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WhileRed Hood ’s first origin in DC Comics is generally understand as far inferior to his modernistic - Clarence Day account , the second Robin ’s childhood takes on a totally different meaning once Batman’sCourt of Owlsare brought into the mix . Jason ’s origin was in the first place acarbon transcript of Dick Grayson ’s , with the future Red Hood come from a family of trapeze artists and spending his young twelvemonth train with the circus . This source was after changed to a hardscrabble life-time on the street , distinguish Jason as his own character , and yet once the Court of Owls ' influence is considered , his similarity to Grayson take on a shocking new context .
The Court of Owls ’ entry into Batman canyon come about a little over a decennium ago , inBatman Vol . 2 # 2by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo , long after Jason Todd had been introduce , retconned , and murdered by Joker - and also beforeRed Hood ’s unwilling issue to sprightliness . pay their height as a shadowy behind - the - scenes organization , the notion that they had been there long before an hearing meet them remained perfectly believable . This radical , which has furor - like elements , engineers superpowered assassins called talon to do its bidding , take out anyone who threatens their visual modality for Gotham City .
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When canvass the Talons ’ lineage , this is where the Court ’s connectedness to Haly ’s Circus and the Grayson and Todd family crystallize . It is confirmed inNightwing # 8by Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows that Haly ’s Circus has long been a training ground for talon , with the Court of Owls organize it so that their young candidates are trained in the skills necessary to become assassins . In Grayson ’s guinea pig , Nightwing has the potential to beat any foeand came from a bloodline that already included Talons , as revealed inBatman # 7by Snyder and Capullo . Had Jason Todd ’s initial origin remained the same , it makes sense that the similarity would n’t have been conjunction , but rather the result of Jason being the next generation of possible Talon military recruit . It also makes sense that the Court would profit from do the murder of both their parent , leaving orphan , wild , and impressible young acrobat to corrupt .
If this pedigree for Jason Todd had stay on , the animus between the Court of Owls and Batman would have grown deliciously deeper . In increase to trying to assert themselves as the most important fabled figures in Gotham City , they would surely be fuming that the Caped Crusader had stolentwopromising Talon enlistee from under their noses , thwartingthe Court of Owls ' ultimate mission . Retcons are fun ways to sum lore to a superhero ’s creation , but this is proof that they do n’t always want to be done if it ’s a merely issue of public belief : estimable writing always catch up to put the necessary pieces into place .
It is true that a close examination of the Court of Owls ’ scheme to employ circuses as their own personal education evidence for talon did not come in sentence to preserve Jason Todd ’s near identical origin to Dick Grayson . However , in theInfinite Frontierera , where all past continuities exist somewhere in the multiverse , it ’s a safe stake that somewhere out there , there ’s a Talon Jason Todd whose origin line up withtheCourt of Owls ' traditional knowledge . Hopefully , Red Hoodfans will get to meet him eventually - perhaps even as a twisted enemy for the modern - mean solar day antihero .
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