WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for the Robin story in DC’s Lex and the City #1!
Of all the Bat-Family members, it’s safe to say thatRed Hoodholds the title of the family’s walking fashion disaster, thanks to multiple costume iterations ranging from a throbbing eyesore to outright ridiculous. And now, Jason is adding a new look to his costume history—one that somehow makes even his controversial pill-head getup seem slightly less ridiculous, which is a feat in itself.
Brendan Hay, Stephen Byrne, and Carlos M. Mangual’sTo Live and Date in Gothamis one of eight short stories featured in DC’s 2025 Valentine’s Special—Lex and the City—an anthology spotlighting fan-favorite characters as they embark on various love-themed quests.
To Live and Date in Gothamspecifically follows Damian Wayne seeking out his older brother, Tim Drake, for dating advice. This leads to Tim taking Damian on a practice date, teaching him all the core elements needed to ensure his date with Flatline is a success. However,Tim isn’t the only Robin helping Damian prepare—enter Jason Todd.
Jason Todd’s New Red Hood Look Is a Ridiculous Combination of His and Joker’s First Costumes
Main Cover by Guillem March forBatman and Robin#23 (2011)
As part of the practice date, Tim takes Damian to a restaurant to give him a sense of how the meal aspect of the date should go. To prepare Damian for potential mishaps, Tim arranges for the waiter to"accidentally"spill water on Damian’s lap. However, this isn’t just any random waiter—it’s soon revealed that Red Hood is participating in Damian’s date prep by playing the role of a fumbling server.While the brothers trade quips in a humorous exchange, what makes the moment even more memorable is Jason’s absolutely ridiculous outfit.
Jason is notably wearing his classic Red Hood helmet—the same one he first debuted in Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke’sBatman: Under the Red Hoodstoryline and that remained a core part of his design throughout much of Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy’sRed Hood and the Outlawsrun.Paired with his signature helmet, Jason sports a standard black-and-white waiter’s suit, complete with a red bow tie that matches his hood.The result is an utterly absurd ensemble, one that arguably rivals his infamous pill-head look from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’sBatman and Robinrun.
What makes Jason’s outfit inTo Live and Date in Gothameven more notable is how closely it mirrors that of the original Red Hood—AKA the Joker. As many Joker and Jason Todd fans know, the Red Hood mantle was first worn by Joker, whose look included a pill-like helmet similar to the one Jason wore in Morrison’sBatman and Robin. Joker’s Red Hood design also featured a simple three-piece suit and a bow tie, much like Jason’s current getup. Essentially,Jason’s outfit inTo Live and Date in Gothamis a fusion of his first Red Hood costume and Joker’s original Red Hood look.
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Main Cover by Howard Porter forRed Hood / Arsenal#6 (2015)
Quitely’s pill-head costume and Byrne’s waiter look might not be winning any awards for best-looking costumes, but they arestill infinitely better than one Red Hood design: the dreaded and fan-despised lip mask.This version retains the iconic full-face red helmet from Judd Winick’sBatman: Under the Red Hoodbut cranks up the shininess to an extreme level while adding controversial design elements—most notably, a sculpted nose, lips, and ears, making itlook like Handsome Squidward. This design was highly controversial upon its debut and became a major eyesore in the comics where it appeared. So, while the waiter look may be ridiculous, at least it’s still better than the mask with the lips.
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Main Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, and Dean White forRed Hood and the Outlaws#1 (2016)
While Byrne’s waiter-inspired Red Hood outfit is undoubtedly a humorous take and not a redesign meant to be taken seriously, it serves as an important reminder of just how good Jason looks with the helmet designed by Mahnke. As mentioned, this helmet was part of Jason’s first Red Hood costume and remained a defining element of his character design for years across various artists. Currently, however, Jason is portrayed wearing a half-mask featuring a classic domino mask with his lower face covered. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this look—it’s even pretty cool. But it would be epic to see DC bring back the oldRed Hooddesign, helmet and all.
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DC’s Lex and the City #1is available now from DC Comics!
