#sheila haywood

[rubydubydoo122]

Broke: Catherine Todd died of a heroin overdose and Willis Todd was an angry deadbeat alcoholic goon

Woke: Catherine Todd died of Cancer and Willis Todd worked for Two-Face to make ends meet

Bespoke: Catherine Todd died because she had Cancer, but could no longer afford Chemo, so Willis Todd took the job with Two-Face to help Catherine. Except he got arrested leaving Catherine with a low source of income so she had to rely on other sources for pain relief. And it’s Gotham so whatever meds she got weren’t safe.

Stop villainizing Willis. Stop simplifying Catherine’s situation. Sheila and Bruce are fair game, but Willis and Catherine were good people in a bad situation.

#jason todd #batfam #batman #red hood #dc comics #catherine todd #willis todd #sheila haywood #bruce wayne #Catherine and Willis obviously loved Jason so much #and wanted him to be a good person #otherwise he wouldn’t have ratted out ma Gunn to Batman

[boarcide]

All I can think about at the moment is how Jason’s death, at the crux of it, was that he was too sweet and tender and loving, looking for someone who he hoped would return that love back to him. He had to take care of his sickly, addicted mother, and his father was never there when he needed it. He felt abandoned by Bruce because his compassion for victims, coming forth in a blaze of fury, caused Bruce to condemn him and it cut him more than anything. He died saving a woman who did not care about him.

He cared for his sick, addicted mother for years until she passed, got his hands dirty for her dignity. He tried to be the best robin, best son that he could be for Bruce. He loved and loved and he searched for Sheila hoping to find any crumb of that affection returned, shielding her from a bomb blast despite her being to reason he was put in his situation to begin with.

Jason Todd’s crime was sweetness, and his punishment was death.

#Jason Todd #catherine todd #bruce wayne #sheila haywood #willis todd

[morgangalaxy43]

All of the batkids have mommy issues or daddy issues (except Dick, his parents were nice)

#dick grayson #mary grayson #john grayson #jason todd #willis todd #catherine todd #sheila haywood #tim drake #janet drake #jack drake #cassandra cain #lady shiva #stephanie brown #arthur brown #crystal brown #batkids #batfamily #dc comics

[kittykatninja321]

Jason’s resentment of Willis stemming from the fact that he often wasn’t there (in and out of jail, and then dead), and Jason misses him terribly, no matter that his absence was out of his control, it doesn’t make much difference to a child’s psyche and the Abandonment Issues develop-> Jason putting Catherine on a pedestal because no matter what state she was in or how bad she got, they were always together, and she was always there (I think 408/409 implies that they were homeless together but Rhato is more explicit about it)-> Catherine dies (and Willis isn’t there) and Jason is all alone-> smash cut to his death scene, Sheila is there, bearing witness. Sheila caused this situation but Jason forgives her in the moment, and will continue forgiving her every moment after. Maybe it’s because you can’t stay angry at someone who shares a grave with you. Maybe it’s because no matter what lead them there, when the clock ticked down, Sheila was there with him (and Bruce wasn’t, Bruce didn’t get there in time)-> Fathers fail to be there when you need their protection the most but mothers suffer with you

#When I say Jason is part of the ‘men don’t protect you anymore’ club this is what I mean. Btw 🧍🏾‍♀️ #this is very stream of consciousness which is why it’s not in proper sentences but you get the gist #Jason Todd #Catherine Todd #Willis Todd #Sheila Haywood #Dc

[of-mice-and-idiots]

the bats being asked how they would feel if they became their moms:

Bruce: sobbing

Dick: I'd be okay with that, she was truly a great mom... before she and my father were tragically murdered....

Tim: yea, I think I'm good. I loved her and all but I'd prefer not

Duke: maybe, you know, before she was jokerized and trying to kill me

Steph: fuck no

Damian: ....

