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luanna255:

Just a friendly canon reminder that Dick and Babs liked Jason.

No. Really. I have no idea why this is so hard to remember, and yet not only does fandom seem to struggle with this seemingly straightforward concept, canon writers are apparently completely incapable of comprehending this as well (Scott Lobdell, I am looking at you. I am looking at you so hard.)

I think the confusion seems to come from two major misconceptions that have been perpetuated in the years since Jason’s death:

(1) That Jason, in his role as “the bad Robin”, was so abrasive and unlikable that he never got along with the rest of the Batfamily, and was disliked by all.

(2) That Jason was clearly “doomed” from the start, and the other Batkids never saw him as fit or capable of carrying on the legacy, but knew right from the beginning that he would never succeed.

However, the bottom line is that both of these ideas are complete, utter, 100% nonsense.

Jason had some issues as a kid, sure. But contrary to what some people would have you believe, he did not actually go around antagonizing people just for the heck of it. He was angry at people who deserved his anger, not at the entire world. He was a sweet, lovable kid much of the time, and he had no problem getting along with others. Once everyone got adjusted to the idea of a new Robin, he got along perfectly well with both Dick and Barbara. They liked him. He liked them. They genuinely cared about him. End of story.

Am I saying no one ever accused Jason of being angry or impulsive? Not at all. Those qualities were there, and the rest of the Batfam worried about it. But you can’t define Jason, or his relationships with the rest of the Batfam, solely by that. Yes, he could be angry and impulsive. But he could also be kind, clever, determined, sweet, funny, lovable, and brave. And when Dick and Barbara looked at him, they saw all of that. They didn’t see some bad seed who was sure to meet a bad end. They saw a kid who had some issues, but who also had outstanding qualities. Someone they fully expected to succeed as Robin.

And he was someone they both loved, very much. They were shocked and horrified by his death, because it wasn’t inevitable. Because whatever story DC tries to sell you now, Jason Todd was not a doomed, angry misfit right from the very beginning. He was a a nice, likable kid (issues and all) who was like a little brother to Dick and Barbara. He could and did get along well with others, and the other Batkids were devastated when he died.

Why is this so hard to understand?

^