WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Titans Season 3, Episode 5, “Lazarus,” available now on HBO Max.
At the start of Titans Season 3, Jason Todd died in a confrontation with Joker. However, the former hero was soon revealed to be alive and working as the villainous Red Hood. Just how Jason returned to life has been one of the biggest mysteries at the heart of the season, and the latest episode of the series, “Lazarus,” reveals exactly how he broke bad.
The start of Jason’s transformation lay in Titans Season 2. Over the course of that outing, the Boy Wonder was put through the wringer. In addition to being shot by Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, Jason discovered he had been lied to by pretty much everyone around him. He then lost a number of key people close to him, including Donna Troy/Wonder Girl. “Lazarus” reveals that, in the aftermath of those events, Jason was left traumatized.
As a result of his frequent nightmares, Bruce Wayne/Batman takes the mantle of Robin away from Jason until he’s cleared for duty by Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a psychologist. Initially, Jason resists, but after an encounter with a small-time crook named Pete Hawkins goes awry, the Boy Wonder acknowledges he’s not in the headspace to operate effectively.
In his first session with Leslie, Jason expresses his desire to get through therapy and back onto the street as quickly as possible. However, Leslie wants to go deeper into Jason’s problems. As a result of what he’s experienced (including, among other things, the death of both his parents), Jason is deeply traumatized and dissatisfied with being anything other than Robin. Eventually, the conversation turns to Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. As Leslie reveals, Scarecrow was a former colleague of hers. However, he dosed her with fear gas and was only saved through Batman’s intervention.
Intrigued by the idea of Scarecrow’s fear gas, Jason inspects a vial of the substance in the Bat Cave. Bruce, though, interrupts and affirms he sees Jason as his son. From there, things start looking up for Jason, who realizes it might be possible to have a life outside of Robin. But after a productive session with Leslie, Bruce brings Jason to Crime Alley and tells him that he’ll never be Robin again. It’s not necessarily that Bruce has lost faith in Jason, but he believes being Robin is detrimental to the young man’s life.
Jason doesn’t take this news well and goes to visit Crane in Arkham Asylum, bringing along Batman’s vial of fear gas. Crane soon pieces together that Jason is Robin. The two arrange a trade: Jason will give Crane his freedom and information on Batman in exchange for an anti-fear gas. Soon after, Jason gets cooking and creates an anti-fear gas. Soon after, spurring on by the anti-fear gas, Jason confronts Joker and dies.
Death, though, isn’t exactly a permanent state in comics. Jason’s body is soon taken to a Lazarus Pit left by Ra’s al Ghul and dunked inside. Thanks to the healing properties of the Lazarus Pit, Jason is restored to life. He’s then brought to Crane, who has a secret lab underneath Arkham Asylum. And while Jason doesn’t seem affected by the temporary insanity that Lazarus Pits cause in the comics, he’s now clearly addicted to the anti-fear gas of which Crane has a large supply. As the episode closes, Crane enacts his plan to rule Gotham through fear, with Red Hood bringing a new level of violence to the city’s streets.
Jason’s transformation into Red Hood is a fundamentally tragic one. Traumatized and afraid, he seeks help from those closest to him, but ends up rejected. In an act of desperation, Jason then turns to one of the worst people in Gotham, who finds a way to ensnare him in a sinister scheme. This revelation sets up the distinct possibility Jason could one day find redemption, as despite his evil deeds, he himself is the victim of an even bigger monster.
The first five episodes of Titans Season 3 are available now on HBO Max. Episode 6 releases Sept. 2.
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