Cass, after being reminded that her mother exists, silently stands and leaves to go and fight Lady Shiva again

Jason: look me in the eyes and ask that question again

#batman #tim drake #stephanie brown #jason todd #dick grayson #cassandra cain #damian wayne #duke thomas #bruce wayne #martha wayne #mary grayson #janet drake #elaine thomas #crystal brown #talia al ghul #lady shiva #sheila haywood #catherine todd

[shyjusticewarrior]

The words "bad mom" being behind Jason is so funny

#dc #dc comics #comic books #comics #comic panels #background details #nightwing 107 #jason todd #red hood #jason peter todd #robin #death in the family #sheila haywood #funny #things i noticed #comic art #batkids #batboys #batfam #batfamily #humor #silly #batman comics #robins #media commentary #media analysis #comic analysis

[kartsie]

Todd brain rot (and Sheila too I guess)

#baby jason protection squad #jason todd #catherine todd #willis todd #boo Sheila #sheila haywood #I think Willis should also get a more in depth and nuanced backstory but my girl Catherine gets hers first!!! #batman #bruce wayne #red hood #dc comics #shameless Catherine Todd stan #Willis I think did love Jason but didn’t show it well or in a good way #poverty really pushed the todds into a corner with few resources to help them #basically there’s so much there for a really layered and good story with interesting aspects to explore and they deserve that #doesn’t excuse any of the crap he did like AT ALL but I do think there’s a good story there #my art

[thecruellestmonth]

Others have pointed out the mystery of no-name Willis Todd having the world's greatest super martial artist, an Israeli secret agent, and a globe-trotting conwoman doctor in his address book—but I haven't seen any appreciation for the fact that those are just the women listed under the letter S.

Who else was in Willis Todd's book?

#Willis Todd #Jason Todd #Sheila Haywood #Willis and Ra's al Ghul hooked up at a music festival. #I've decided Ra's is a music festival ho ever since learning that Talia was canonically conceived at Live Aid featuring Freddie Mercury.

[shit-talker]

What really breaks me about Jason's death is that it was his own mother who sold him out.

The very woman Jason had spent weeks tracking down, the last person he had left of his family. Jason, who was so loving and caring and just needed that mother figure in his life. And obviously, after she served her "purpose" to the Joker, he tried to kill her, and Jason - half dead already, beaten to a bloody pulp - still tried to save her! He still tried to save this woman, who sold him out for cash, who fully knew he was hoing to die at fifteen years of age, who only began to regret it when her own life was at risk.

He still tried to save her. Because he was a hero. He was Robin, and he'd be damned if someone died on his watch. He didn't spend his last moments waiting for Batman to show up - he was desperately trying to get his mother out, get her to safety, to do the good right thing.

And he still died.

He did everything right, and it still wasn't good enough.

#jason todd #batman and robin #red hood #batman #sheila haywood #a death in the family #he genuinely breaks my heart #he was just a little boy who wanted his mama #also the fact that anyone can read his backstory and STILL think he was the “angry robin” is insane #what do u mean?? he's literally baby #that is a literal child #he is NOT the angry one?

[magnoliasandarson]

Voicemail + One Missed Message (combined)

Jason isn't really sure why he does it. Dickhead had never really been his biggest fan, and maybe they had kinda been getting along recently, but that didn't erase all the bad. But Bruce had taken Robin away from Dick, and now he had taken it away from him, so he calls.

Unsurprisingly, it goes to voicemail. Jason swipes a hand over his sweaty forehead, Ethiopia is a lot warmer than Gotham. The phone beeps, and he pauses for a second before saying, "Hey, Dickface,"

For some reason, he tears up, but he takes a shuddering breath and says, "I just wanted to let you know that B kicked me out, so you can go back to the Manor or whatever. No more replacement," he swallows down the old rage and sadness that claws its way up his throat, "Sorry. It's just- whatever. I found a lead on my birth mom. I'm gonna find her. She's a good person, you'd probably like her,"

He kicks some dirt, trying to find a way to say what he needed to say, "Anyway, I called because," there had to be dust in his eyes, "because I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I wasn't a good Robin, I should've never worn the stupid suit. You were good. You- uh- you made me wanna be good. Whatever- I'm not gonna be hanging around anymore bothering you, but I wanted to tell you- I wanted to say that you were a good brother- the best. I wish I was better. It doesn't matter," he scrubs the tears off his face, "see you around, Dickhead."

