10 Unluckiest Comic Book Characters
2. Jason Todd
Jason Todd, the second Robin, is a character who has experienced bad luck so severe that his prominent origin stories are loaded with more woe than most full lives.
Pre-Crisis Todd was the son of murdered acrobats. His parents died helping original Robin Dick Grayson deal with Killer Croc, who was extorting their employer’s circus.
Post-Crisis Jason Todd was again orphaned though in a much grittier series of events. His mother died of an overdose and his father, a petty crook, was slain by Two-Face. Without Dick Grayson to act as a link between Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne, the jaded youth was left to a life of street crime.
After much
struggle on the streets of Gotham, Todd came into Bruce Wayne’s life when, in a
bold move with little reward, he was caught attempting to steal the Batmobile’s
tires.
As the second Robin, Todd was caught in The Joker’s bomb blast and readers were able to vote for his fate. The character endured the ultimate meta-indignity when fans voted in favour of his death. Years later after Superboy-Prime’s meddling with reality resurrected Todd, he went on to become villain/anti-hero Red Hood, his misfortune meaning he could never be a clean-cut superhero.