red Hood. After being murdered by the Joker, it’s natural for Red Hood to see the Joker in a terrifying way, and that was shown off perfectly in this latest issue of The Boy Wonder.
Red Hood’s nightmarish version of the Joker appears in a flashback in The Boy Wonder #2 by Juni Ba and Chris O’Halloran. After Red Hood is seemingly struck by a spell, he begins to hallucinate seeing the Joker, leading to a flashback of Jason Todd’s death at the Joker’s hands, and his vision of the Joker is truly terrifying.
Jason’s vision shows the Joker as practically a demonic being, all laughter and smiles with no real face. It’s a pretty disturbing version of the Joker and is clearly what Red Hood remembers, however warped, of when he was beaten with a crowbar, causing his vision to swim and leaving him with memories of laughter and shifting flashes of the Joker’s smile.
Related Red Hood’s Darkest Costume Brings His Tragic Origin Full Circle
The future brings a new look to Red Hood, but unfortunately, this costume highlights the worst tragedies ever experienced by Jason Todd.
The Joker’s Surreal Form Is the Villain’s Perfect Poetic Representation
Red Hood Is Rightfully Terrified Of The Joker
Jason Todd was infamously beaten and killed by the Joker during the events of Batman: Death in the Family by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. In this story, Jason — as Robin — was trying to find his mother, and while he ultimately succeeded, she was working with the Joker. Not wanting to incur the Joker’s wrath, his mother hands Jason over to him. Unfortunately, the Joker responds by killing both of them — but not before he brutally beats Jason with a crowbar and blows up both Jason and his mother with a bomb. This confrontation is obviously the worst moment of Jason’s life, and it’s continued to haunt him for decades, even after his return.
Red Hood’s return to Gotham and Batman’s life is depicted in
Batman: Under the Red Hood
by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke, available now from DC Comics.
The Joker is a truly horrifying figure: he stinks of death, he has pale green skin, he’s far too tall and lanky, and he has bright green hair with a disturbing smile plastered over his face. He kills people in horrific ways with his Joker Venom, and he often causes mass death when he appears. It wouldn’t be out of the question for thousands of Gotham citizens to have nightmares about the Joker. It makes perfect sense that Jason, someone who saw the Joker firsthand and was brutally killed by him, would view the Joker as something far scarier than just a human.
The Joker Is Jason Todd’s Biggest Nightmare
Jason Is Still Haunted by His Death at the Joker’s Hands
One of the hardest things Jason has had to do is get over his fear of the Joker, and he’s mostly managed that by channeling it into anger. Instead of fearing the Joker, Jason wants nothing more than revenge and to kill the Joker for what he did. But that rage is still motivated by fear. While under the influence of fear toxin or this new villain’s magic, it’s the Joker that Jason always sees: not as the man that he is, but as the terrifying monster he was left alone with as a child. That’s why this version of the Joker is so terrifying — not because he’s scary to look at, but because he’s exactly what Red Hood remembers.
The Boy Wonder #2 is available now from DC Comics!
THE BOY WONDER #2 (2024)
Writer: Juni Ba Artist: Juni Ba Colorist: Chris O’Halloran Letterer: Aditya Bidikar Cover Artist: Juni Ba
The Joker
Created By Bill Finger , Bob Kane , Jerry Robinson
First Appearance Batman (1940)
Alias Arthur Fleck
Alliance Injustice League, Legion of Doom, Injustice Gang