Red Hood and the Outlaws is a superhero comic book published by the comic book publishing company DC Comics. The series was commissioned in response to the growing popularity of the character of Jason Todd, a former protégé of Batman who took a turn as a villain following his resurrection. The book depicts Jason's continued adventures as the Red Hood, on a quest to seek redemption for his past crimes, forming a small team with two of his fellow anti-heroes.
Red Hood and the Outlaws debuted in 2011 as part of The New 52 event, which rebooted DC Comics' continuity, creating a fresh jumping-on point for new readers. Writer Scott Lobdell chose to dial back Jason's recent villainy for the character's first starring book, pairing him with the characters of Arsenal (Roy Harper), and Starfire, and retroactively establishing a long friendship between Jason and Roy. The title also retold Jason Todd's history in a simplified form and explored his complex relationship with his former mentor Batman and his brothers (and fellow Robins) Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. The series also debuted a new costume for Red Hood, drawing from previous iterations, featuring his classic biker helmet look but a clear Bat-insignia on his chest, placing the Red Hood more emphatically in Batman's family of supporting characters.
The title's initial featured Lobdell as writer with art from Kenneth Rocafort, and generally received mixed reviews, drawing particular criticism for its confused continuity and accusations that its depiction of Starfire was sexist. For volume two, relaunched as part of the DC Rebirth initiative in 2016, the lineup of the Outlaws was changed to reflect the DC Trinity (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), with Jason joined by Superman's clone Bizarro and Wonder Woman's friend and rival Artemis, before going solo in the retitled Red Hood: Outlaw then later retitled Red Hood.
Plot Vol. 1 Jason Todd leads the Outlaws, a team that includes established DC character Starfire and Roy Harper, Green Arrow's ex-sidekick.
Leading up to a run-in with Killer Croc, Roy was talked out of suicide. Croc became his sponsor in recovery, but that did not keep Roy from getting into trouble. Jason, after coming back from the dead, was trained by an order of warriors known as the All Caste that taught him humility and respect. Jason was a part of the order for an unknown amount of time before he was exiled, partially by choice.
After his exile, Jason became Red Hood, returning to Gotham City where he was at odds with Starfire's ex-lover, his predecessor as Robin, Dick Grayson, as well as their mentor Batman. He soon gets tired of Gotham and leaves, organizing the group after accidentally encountering Starfire at her home base, then breaking out Roy from a Middle Eastern prison. The group travels to a tropical island as Jason catches Roy up; the two start on friendly terms. Jason learns that the All Caste have been slaughtered by a group known as the Untitled. He learns about the events from another All Caste exile named Essence, while Roy tries to jog Starfire's memory. He ends up boring her and sleeps with her.
After finding out that he is no longer a killer, Jason takes his group to All Caste headquarters where they discover that the bodies are becoming zombies. Jason destroys the bodies of his teachers and friends, after some encouragement from Roy; he swears revenge for them after the task is complete. The team is led on a wild goose chase across the globe as they come across an Untitled, who was in hiding in Colorado. Jason fights the creature alone after Starfire is attacked by Crux and Roy leaves to assist her. The Untitled tells Jason that they were set up to cross paths, but still fight him. Jason kills the creature, strengthening his resolve to take revenge. Crux's attempt to drain Starfire's power fails due to procedures performed on her during her slavery.
Roy takes down Crux long enough for Starfire to regain her composure and the three leave, taking an unconscious Crux with them. Later disguised as a doctor, Jason puts Crux into Arkham Asylum, where he says to keep Crux sedated. The group has appropriated Crux's personal modified War cruiser, which Roy instantly falls for. Essence confronts them. At first, only Jason is able to see her, knowing she set him up to fight the Untitled. When the others see her, it causes a fight within the cockpit. During the fight, the source of Essence and Ducra's powers and long life are revealed to be the same as the Untitled's. It is also revealed that they were mother and daughter. The group is able to defeat Essence by using one of Crux's weapons.
Vol. 2
After Starfire and Arsenal left his group (Starfire went to outer space to heal her sister Blackfire, and Arsenal left to join the Titans with Dick Grayson), Red Hood finds out that Black Mask infected the Gotham City Mayor with a techno-organic virus. Batman arrives and tells him to stand down. While fighting, Jason remembers his past encounters with Batman. Jason manages to outsmart Batman by fighting dirty and shooting the mayor. Over at the news, it is revealed that Red Hood shot Batman with an antidote and Batman confronts him. Batman asks him why did he not tell him, and Jason retorted that Batman did not trust him and says he needs to act like a criminal in order to take down crime bosses. Batman reluctantly relents, on one condition: Jason must not kill before leaving. At the end of the issue, Jason is at a bar when a Black Mask henchmen gives him Black Mask information.