______________________

FIFTEEN DAYS LATER

______________________

Dick Grayson was going to vomit.

He had been off-world when the JL sent a message to him and the Titans; Robin had been murdered. Within the hour he was back on planet, back in Gotham. He expected to Jason to be waiting for him in the cave, laughing and saying, "Gotcha, Dickhead."

That doesn't happen. Alfred greets him, face solemn and voice wavering. Bruce hadn't wanted to call him, Jason had died two weeks ago. He was already in the ground.

Dick's feet are moving before he realizes where he is going. He's in front of a new grave in the Wayne family plot before he understands that this is real. He lands hard on his knees. The dirt is dark and cold and Jason must be so cold.

He reaches for his phone, he has to call Roy- Wally- someone. There is one new notification. He has a voicemail from fifteen days ago from Little Wing. He immediately retches into the damp grass beside the grave.

"Hey, Dickface." Huge, ugly, violent sobs rip open Dick's chest and throat- and he's gonna pass out- he can't listen- he can't stop listening, "I just wanted to let you know that B kicked me out, so you can go back to the Manor or whatever. No more replacement,"

His hands dig into the tilled earth that rests over his baby brother's corpse, "You were never a replacement," his voice is desperate, shuddering. His brother died thinking he was a replacement.

"Sorry. It's just- whatever. I found a lead on my birth mom. I'm gonna find her. She's a good person, you'd probably like her," what did he mean birthmother? Dick didn't really care- he was too busy hurling up the last of his stomach's contents because Jason was dead and he died thinking he was a replacement.

"Anyway, I called because- because I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I wasn't a good Robin, I should've never worn the stupid suit." Dick was seconds away from crawling into the grave with his brother.

There was snot dripping out of his nose and mingling with his tears on his chin, "Oh- Jay- Jay," he's not sure if he's even breathing, too busy pressing his hands down into the dirt, "fuck, you were the best Robin."

"You were good. You- uh- you made me wanna be good. Whatever- I'm not gonna be hanging around anymore bothering you, but I wanted to tell you- I wanted to say that you were a good brother- the best." Nothing about Dick felt like the best. Hunched over his brother's grave, mourning the brother he didn't know needed saving.

"I wish I was better. It doesn't matter, see you around, Dickhead."

Dick Grayson wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

#jason todd #dc universe #dc comics #batman #robin #batfam #bruce wayne #dick grayson #nightwing #titans #justice league #alfred pennyworth #batfamily #bat angst #sheila haywood

[rubydubydoo122]

Hmm… Damian and Bruce tracking down an animal trafficking ring. Damian seeing the horrific things these animals have been put through. Damian finding out the boss lives somewhere in Crime Alley. Damian cornering the boss on a balcony, Jason is on the roof across from the building and sees the boss fall.

And then he sees Batman drop in, and a bout of Deja Vu hits him like a hurricane, watching Damian shocked and Bruce accusing Damian of killing the boss. And then Jason swing over, sits on the balcony and says, “He won’t believe you.” He then takes off his helmet and looks to Bruce, “I was watching from the roof over. Robin didn’t push him. He spooked him, he slipped.” He then looks back to Damian, “He’ll never trust us. Just don’t run halfway across the world to your mom because of it.”

Teehee I just thought that would be a silly little thing to happen

#damian wayne #bruce wayne #robin #jason todd #robin jason todd #red hood #batman #sheila haywood #felipe garzona #it’s also a good thing to point out that Damian’s almost the age Jason was when he died #if Damian did already die tho so… #Jason’s just shaking his head wondering why Bruce never learns

[iamumbra195]

I was thinking about alternate vigilante names for little Jason and I feel like Mockingbird just fits perfectly.

