Under the Red Hood

Movie cover, great art.

I think it is safe to say that DC is lagging behind Marvel in terms of live-action movies. Granted, they are doing everything in their power to catch up, but Marvel at this point has basically lapped them at least twice. There is one place, though, that DC still is the reigning champion and that is with their animated movies. Sure, these are all direct to home release movies but they are by no means bad. And my chat with the Joker yesterday inspired me to do a post about one of his darkest story lines, Under the Red Hood.

A little background information. The Red Hood until recently was an alias that was up for dibs. Several gangs and want to be crime bosses have used the persona, the most famous of which was the man that became the Joker.

Also, the Robin of this film is the lesser known character Jason Todd. Years ago, during Todd’s time as Robin, many people were less than satisfied with him. Not that surprising, he was kind of a dick. His canon back story is that he was an orphan on the streets of Gotham that was ballsy enough to take the tires off the Batmobile. He was rash, arrogant and quick tempered. And people wondered why the little prick wasn't well liked. So, the writers over at DC set out a poll: Should Jason Todd live or die? The answer should be rather obvious.

The movie opens with Batman racing across the Bosnian countryside as his nemesis Ra’s al Ghul laments his own foolishness. The scene then cuts to the Joker viciously beating Jason Todd with a crowbar. Todd, defiant to the end, spits in the Joker’s face before being beaten some more. Joker sets a bomb and walks off. The bomb goes off just as Batman reaches the warehouse that Todd was locked in. He finds Todd's body in the wreckage. Batman cradles his dead ward, clearly heartbroken.

Batman and his broken son. Metaphorically speaking.

Five years later a man calling himself the Red Hood arrives in Gotham and gives the local drug dealers two options, work for him and follow his rules or die. The only real rule change he demands is that the dealers don’t sell to minors.

Batman and ex-sidekick Dick Grayson (Now going by Nightwing) battle an Amazo android (an evil robot capable of copying superpowers that he sees) and then chase after the rogue Hood. After losing the Hood in a subway station Batman and Nightwing return to the Batcave. Batman analyses the footage his cowl cam was able to get of the Hood taunting him just before disappearing. To his horror, the full sentence is “You still haven’t lost your touch, Bruce!” That, combined with the Hood’s gear and obvious skill, convinces Batman that the Red Hood is none other than Jason Todd.

The second half of the movie is Batman’s attempt to answer two questions: How is Jason alive and what is he after? I’ve already given a few major spoilers but I’ll save a few.

As Alfred puts it, "a Dark Miracle or Curse" brought him back.

This movie delves into a few interesting topics, not the least of which being Batman’s feelings on crime and his adoptive family. The movie focuses on Batman’s two biggest failures, the accidental creation of the Joker, and the 100% on purpose creation of Jason Todd. We get a few flashbacks into Jason’s career as a Robin and see just how skilled and dangerous the child to young man could be. He is Batman without the same hyper-strict moral compass. Batman’s mantra could be described as “Protecting through fear” while Todd’s is “Domination through fear.” The rage of a young man is further twisted after his resurrection, and he sets out to be a better Batman then Bruce could ever be, and to do it he's more than willing to slaughter as many crooks as it takes to do so. Every family has their Black Sheep.

The final confrontation between Batman and his corrupted creation is heartbreaking and offers a solid glimpse into Batman’s psyche. At one point Batman refer to Todd as his "mistake" and his "soldier," but it's clear by the end of the film that just like Nightwing, Batman loved Todd like a son. And personally, I can think of few tales more tragic than parent (biological or other wise) verses child. Bruce Greenwood provides the voice of Batman. He's Admiral Pike from the new Star Trek. Neil Patrick Harris portrays Nightwing, and Jensen Ackles of Supernatural is Jason Todd. All three of these guys are phenomenal in their roles. I just would have liked to see Red Hood and Nightwing face off. Imagine what those two would have to say to each other.

Joker taints everything he touches, whether he means to or not.

Joker is also in this movie as a secondary antagonist and obviously the instigator of the entire plotline. As always he does his best to spread chaos and pain, but this is one of those points where we see just how cruel and sadistic he can be. We’ve seen him kill, a lot, with a wide array of techniques, but I for one can’t think of a more vicious death he’s caused. He beat Robin within an inch of death, left him with a bomb, and stealthily locked the door, ensuring the broken bird had no chance of escaping. And, in classic Joker impossible planning, made it so the bomb went off just as Batman reached the building. Pretty much ensuring that Batman will never stop asking “what if I’d been faster?” He's portrayed by veteran voice Actor John DiMaggio. His performance bears a slight similarity to the old Mark Hamel Joker, but it's clearly John's Joker this time around. His laughter isn't as disturbing as Hamel's out of control cackle, but it is chilling in its own way.

Is it any wonder why his henchmen stare?

Roman Sionis aka Black Mask is in this as well. He is the crime boss that Todd is trying to destroy. Sionis is a broken reflection of Batman and Bruce Wayne.He pretty clearly killed his parents to take control of the family business, ran it into the ground, and starts a life of crime after he lost everything. He's the sort of villain that thrives in a corrupt city like Gotham. If a human being works somewhere its pretty much guaranteed at least one person in a building is on his payroll. He's cruel and sadistic, and someone you avoid pissing off if you can help it. He regularly beats his subordinates to vent his rage. Just a bad, bad man. He's played by Wade Williams from Prison Break, and I just love how easily he can work himself into a fit.

Under the Red Hood is one of the best DC animated movies they’ve come out with. It gives us all of the pain, blood, and grit that the comics took fifteen years to make. Jason’s death storyline “A Death in the Family” was published in 1988-89 and “Under the Red Hood” which was released in 2005-6. It is one of the saddest chapters in the entire Batman saga and I hope you enjoy it. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Under_the_Red_Hood 

 http://multiversitycomics.com/reviews/batman-under-the-red-hood-review/

http://maxhegel.podbean.com/e/batman-under-the-red-hood-commentary/

http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/batman-under-the-red-hood.html

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/02/28/5-reasons-for-an-under-the-red-hood-movie-1258149?lt_source=external,manual#!bybVn5