Round 8 in DC K.O. saw Red Hood fight Joker as the final pair vying to get through. The rounds so far have been mixed in terms of quality and fan reception. DC K.O.: Red Hood vs. The Joker is a highlight however, providing depth and action.
Spoilers ahead!
Scott Snyder wrote this matchup alongside Joshua Williamson, both of whom are heading the event. DC K.O. sees the future destroyed by Darkseid and his creation of the Absolute Universe. Heroes and villains compete in a tournament to become King Omega and have the power to rival Darkseid.
Red Hood and Joker were probably not many, if anyone’s, favourites to win the tournament but the best-of-three duel was one of the most anticipated. Thankfully, Snyder and Williamson delivered.
Given the thousands of issues, most characters have interacted somehow but the fight between Red Hood and Joker is incredibly personal. It is through this angle that Snyder and Williamson frame the whole conflict. Jason Todd has understandable hatred for Joker as he was murdered by him (and fans) way back in 1988 in the A Death in the Family storyline from Batman.
Even now, after being resurrected and no longer using the mantle of Robin, Jason is still deeply affected by this history. Snyder and Williamson use this hatred to direct Jason’s actions.
“I feel like they don’t see me. They see him” – Jason Todd
Despite the righteous hate, Joker still takes the first round, causing Jason to fall into the vat of acid that had created Joker. The arenas in DC K.O link back to either character and the vat was a perfect narrative choice given the Red Hood moniker both had used.
Contestants also choose their forms in DC K.O. and Jason chose to go back to his Robin roots in Round Two. As mentioned in the issue, the other person that defined Jason was Batman and, by extension, some people only know him as the Robin who died. This time though Jason is able to turn the tables on Joker and murder him in the way that had killed him all those years ago.
Dustin Nguyen and Giuseppe Camuncoli both illustrated this issue, with the handover happening during the second round. Both do a commendable job; Nguyen creating a terrifying Joker chemically amped up and Camuncoli doing a twisted homage to the death of Robin scenes from A Death in the Family. Having Mark Morales inking and John Kalisz colouring helped the transition between the two illustrators, making it fairly smooth.
The final round saw Joker use his Red Hood persona as the two fought for the last time. The action throughout the issue was frenetic, but the last round exemplifies it. Brutal swings, stabs, and slashes abound, Jason narrowly edges it, killing Joker. His form of the Red Hood he designed as a child beating Joker to a pulp.
As Jason lays dying, he knows that Joker has found some way to continue, cheating death. Sure enough, a device on Joker’s heart, no doubt the one item he could bring, restarts his heart just as Jason dies. For those suffering from Joker-fatigue, this was no doubt a shame, but doubly so for Jason Todd fans. Still, they know who really won the fight.
DC K.O. seemed completely contrived by DC to just setup heroes and villains in fights, however it has been surprisingly entertaining, down to the creative team behind it. By no means should Williamson’s role be downplayed but 2025 has been Snyder’s year. The Absolute Universe has dominated sales and discourse and this issue is the icing on the cake to end the year.
Buy DC K.O.: Red Hood vs. The Joker (Cover D) – Forbidden Planet (UK)
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