Mockingbirds are intelligent birds that can mimic and imitate the calls and sounds of various animals (which goes with that one post I saw about little Jason learning to mimic Nightwing and Batman's voices so criminals would be caught off guard when they got their ass kicked by Robin or Red Hood, later on). Mockingbirds are also great at hiding and can easily be overlooked, unlike let's say, a Robin. :)

A big part of little Jason's character was also family and wild Mockingbirds are some of the most vicious when it comes to safeguarding their family, symbolizing safety, family unity, and firm boundaries.

In To Kill a Mockingbird the death of a Mockingbird is a representation of the loss of innocence, specifically by coming into contact with evil.

Jason being killed by the Joker after doing his best to protect Sheila, destroying Bruce and their family unit in a way that they never fully recovered from, coming back with none of the hope and innocence he had once had.

Is that not perfect or am I just crazy?

I know the mysterious leader of the Secret Six is called Mockingbird in DC but I love this so much.

Also, the name Robin remaining a sole part of Dick's identity and him deciding to give that piece of himself to Damian rather than it being forcibly taken away like in canon makes me ridiculously happy

#dc comics #jason todd #mockingbird #red hood #bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson #robin #nightwing #damian wayne #sheila haywood #batfam #batfam au

[candywafercutie]

Doodles of a bunch of random parents and parental figures of some of the Robins, mostly Jason's

RIP Trina Todd, Jason's awesome pre-crisis mom

#catherine todd #sheila haywood #natalia knight #nocturna #willis todd #dana drake #janet drake #trina todd #talia al ghul #scribbles #f: dc #dc #jason has so many moms he collects them like pokemon #50 #100

[trust-and-jump]

Cassandra Cain and Jason Todd parallels - "I'm ready"

I tried not to compare Jason and Cassandra paths, I really did. But they are my favourites out of all Bat-related characters and Batman talks to her about Jason, a little, and

and she goes to find her mother, to ask if she's her mother, to know, to see for herself, she needs it,

and ends up. dying. I. I can't.

He gets..

She gets...

He's forced to remember

She won't do anything but remember

(which is... not a good example, but can you blame me? Her whole Batgirl run is full of memories she keeps bringing up. She's consumed by her past, but.. she's, at the same time, so much more than this past.)

There is no end, there is no beginning. What do they see, looking in the mirror?

They die as heroes.

(she won)

(he lost)

...and it's their mothers who set deadly traps for them. Their mothers are the reason they die.

then..

Someone tells them they are alive, somehow, again.

And it's a mistake - to let them live.

Their mothers are dead.

Everything has changed.

Something in their very souls twists.

They are different, now, too.

Batgirl (2000) #65-73, Batman (1940) #427-428, Batman (1940) Annual #25, Red Hood: Lost Days #1-6.

#cassandra cain #jason todd #batgirl #red hood #cass cain #lady shiva #sheila haywood #sandra wu san #mad dog #batman #dc comics #comic panels #dc comic panels #batgirl 2000 #red hood lost days #batman 1940 #batman comics #parallels #stephanie brown #bludhaven #maybe you could call it #comic analysis #but I don't analyse things #mad dog dc

[robintherobiner]

Sorting the Robin's biological parents

Mommy issues club:

Jason, Sheila sold him to the Joker.

Tim, Janet was very neglectful.

Damian, Talia... Just Talia in general causes issues.

Daddy issues club:

Jason, Willis was physically abusive.

Tim, Jack was also neglectful.

Stephanie, Arthur was very absent due to being in jail 24/7.

Non-mommy issues:

Dick, Mary was very loving.

Jason, Catherine was shown to be very sweet when not high.

Stephanie, Crystal is shown to be very loving.

