Batman: Jason Todd Was A Total Copy of Dick Grayson | Screen Rant
Many different characters have served alongside Batman as his crime fighting partner Robin, but Jason Todd, the second Robin, was originally an exact copy of the original Robin, Dick Grayson. Before he became the hero Nightwing, Dick Grayson fought crime as Batman's sidekick, and was the first in a long line of Robins.
Dick was often considered an upbeat sidekick who was happy being a hero, the polar opposite of Batman who felt he "had to be" a hero. Jason on the other hand, was far less upbeat, and often remembered by fans as a "rebel" Robin. Jason's most common origin story involves him attempting to steal the tires off of the Batmobile, before being caught by Batman himself. Though initially hesitant, Batman eventually trained Jason to be his partner in fighting crime in his attempt to channel Todd's anger into something positive, rather than letting him become a criminal. Though Jason was only the second Robin, his backstory was drastically different from Dick Grayson's origin, though this wasn't always the case.
Related: The Joker Was SAVED By Robin (Before He Killed Him)
Dick Grayson was originally introduced in 1940's Detective Comics #38, and was the son of two acrobats, John and Mary Grayson. As the "Flying Graysons," Dick and his family were considered Haley Circus's greatest act that drew in large crowds on a regular basis. However, local mob boss Tony Zucco, in his attempt to extort protection money from Haley's circus, would facilitate the murder of John and Mary, leaving Dick an orphan. Bruce Wayne happened to be in the audience, and adopted Grayson as his ward, intending to ensure that Grayson's rage against Zucco would not affect him the same way it scarred Bruce. Bruce began to train Grayson in combat and criminology, and eventually took on Grayson as his crime fighting partner, Robin. Though Robin was able to avenge his parents death, and help capture Zucco, he would continue on as Batman's partner for many years. However, eventually, Grayson would move away from the Batman comics, and would become more associated with the Teen Titans.
With no Robin for Batman to interact with, writers would struggle with having a character for Batman to bounce off of... until the creation of Jason Todd. Jason made his debut in Batman 1983's #357, and was also born to a family of acrobats. Joe and Trina Todd, alongside their son Jason, performed at the Sloan Circus under the stage name "The Flying Todds," (an homage to the Graysons). Yes, really. Similar to Grayson's origin story, Sloan Circus was being extorted for protection money by an arch criminal, in this case it was Killer Croc in his earliest appearances. Dick Grayson offered his assistance to the Todd's as Robin, and worked with them to track down Killer Croc before he could cause any more harm to Sloan Circus. However, the Todd's got in too deep, and in their attempt to track down Killer Croc's whereabouts, Joe and Trina were murdered by Killer Croc. Though Croc was eventually defeated, Todd would become an orphan just like Grayson was years earlier, and just as he did for Grayson, Bruce would adopt Jason as his ward as well. Bruce had every intention of making Jason his new partner in crime, but was initially reluctant to give Todd the Robin mantle, until Dick gave Todd his blessing, and presented him with his very own Robin uniform.
Jason was initially similar in personality to Dick Grayson, being more of an upbeat and energetic character. With Todd essentially becoming Grayson's replacement, the former Boy Wonder would undergo massive changes of his own, eventually becoming Nightwing. However, in the aftermath of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths event, Jason Todd's entire backstory was revamped to distinguish the character from Dick Grayson, and reflect the darker tone in the newer Batman books. Jason was no longer the son of acrobats, rather, his father was a criminal and his mother had abandoned him. Jason also underwent a personality change, and was far from the optimistic character he had once been, opting to disobey Batman's orders and act more aggressive towards criminals. Fans were unhappy with these changes, and in the famous "Death In The Family" storyline, they voted to have Robin killed by the Joker. Though Batman would grieve Jason's death for years, he would return in 2005's "Under the Hood" storyline as the Red Hood. For years afterwards, Jason would resent Batman for not killing the Joker as retribution for his death, and became a lethal anti-hero.
Jason Todd's character was an interesting one, that initially allowed fans to have their cake and eat it too. Since Dick Grayson had outgrown his "Boy Wonder" moniker, and was given more character development in Teen Titans, it made sense to introduce a younger, more optimistic character similar to Grayson. By giving Todd the same backstory as Grayson, new and returning readers would easily be able to get on board with his origin story due to the two character's similarities. Batman would have a Robin to engage in conversation with, and Grayson could undergo massive character development, reflecting his age and maturity. Though his tenure as Robin might not be fondly remembered, it did serve its initial purpose of replacing Dick Grayson seamlessly. While other Robins, like Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne, would arguably surpass Jason in terms of popularity, Jason would reach a new level of popularity all his own as Red Hood.
Still, despite Dick and Jason being complete polar opposites in the end, Batman loved them both the same, and gave them every opportunity to succeed as a hero, both as Robin and their future alter-egos.