10 Comics Changed Due To Fan Backlash

6. Jason Todd's Future Gets Put To A Public Vote

Clone Saga
DC Comics

The history of Jason Todd is a muddied one, for sure.

Having taken on the mantle of Robin after Dick Grayson had outgrown the role, the huge Crisis on Infinite Earths event saw changes made to the characterisation of Jason. After the powers-that-be - including editor Denny O'Neil - feared Todd was presented as Dick-lite, post-Crisis gave the opportunity to made Jason his own man, to spruce up his character, and to give him more of an edge.

By that time, though, the damage had already been done, with readers having made up their mind that Jason Todd absolutely sucked, and that he was a shell of the Robin that Dick Grayson was. That reader resentment and backlash culminated, of course, in 1988's A Death in the Family.

With many deeming Jason an impostor in the Robin role, the backlash was so ferocious that DC started to have cold feet about Todd's place alongside Batman. So much so, the comic book powerhouse made the unique, bold call to have fans decide whether to kill off Jason. By putting Robin's fate in the hands of the fans, that was the definitive way to see just how bad the backlash to Todd was.

After a crowbar-heavy meeting with The Joker left Jason incapacitated and in a building laced with explosives, readers were given the option to vote via telephone on whether Jason lived or died. In a tight affair, 50.3% of 10,614 total votes called for Jason Todd to perish.

Even more interesting, fans instantly warmed to Jason upon his eventual return 17 years later in 2005's Under the Hood arc - and he's still revered as one of DC's coolest characters to this day.

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