Non-daddy issues:

Dick, John was very loving.

Damian, Bruce seems to be a good dad (surprisingly-)

#dc comics #dc universe #batman comics #batman #batfam #batfamily #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #stephanie brown #damian wayne #dc robin #robin #mary grayson #john grayson #sheila haywood #willis todd #janet drake #jack drake #arthur brown #crystal brown #talia al ghul #bruce wayne #daddy issues #mommy issues

[boyfridged]

“You just want me gone because you don’t love me.” It does not afford him even a glance. “Don’t be stupid. If I did not love you, I could have dumped you at any corner of this cursed city when you were still a baby.” “Like you did with the foetuses or the dead women you took them out from?”

his mother says all the love in the world might not be enough for him.

– (1430) 1/1, friday night (also on ao3)

My mother did her best.  Once, she said     there will never be enough love in the world for you, but in the dream          she meant it fondly.

– acie clark, intoning

Rationally, Jay knows it has been just two days (or one and a half, really), yet he cannot help but check for the results. He has to press the laptop charger with a book to make sure it stays steady; otherwise, the old brick will shut down at once. Then, the website loads on forever.

And he has to refresh it right away. He refreshes the Wayne Foundation academic mobility scholarship application page twice, thrice, the screen blinking with its contents– Only for him to once again be faced with the bold red letters. His hand trembles slightly as he clicks on the mouse frantically. The same. 

He jumps to his feet and opens the door to the big room; the only appropriate name for what contains a kitchen, doubles as a living space and serves as a makeshift bedroom, the areas and functions blending into each other. He takes a breath in, fidgeting in the threshold. Despite its humble size, the room is meticulously organised, even the dim lightning coming from strategically placed small lamps instead of the main, ceiling one.

“Mom?”

“Mhm?” Sheila is seated on the sofa, engrossed in a magazine. There are rollers in her hair, and she’s dressed in a neatly ironed collared blue dress, so she might be planning to go out later tonight. Which means maybe he should have taken the initiative to make dinner himself instead of waiting for her summons. But that’s a problem for later.

“The website says the documents were not received.” 

She reads on, replying only after turning a glossy page: “Hm. Maybe they haven’t updated it yet.” She still does not look up at him: “Besides, you already got into that Star school, didn’t you?” 

The realisation sinks in.

"You didn’t do it,” he stutters, “You said not to post them because you’d bring them in person— And—" His voice catches with emotion, and he hates it, but he cannot help how the confusion blends with an immediate, raw sense of betrayal. It’s the knowledge he could have taken care of the matter himself, and yet– He left it in his mother’s hands, stupidly, because despite her undeniable lack of enthusiasm, she promised.

“It’s the better option, that Queen scholarship. The location. And even a preparatory summer school included-”

But that was plan B. The fact that he applied there first was just an issue of the application timelines- He swallows, his throat suddenly dry. He wants to stay in Gotham. He wants to stay in Gotham so badly his face gets hot all over with emotion. 

Jay blinks rapidly to prevent the tears from welling up in his eyes, not trusting himself to speak. Instead, he stumbles forward. On a drawer, there is a vase so ridiculous that the antique shop almost gave it away for free. His mother always acted like she was made for the finer tastes, despite not being born into them or being able to ever afford them. He pushes it away to access the stack of envelopes and find the one with the Excelsior’s logo, similarly ostentatious. 

He feels as immature as helpless when he slides the letter out to start tearing it. The pristine, thick paper falls to the shabby, lacquered wood of the floor. 

"We have a PDF of that, you know." Sheila's response is typically delayed and typically pragmatic, punctuated by a slight raise of eyebrows. Her calmness makes it all seem inevitable.

His throat is clenching. The accusation barely manages to make out of it:

“You just want me gone because you don’t love me.”

It does not afford him even a glance.

“Don’t be stupid. If I did not love you, I could have dumped you at any corner of this cursed city when you were still a baby.”

