Headache haver

Sorry if this is an inappropriate question, but do you think Jason would still have made the decisions he made if he wasn't so isolated from the hero community (implied to be at Bruce's behest in his team ups with the Titans which I believe remained canon)? Jason didn't have a team or close bonds with adult heroes outside of Bruce, do you think he would have made the same decisions if he felt more in the community as opposed to just connected to Bruce? Because you talked about how Jason isolated himself from the hero community and I was wondering if he was ever really truly part of it in a way he might miss.

no that’s a completely legitimate question. In my mind one of the tragedies of Jason’s character is that he never really got the chance to be part of the broader hero community. At least not in the same way that Dick and later Damian did with the Titans, or Tim with young justice. This is in part due to editorial reasons (there wasn’t a push for a whole new wave of young heroes at the time and he was killed before he got any really connections outside of the Bats). And he also didn’t have any support and mentorship from adult heroes (in the same way Roy and Wally had Hal). I find the way he said he always wanted to meet Green Arrow so tragic because in my mind he’s someone who could have helped Jason through what he’d been through. He had died and come back. He is willing to understand and forgive those who kill in exceptional circumstances. He had even been there himself. But by the time they meet he had kidnapped and hurt his daughter Mia and there’s no coming back from that.

So I do believe that he could have joined the hero community after his resurrection is only he didn’t immediately get involved in organised crime and become so brutal. After all a whole bunch of heroes join as adults and still find friendship and even family within the community. But because Jason was so isolated and never got a chance to build connections with them as Robin he didn’t even consider finding support outside of Gotham. (And that is Bruce’s fault, I’m not saying he’s blameless in this situation at all) So he made some bad calls that he lost a lot of goodwill other heroes would have had for him as traumatised and victim blamed ex-sidekick. And the sad thing is I don’t believe Jason even realises how much opportunity and potential he has lost. Not when he never thought he could have had it in the first place.

And god Jason is such a tragic character.