Jason Todd decides to go undercover to take down Black Mask after Black Mask infected the Gotham City Mayor with a techno-organic virus that allowed him to control the mayor before Red Hood frees him. Red Hood wants to kill Black Mask, but Batman tells Jason to do it his way. While on a mission to get an object that Black Mask wants, he is confronted by Artemis, an Amazon. Both of them fight, with Artemis overpowering Jason due to her overwhelming strength and her magical battle-ax which she can recall at will, but Jason temporarily knocks her out by tasing her with his armor.
Artemis wakes up and Jason pretends to chase her; when they are hiding under a boulder while Black Mask is firing at them, Artemis realizes he is a good guy based on him pulling his punches, and they both try to work together to defeat Black Mask. Black Mask gets a big container, which ends up with Jason Todd and Artemis chasing after him. Artemis wants to find the Bow of Ra, but they are both shocked to see a clone of Bizarro. Black Mask knocks both of them out with gas but lets Jason free (he thought Jason lured Artemis to his trap).
While seeing Bizarro, Jason buys Bizarro a Superman doll. Bizarro is watching Superman clips from Black Mask to understand what his role is as a villain, and when Artemis insults Bizarro, the latter turns angry. Jason manages to calm Bizarro by talking to him about Gotham City and his life, which impresses Artemis and Black Mask. Black Mask takes Jason to a room where he plans to control Gotham City (where Artemis is hiding to find the Bow of Ra) and reveals he knows Jason's secret identity after the assassination attempt on Red Hood/Arsenal, and uses a mind-controlled Bizarro against him.
While fighting against Bizarro, Red Hood realizes that Bizarro is holding back. Artemis comes to save Red Hood, and they both realize that Black Mask and Bizarro share a connection: when Bizarro feels pain, so does Black Mask. Artemis tries to hold off Bizarro while Jason Todd goes to his hideout. Black Mask follows Jason Todd and taunts him for still being loyal to Batman. Black Mask is about to shoot Jason in the head when Artemis and Bizarro crash in, and Black Mask telepathically makes Bizarro throw Artemis at Red Hood. Artemis and Red Hood devise a plan where they both attack Bizarro and Black Mask respectively. The overwhelming amount of pain causes Black Mask to be nearly brain dead, and he begs Red Hood to give him the cure, saying that Red Hood promised Batman he would not kill him. Red Hood declines, stating that if Black Mask was cured, then he would be back on the streets causing chaos; Red Hood destroys the cure. Artemis wants to continue on her journey to find the Bow of Ra and agrees to let Jason and Bizarro (now free of Black Mask's control) join her. In the epilogue, Batman confronts Jason over what happened with Black Mask, and lets Jason go his own way as long as he does not kill.
In issue #7, Red Hood and Artemis plan to kill Bizarro, but change after Bizarro says he wants Red Hood and Artemis to make him a better person. During a brawl in a bar, Red Hood asks Artemis what is her motivation for trying to find the Bow of Ra, and Artemis explains her history: she is an Amazon that is a different tribe called Bana-Mighdall (Amazons who worshipped Egyptian gods instead of Greek gods like Themyscira). She had a best friend (and lover) named Akila who sparred with her to be the Shim'Tar (Champion of the Bana-Mighdall). Artemis also revealed that one of her ancestors had a falling out with Queen Hippolyta, which caused Artemis' ancestors and her followers to leave. The Egyptian Pantheon agreed to take in Artemis' followers as long as they meet their terms. Artemis recalls Akila disappearing, and after a few weeks, Artemis finds Akila thrown out of the portal by an Egyptian god. It is revealed that Akila became the Shim'Tar, and when Artemis planned to leave Bana-Mighdall, the hostile nation of Qurac sent an army to destroy Bana-Mighdall (believing the Amazons had usurped their sacred homeland). Akila was forced to use the Bow of Ra to kill them, before not becoming insane. Wonder Woman arrives after hearing the destruction of Bana-Mighdall, and Artemis tries to fight her, but Wonder Woman says that Akila is the one causing the destruction. Artemis is forced to team up with Wonder Woman to kill Akila, and the Bow of Ra is lost. After hearing this story, Red Hood decides to help Artemis find the Bow of Ra.
Bizarro is taking Artemis and Red Hood on a plane to Qurac, and the terrorists fire several missiles at the trio. Bizarro takes down several terrorists before being blinded by a white light. When Red Hood wakes up and realizes the Qurac leader, General Heinle, used the Bow of Ra on them and Bizarro saved them from the heat by freezing the plane with his super-breath. Red Hood wakes up in the middle of terrorists, while Bizarro wakes up in a village pleading with him to help save them from the oppressive leader, mistaking him for Superman. Artemis wakes up to find Akila sitting in front of her, and Red Hood hallucinates seeing his past version after realizing he is in the same place where the Joker killed him.