“Like you did with the foetuses or the dead women you took them out from?”

In the following bout of silence, Jay expects his mother to stand up. He expects it so readily that he can almost see it in real time. He expects her to slap him, because there was a time when she would, and short years have not served to prevent the sting in the cheek, even the purely imagined one. In that instant, he almost wishes it was real. 

She does not make a move. She does, however, finally look up at him.

“That was crude,” she huffs.  

He doesn’t care about crudeness. He cares about staying home.

“Dad would never-“

“And where’s your daddy?” 

“I’m going to see him,” he announces, turning to the door.

“You’re going to walk to Blackgate,” she says, unimpressed.

“Yes.” He grabs his jacket.

“At 9pm,” she adds, even though it’s barely 8. “Outside of the visiting hours.”

“Yes,” he repeats. He can’t suppress his tears anymore, so that final confirmation is more of a weep than an articulated response. Sheila’s grey eyes bore into him with the same hardened indifference they usually do the second he starts crying. It is only marginally better than the open frustration he could be met with.

He shuts the door and skips every two steps. The bottom of the stairs is cold to touch as he sits down, putting his father’s stiff denim on and curling in. The tears now fall earnestly. The corridor smells mildly of dampness, maybe even mould. It is almost silent, only muffled voices from the ground floor flats for his company, and he allows himself the first two sobs to echo, before hiding his head between his knees. 

Jay wants dad. He can’t have dad until next week. It makes him resent him, just a bit, just for a moment, because mom was right; he is not here for Jason; not now, nor truly ever. Bringing up dad in a fight was no more efficient than betting on a losing dog. He always does it anyway.

But there was plenty more Jason could add; for example: I would rather have Cathy than you. That, he never says. Thinking about Cathy makes his breath catch violently, and cry harder anyway. Dad’s in prison, and Cathy’s dead, and he’s running out of both tears and parental figures to turn to. 

He reaches into his pocket to take out a loose, slightly crumpled cigarette and a lighter. It tingles his throat even before he even takes a drag. The actual drag makes him cough.

“These women would rather be dead than mothers,” was what Sheila said once, right after Jason found out. Sometimes recalling that defence comforted him; it did not ease the irrational guilt, but it did mean that he, at least, was not unwanted enough for her to entertain other ideas. On other days, the easy sympathy with which these words were laced haunted him instead. He chews them over again, for what feels like forever, their taste sour.

“What did I say about stealing my cigarettes?”

He startles at his mother’s voice and nearly drops it, but Sheila quickly grasps it before it burns his fingers. She extinguishes it against the wall. It was already yellowing from all the indoor smoking anyway.

“Come eat dinner.” she says, her tone curt. Her hair is relaxed. She waits patiently for him to wipe his blotchy face and follow her back. He does. The anxiety curdling in his stomach stings as he walks upstairs, watching the elegant curve of the back of her dress. 

The dinner on the table is frozen pizza, because it’s cheap and because his mom hates cooking, and a green smoothie, to compensate for the quality and the lack of nutrition. And next to that bizarre meal there’s a transparent folder. The text on the paper is still blurry to him, letters spilling away from his vision, but he recognises them for what they are; the documents requested by the Wayne Foundation along with the application form. An unfair taunt.

“I will hand it in tomorrow morning. They will accept it,” his mother says.

“And what if they don’t?” 

“Then I will speak with Wayne himself.” 

Jason half-sniffles, half-chuckles. 

“What’s so funny, hm?” she asks, reaching to gently brush his curls out of his face. The touch is so light it’s barely there. But the coldness of her hand relieves the headache he has not yet noticed, probably a result of dehydration. He takes a sip of the smoothie first. It tastes spinachy, and strangely bitter–sweet.

“Sometimes,” his mother says, her shadow dark beside,  “I feel like all the love in the world wouldn’t be enough for you.” 

She might mean it fondly.

#yutro writes #jason todd #sheila haywood