DC’s Titans entered the fourth season and introduced many characters from the DC Comics lore over that time. Many of the main members of the team that were introduced in the first season have become more similar to their comic book versions over time, especially with the likes of Nightwing and Starfire.
However, Red Hood is one of the more recent additions and while Jason Todd has some similarities to his comic book counterpart, there are a variety of changes as well that haven’t yet been shaped away over time. Jason Todd’s introduction involving taking a piece from all the crime families in Gotham City was exactly like his first appearance in DC Comics, however, from there things have changed massively.
4 His Origin
While much about the death of Jason Todd and his subsequent revival into the Red Hood seems to have played out in the history of the world Titans is built in, there are some differences between his origin story and the darkness behind the moments between his death and return to Gotham. For instance, Titans has never talked about the time Jason actually planted a bomb in the Batmobile and nearly killed Batman.
Jason’s story has also been made more difficult, in the show he was raised by an uncle instead of his mother like in the comics. It was difficult for the show to find ways in which to make Jason’s story more tragic, but they continued to add extra sadness to his character in various ways after introducing him to the show.
3 His Goal
In the comics, when Red Hood first appeared he was a massively violent vigilante, his goal was to constantly try and take down every criminal he could in Gotham City using the most violent means necessary (or possible). He came off as being similar to The Punisher from Marvel for the way he was willing to go too far down the path of evil to do an act he believed was good.
His goal in Titans when he first arrived was massively different, Jason Todd first appeared so very angry at the people that had left him behind, like Nightwing, that he took it into his head to only make moves towards hurting Dick Grayson and the Titans team as a different, more vindictive, and more villainous, form of vengeance. While this part of his goals has changed over time already, the place of darkness the show brought him to, went further than the comics were willing to go.
2 The Drugs
Jason’s darkness has taken many forms over the years, but he has never gone far down the route of taking drugs for himself. While Red Hood was involved in leading so many crime organizations when he was first introduced that he’s definitely sold drugs in DC Comics, there has never been a time he has gotten involved in taking them. Of course, part of this could be down to the fact that DC Comics wouldn’t have liked the idea when Red Hood was first introduced of showing even an anti-hero getting into drug usage.
However, in Titans, Jason has been shown over the course of season 3 making his own drugs. The yellow substance he manufactures helps make him fearless, something which could be messing with his brain chemistry more than any recreational drug. It is scary to imagine a hero needing to make themselves fearless this badly, but Jason has been governed by fear in Titans, as was shown in the season 2 finale when he failed to defeat Deathstroke.
1 Batman
The most major difference between Red Hood and how his entrance to the DC Universe in Titans has more to do with Batman, or rather the lack of Batman. In DC Comics, Jason returned as the Red Hood with a vengeance and needed to go after Batman, and torment him, for being completely lacking in his ability to take vengeance for Jason’s death by finally killing the Joker. It was the driving force of Red Hood’s rage and anger that his mentor and adoptive father had never been able to finally break through his hatred for killing and use the death of his adoptive son to end his greatest adversary once and for all.
In Titans, a much darker universe in general than the DC Comics one, the major problem with Red Hood is that Batman did the exact thing Jason was supposed to be angry at him for. In the first episode of season three, Batman ended up killing the Joker and finally avenging Jason, unable to take the idea of living as Batman without having brought proper justice to the wrongdoers any longer. Jason’s entire path of vengeance in the show has been aimless, lashing out at people like Dick Grayson because he “left him behind” and allowed his death to happen in the first place. Between his drug usage, his violent ways, and his lack of regard for human life, Jason has and always was even as Robin more of a dark horse, a black sheep in the family, and in Titans that came out in a mindless rage that wasn’t anywhere near as directed as it was in the comics when he returned with a specific gripe against his former mentor.