WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 (2025)!
BatmanandRobingo together like peanut butter and jelly, to the point where it’s almost absurd to imagine the Boy Wonder serving under anyone but the Dark Knight. However, in a retelling of Jason Todd’s time as Robin, DC reveals the surprising mentor he once left Batman for, and it’s more than a little revealing.
Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’sRobin & Batman: Jason Todd#2picks up right where the last issue left off, asa mysterious masked man rescues Robin after a PTSD episode nearly gets him killedduring a fight with a criminal. Although the stranger prevents Robin from being killed, he takes a life in the process, prompting a tense rooftop confrontation with Batman.
In the Dark Knight’s eyes, killing makes the man just another criminal. The masked figure, who is later revealed to be operating under the name Wraith, escapes. But this isn’t the last time Jason encounters him. Disillusioned with Batman,Robin eventually seeks Wraith out as his new mentor.
Jason Todd Ditches the Cape and Cowl for Someone Willing to Kill
Comic Page Comes from Jeff Lemire’sRobin & Batman: Jason Todd#2 (2025) - Art by Dustin Nguyen
As those familiar with Jason’s origin story know,his time as Robin was marked by constant tension with Bruce.The two often clashed over what justice should look like. Jason became increasingly violent toward criminals, and in Batman’s eyes, this behavior crossed a line, creating a growing rift between the mentor and his young sidekick.
Desperate for validation,Jason begins to see Wraith as someone who might offer it…
This tension is a central focus in Lemire’s narrative. In issue #2, readers seeJason’s disillusionment with Batman deepenas he begins to admire Wraith’s brutal but effective approach to crime-fighting.His fascination grows so intense that he even dreams about the masked vigilante, signaling a shift in his loyalty and mindset.
After one especially vivid dream, Jason is shown unfolding a note with an address on it. The implication is that Wraith passed it to him during their earlier encounter,offering Jason the chance to seek him out. Jason accepts the unspoken invitation, and sets off to find the man who saved his life.
At the address, Jason discovers Wraith inside what appears to be a training room. Wraith greets him with,“I was hoping you’d come.”When Jason asks who he is, the man replies,“Wraith,”and tells him,“Whoever we were… they’re gone. It’s about who we want to be. Who do you want to be? A mascot or a soldier?”
Wraith then presents his philosophy, claiming thatBatman’s methods are too softand ineffective against Gotham’s worst criminals. He believes real justice requires permanent solutions. He challenges Jason to decide where he stands. In the final panel,the two are seen leaping across rooftops together, confirming that Jason has chosen Wraith as his new mentor.
Why Was Ditching Batman for Wraith so Appealing to Jason Todd?
What draws Jason to Wraith goes beyond just their shared views on violence and justice. That is a major part of it, though, and Wraith’s monologue during his fight with Batman clearly strikes a nerve. Hiswords reflect a philosophy that Jason has already begun to adopt,making Wraith’s appeal more personal and persuasive than it first appears.
In his confrontation with Batman,Wraith accuses him of being an“enabler,”saying,“You let them live and just fight them again and again. And in between they keep killing and hurting innocent people.”This echoes the same argument Jason has made before, so it makes sense that Wraith’s critique would hit home for the frustrated Boy Wonder.
Another reasonJason gravitates toward Wraith is the growing lack of trust between him and Bruce.Wraith drives that wedge even deeper. After Wraith’s escape, Jason angrily calls Bruce out for thinking he was the one who killed the criminal. The implication is clear:Batman’s lack of trust is driving Jason away.
Jason’s confrontation ends with a cutting remark:“So that’s what you really think of me.”It’s a moment that shows Jason no longer feels like Batman sees him as a partner or an equal. Desperate for validation,he begins to see Wraith as someone who might offer the respect and trustthat Bruce no longer gives him.
How Wraith May Replace One of the Most Defining Moments in Jason Todd’s Origin
The introduction of Wraith into theretelling of Jason Todd’s Robin yearsis a bold creative choice by Lemire. Wraith was not part of Jason’s original story, buthe may now take the place of one of the most defining elements of Jason’s pastby serving as a key figure in his eventual fall from grace.
Batman#424 (1988) by Jim Starlin is often credited asthe comic that broke Batman and Robin. In it,Bruce accuses Jason of pushing rapist Felipe Garzonas off a roof, killing him.Whether or not Jason was guilty, that moment fractured their partnership and set in motion the events that ultimately led to Jason’s tragic death.
Losing Batman’s trust caused Jason to seek out his birth mother, who later betrayed him and handed him over to the Joker. The betrayal led directly to Jason’s murder. With that in mind, it is worth asking whether Wraith is now being positioned as a replacement for Felipe Garzonas inRobin’sreimagined downfall.
Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2is available now from DC Comics!
