Something I believe after reading so many comics is that the Bat-Family is a lot more complicated than people think. Instead of just one big loving family unit, it’s more like a group made up of smaller interpersonal relationships, and not everyone gets along with one another, including the variousBatgirlsandRobins. This state of affairs is best shown by howCassandra Cainshould want absolutely nothing to do withRed Hood.
Depictions of the Bat-Family have changed a lot over the years. Sometimes they’re a barely functioning family unit with complex interpersonal interactions, and sometimes they’re shown as a little dysfunctional, but overall completely supportive and loving, like inWayne Family Adventures. Unfortunately,if characters are true to themselves, then these interactions would be a bit more complicated.
All the members of the Bat-Family are complex characters, some of them have decades of history that have shaped their worldview, andnot all of them are going to be able to get along with one anotherbecause of this - which is why I believe, considering both of their histories, that Cassandra Cain should absolutely hate Jason Todd.
Cassandra Cain Fully Believes in Batman’s Mission
Cass Will Never Tolerate Killing - By Anyone
Cassandra Cain was born to be the perfect bodyguard for Ra’s al Ghul, and to achieve this, she was raised by her assassin father, David Cain. David taught Cass everything there was to know about killing people. He instilled in her from a very young age that she is a weapon to kill the people that Ra’s wants dead, and it tookCassandra years to escape this tragic origin. When Cass was a young girl, she killed a mob boss on David’s orders, and in that moment, she fully understood what it meant to die. This trauma left her witha powerful desire to never see death again.
Batgirl’s devotion to Batman’s no-kill rule is so strong, she once broke into a prison to try and save a man on death row.
Cassandra Cain absolutely worships the ground Batman walks on. For a long time, she didn’t even know that Bruce Wayne existed. She just thought Batman was always Batman. Batgirl’s devotion to Batman’s no-kill rule is so strong, she once broke into a prison to try and save a man on death row, simply becauseshe couldn’t bear to know someone was going to die when she felt she had the power to prevent it. She immediately demanded that Kate Kane be kicked out of the family when she seemingly killed Clayface as well. I believe all of this makes it hard to imagine she’d tolerate Jason.
Red Hood Rejects Everything Cassandra Cain Believes In
There’s No Way These Two Could Get Along
Of all the Robins,Batman’s relationship with Jason Toddhas always been the most complicated.Jason started out as a wonderful Robin.He was bright, energetic, and unbelievably sweet. But one tragic moment changed all of that. While Jason was trying to find his mother, he ended up being murdered by the Joker. When Jason returned from the dead, he had a much darker outlook on life, and he no longer believed in Batman’s view of the world.
Readers can see an alternate timeline where Jason Todd survived his encounter with the Joker inFrom the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives!#1, available now from DC Comics!
When Jason returned from the dead, he wasn’t the same bright-eyed, happy kid that he used to be. After being murdered by the Joker, Jason returned and saw that not only was the Joker still alive, but Batman had gotten himself a new Robin with Tim Drake. It seemed to Jason that he had been replaced and wasn’t even worth saving. When Jason returned, he not only set out to kill the Joker, but he also decided he was going toget revenge on Batman and save Gotham City once and for all. But he wouldn’t be saving it using Batman’s methods.
Jason Todd fully embraced using lethal methods to control crime.If criminals could be bullied and made to fear him, then he’d have them work under him and control the flow of crime. Anyone that couldn’t be controlled like this, Jason would kill. It was his own version of trying to save Gotham, and some fans believe it was the right move, but it’s something that brought him into major conflict with Batman and the rest of the Bat-Family. But he’s never really gone up against the one person who should hate him the most.
Cassandra Cain Should Be Jason Todd’s Biggest Hater
This Batgirl Will Never Accept Red Hood’s Philosophy
Not only would Cass hate Jason, butJason should have every reason to dislike Cass as well. This tension would make for a fascinating dynamic for a family unit: two people who have the exact opposite views of their patriarchal figure. Unfortunately, DC hasn’t gone down this route with these two characters so far.
1 Mind-Blowing Feat Just Crowned a New Hero the Bat-Family’s Best Fighter
DC’s ultimate magic-user was just taken down by a Gotham hero, with their immense fighting talents beating a powerhouse who could crush Superman.
I truly think that Jason Todd is everything that Cassandra Cain stands against. He’s a killer and, worst of all, he’s a warping of Batman’s sacred oath. Jason is someone who took an oath to never take a life and to do everything in his power to save people. Instead, he carries guns, and he kills the criminals he believes deserve to die. There would benothing more disgusting and loathsome to Cassandrathan someone who was taught to save people and who instead uses those skills to murder people. Jason’s methods are a rejection of everything Cass believes in.
If following Batman got Jason killed, then where will it lead Cassandra?
Likewise, Cassandra Cain would be an absolute nightmare for Jason. Jason once truly believed in Batman’s mission.Jason did everything he could as a Robinto be the best Boy Wonder that he could possibly be. He studied all night for school, he went out on patrol, he did everything Batman wanted - and it still got him killed. Now he’s alive again, and he sees Batman has recruited someone who believes in Batman’s ideals far more than he ever did. If following Batman got Jason killed, then where will it lead Cassandra?Cassandra’s devotion to Bruce’s mission must be terrifying for Jason.
Jason Todd Should Hate Cassandra Cain’s Devotion to Bruce Wayne’s Mission
If He Doesn’t Believe in Batman, He Can’t Believe in Batgirl
After Jason came back as Red Hood, he made it clear that he worries about sidekicks who follow their heroes blindly. He once took Speedy aside and told her to be careful about following Green Arrow. There’s no reason to think he wouldn’t be as equally paranoid about Cassandra’s devotion. I think it’s complicated relationships like this that make the Bat-Family one of the best and most interesting families in comic books. Seeing them all support each other is nice, but the reality is that, despite being aRobinand aBatgirl,Red HoodandCassandra Cainshouldn’t like each other at all.
For more Cassandra Cain, check outBatgirl#1, available November 6th, 2024 from DC Comics.
Red Hood
Jason Todd is a complex figure known for his tumultuous journey as Batman’s second Robin. Initially impulsive and rebellious, he’s resurrected after a tragic death, becoming the vigilante Red Hood. Armed with intense combat skills and a moral ambiguity, he challenges Batman’s methods, navigating a path between heroism and anti-heroism in Gotham’s unforgiving streets.
