In the winter of 1988-89 a phone number was set up by DC Comics for readers to call and cast their vote on whether Jason Todd, DC’s second Robin in the Batman series, should die. The readers spoke and Todd’s fate was sealed.  His death was played out in a four-part story titled Batman: A Death in the Family.

Todd dies trying to protect his recently found, long-lost mother, Sheila from the Joker who had her trapped inside a warehouse.  It was a noble death.  DC then used Todd’s death to further the story line of the Batman series.

Even those who voted for Todd to live admit it enhanced the overall story line of the Batman series.  Stu Wagner, from Springfield, MO’s Games Comics and etc., says while he did not vote he was pleased with the results.  Wagner admits he never liked the character of Jason Todd and was glad to be rid of him.  According to Wagner, the original Todd was too much like Dick Grayson, the original Robin, making the character boring.

As can only happen in the world of comics, Todd is later brought back as a villain named Hush, but it is unclear how he is resurrected.  In other versions of the story line, Todd is brought back as Red Hood, neither a true villain nor a true hero with a resurrection story that is a little clearer.

Chris Stewart, a comic book enthusiast, also thought Todd was originally cast as a carbon copy of Grayson but voted for him to remain in the series.  He says he found the death to be a “bummer at the time,” but Stewart does admit Todd’s death brought a lot to the story line.  According to Stewart, Bruce Wayne, saw a lot of himself in Todd.

Stewart feels that Todd’s resurrection by DC allowed him to be less of a cookie cutter of Grayson, and more of his own character. As Red Hood, he became essentially The Punisher of the DC Universe and an anti-hero of the series.

Grant Wright, an employee of Springfield, MO’s Vintagestock, was not old enough to read the series at the time but he does find it funny that people actually voted to have the character killed off.  “I guess he was really hated,” said Wright.