Titans is responsible for bringing new interpretations of some iconic DC Comics characters to live-action TV for the first time ever, and the inclusion of Jason Todd as Robin back in Season 1 left many viewers waiting for the tragedy that would turn Batman's second sidekick into an iconic villain known as Red Hood. Well, Season 2 didn't feature Jason Todd's tragic death, but he's slated to debut as Red Hood in Season 3 anyway, and actor Curran Walters is already preparing.
While Season 3 of Titans may be a while off (and heading to a new platform), Curran Walters took to Instagram to share his "homework" over hiatus:
In case any fans had their doubts that Titans would go full Red Hood with Jason Todd in Season 3 due to his departure at the end of Season 2 going down without death and then resurrection a la the comics, Curran Walters' photo shows five comics he's using to prep for his role, and three are key to Red Hood's classic storyline.
In the original telling of the tale, Jason died in the "A Death in the Family" arc in 1988, returned as Red Hood in "Under the Red Hood" in 2004-2006, and had some blanks filled in with "Red Hood: The Lost Days" in 2010. The two other volumes that Curran Walters is evidently using as research are from the current Rebirth era of DC Comics, which is a couple of reboots after the original Red Hood origin story.
It's probably safe to say that Titans will skip a lot of the specifics from "A Death in the Family" unless Jason has an unfortunate meeting with the Joker and a crowbar in Season 3, and Jason not dying means that "Under the Red Hood" presumably won't happen as a page-to-screen adaptation, but Curran Walters' reading material proves that he's boning up on the essence of Jason Todd. While the story might not be the same, there can definitely be similarities in motivation and characterization.
Personally, I'm curious about Jason's look as Red Hood in Titans. Red Hood's helmet works on the pages of the comics and via animation with the 2010 movie featuring Supernatural's Jensen Ackles as the voice of Jason Todd, but might need some tweaks to translate to live-action.
Red Hood famously uses guns as well, contrary to what he was taught by Batman and the methods usually used by the rest of the Bat-family. Titans' Jason will be on the young side for a Red Hood, so it should definitely be interesting to see the similarities and differences between versions. Red Hood also isn't the only new character known for Batman stories that will debut in Titans in Season 3.
Although Titans (along with other DC Universe content other than Stargirl) will make the move to HBO Max, you can currently find the first two seasons with Curran Walters' Jason Todd as Robin on the DC streaming service. The third season doesn't have a premiere date just yet, but it is officially on the way. For now, you can find DC TV streaming options on HBO Max, with offerings including Batwoman and Harley Quinn, Netflix with most of the Arrowverse offerings, and of course DC Universe.
For some additional options now and in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule.
