Batman Red Hood First Appearance: Detective 168, Batman 635

The Red Hood first appeared in Detective Comics #168, dated February 1951. In that issue Bill Finger wrote the Joker's first origin: a masked criminal, the Red Hood, escapes Batman on his last heist by leaping into a vat of chemicals, and the disfigurement drives him insane (Wikipedia, Joker). PriceCharting lists #168 as the first appearance of the Red Hood and the Joker's origin.

Most people searching today mean Jason Todd, the second Robin. He first wore the Red Hood in Batman #635 (February 2005), the start of Judd Winick's "Under the Hood" (Wikipedia, Jason Todd). Jason himself first appeared in Batman #357 (March 1983), created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, and became Robin in Batman #368 (February 1984).

PriceCharting values, retrieved September 25, 2026:

• Ungraded: $4,220.07
• 2.0: $5,509.00
• 4.0: $8,607.22
• 6.0: $22,564.28
• 8.0: $37,200.00
• 9.2: $48,360.00

Recorded sales on the same page: CGC 6.5 at $27,600 (October 2024), CGC 6.0 at $19,200 (December 2024), CGC 4.0 at $7,300 (January 2025) and CGC 8.0 at $37,200 (July 2025). Most grades trade about once a year, so check the sale dates before relying on a figure.

PriceCharting values, retrieved September 25, 2026:

Batman #635 (2005), first Jason Todd as Red Hood

• Ungraded: $97.76
• 9.2: $109.52
• 9.8: $323.89

Batman #357 (1983), first Jason Todd and first full Killer Croc

• Ungraded: $68.40
• 8.0: $99.44
• 9.2: $150.27
• 9.8: $544.33

For Batman #635, 9.8 copies sell about once a week and 9.2 about six times a year; lower graded copies barely trade. The ungraded figure is close to the 9.2 figure, so grading a copy of #635 pays mainly if it can reach 9.8.

The Joker. He debuted in Batman #1, published April 25, 1940 (Wikipedia, Joker). The Red Hood was added eleven years later in Detective Comics #168 (1951) as the Joker's past identity. Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke (1988) reworked it: a failed comedian takes part in a robbery as the Red Hood to support his pregnant wife and ends up in the chemical vat (Wikipedia, Joker). Values for Batman #1 are on our Joker first appearance page.

• Death (1988): in "A Death in the Family" (Batman #426 to #429), readers voted by 1-900 phone numbers on whether Jason would live. Death won 5,343 to 5,271, a margin of 72 votes, and the Joker killed him.
• A false return (2003): Batman #617 seemed to reveal a resurrected Jason, but Batman #618 showed it was Clayface in disguise, working for the Riddler and Hush. See our Clayface first appearance page.
• Resurrection (2005): Talia al Ghul restored his health and memory in a Lazarus Pit, and in "Under the Hood" he returned as the Red Hood, angry that Batman had never killed the Joker.
• Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011): he led an antihero team with Starfire and Roy Harper.

All from Wikipedia.

Not cleanly in the main story. At the climax of "Under the Hood", Jason lures Batman to Crime Alley, holds the Joker hostage and demands that Batman either kill him or let him shoot the Joker. He throws Batman a pistol and counts to three; Batman ends it by throwing a batarang that strikes Jason's neck (Wikipedia). Jason has won other fights: he broke into Titans Tower, beat Tim Drake, the third Robin, and immobilized the Titans who were there (Wikipedia).

• Is Jason Todd LGBTQ? The Wikipedia article on him does not describe him as LGBTQ, and the one romantic relationship it describes is with Talia al Ghul.
• How old was he when he was with Talia? The comics as summarized by Wikipedia give no age. That part of his backstory takes place after Talia restores him with the Lazarus Pit and while she funds his training; Wikipedia says they had a sexual relationship and that she used it to push him toward revenge on Batman.

• Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010 animated film): Jensen Ackles voices the adult Jason
• Titans: Curran Walters plays Jason; in the third season he becomes the Red Hood after the Joker kills him and the Scarecrow revives him in a Lazarus Pit

Source: Wikipedia.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the title, issue number, date and publisher; reprints and facsimiles say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode that did not exist in the cover year means a later edition.
• Paper: decades-old newsprint tans at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and replaced covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service such as CGC can detect them. See spot a fake or restored comic.

Shoot the front cover flat and straight on in even light, then the indicia and the back cover. Batman #635 is a 2005 book, so the key checks are the issue number and whether it is a later printing; on Detective #168, photograph the interior as well. ComicLens reads the title, issue number and cover art from the photo and shows a reference price range that moves with the grade you pick; there are free scans every day.

Research and drafting were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page. Prices are the figures shown by the named source on the date given; they change with the market.

The CBR community guide to Jason Todd key issues lists these, grouped by era:

• Batman #357 (1983): first appearance of Jason Todd.
• Detective Comics #526: first costumed appearance; Bruce adopts Jason.
• Batman #366: first appearance in a Robin costume.
• Batman #368: Dick Grayson passes the Robin role to Jason.
• Batman #408: post-Crisis debut with a retold origin; #409 he becomes Robin.
• Batman #426 to #429: A Death in the Family, the reader vote on his fate.
• Batman #617: the Hush-era "return" that turns out to be Clayface.
• Batman #635: first Red Hood of the modern era, the start of Under the Hood (#635 to #641, #645 to #650 and Annual #25).
• Batman #638: the Red Hood is revealed to be Jason.
• Red Hood: The Lost Days #1 to #6: his resurrection story.
• Red Hood and the Outlaws: his first ongoing series, from the New 52.

If you want the issue where Jason Todd became the Red Hood, it is Batman #635; if you want the issue where readers learn it is him, it is #638.

This happens in the Batman Beyond future, not the main DC timeline. In the Batman Beyond "Hush Beyond" miniseries (2010), Dick Grayson reveals he was shot and lost an eye while helping Batman, which ended his career as Nightwing and left him feeling Bruce did not care enough about him (Wikipedia, Batman Beyond comic book). Dick's own first appearances are on our Nightwing and Robin pages.