As much as I love the Joker, his appearance in DC's animated features is becoming vexatious. He's starting to resemble another supervillain in the company's resume, Lex Luthor. He too pokes his head into any Superman movie, even if he is expendable. Only difference between the two is that Luthor infiltrates the big-budget live action films as well, while the Joker has only made his presence in three of the seven Batman films to date.
But I'm not here to talk about the live action films. I'm here to discuss the animated lineup, more specifically the newest induction, Batman: Under the Red Hood. Which shows signs of promise, but is undermined by the psychotic madman mentioned earlier. I understand this complaint may come across as superfluous, considering the Red Hood was one of the Joker's earlier aliases. And the person donning his persona this time has a connection to him (more on that later). But, I feel that the smaller picture here, that being Red Hood and Black Mask in competition with one another, is far more interesting than the Joker sub-plot, which transforms itself into the main one.
Maybe I'd be a bit more forgiving if Mark Hammill were to voice the Joker once again. Out of all the voice actors who have bestowed their talents to the temperamental sociopath, Hammill nailed it the best. He gave him the anger that he so desperately needs, yet perfectly inserted the cackling glee that made him a legend. John Di Maggio settled for anger and nothing else.
Which is a shame, as the Joker's antics in Under the Red Hood require that heinous joy that so few can deliver. In the outset of the film, he murders the second Robin (Alexander Martella) by beating him to a bloody pulp with a lead pipe and then blowing the building in which he was being held captive to smithereens. The Joker's mannerisms pointed towards malicious amusement, yet Di Maggio's voice acting hinted at indignation.
Five years later, the Joker is in Arkham and the Black Mask (Wade Williams) is reigning supreme as Gotham's crime lord. That is until the Joker's original persona, the Red Hood (Jensen Ackles), starts roaming the streets and stealing away his employees. The ones that remain under his employment are shortly disposed of. This leaves Batman (Bruce Greenwood) to deal with the both of them. The original Robin, now going by the alias of Nightwing (Neil Patrick Harris), helps out as well, but he serves no purpose other than to have NPH provide his talent and likeness.
A twist is thrown into the mix early on, one in which I was going to refrain from spoiling. However, since it occurs within the first thirty minutes and is a key factor in the storyline, I won't feel guilty for revealing it. Under the Red Hood is Jason Todd, the second Robin. This adds a depth of sorrow to Batman's mission, which leaves an opening for Nightwing to step in and commandeer. This never happens, as he disappears halfway through the film. I guess Neil Patrick Harris could only get off the set of How I Met Your Mother, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas and The Smurfs for so long.
Jason Todd did perish in the fire five years back, which means he is back from the dead. But don't qualify him as a zombie. He's more and less a reanimated corpse, which does point towards zombie, but has enough of a difference for him to drift away from that moniker. That and the fact that neither toxic poison or a medical outbreak are the cause of his return. Ra's al Ghul (Jason Isaacs) is the one responsible. He retrieved his body at the funeral and switched it with a latex double. He proceeded to dump his carcass in a vat of healing water, which was successful in converting Ghul from a feeble, broken down man to a power force. Think of it as a fountain of youth, sans the youth.
His theory is that the fountain will revive Robin to his original self and he can use him to his advantage. His assumption proves to be correct, but only in reviving Jason. And not to his original state, either. He comes back decrepit and damaged, causing Jason to go berserk and wreak havoc on Ra's al Ghul and his men. He then flees from the scene of the crime and dons the Red Hood persona. Why it takes him five years to do so is never explained.
This doesn't turn him evil, however. His reasoning for donning the Red Hood is to go undercover in the crime world and eliminate the thugs from there. He's kind of like the Green Hornet. Only difference here is that, as Batman points out, he's becoming one of them. He's not preventing crime, he's galvanizing it. Jason doesn't feel the same way, as he always felt Bruce held back. He also believes that crime can never be truly terminated, only sedated.
This love/hate triangle between Batman, Red Hood and Black Mask made for an oddly intriguing story. It had heart, depth and murder, all the makings for an outstanding story. Brandon Vietti doesn't feel this is enough, however, as he breaks the Joker free from Arkham Asylum and wedges him into the mix. I will admit it's not a hard fit, as he is the one responsible for Jason Todd's death. I just feel that's where his inclusion should have stopped. There was enough emotional baggage present in the film that the Joker's presence wasn't needed anymore. To be quite honest, as much as I love the maniacal degenerate, I didn't feel his presence was needed whatsoever. Outside of the Red Hood moniker being his in the beginning, the Joker adds nothing to the story. Sure, he murders Jason and is the cause of this all. Yet that could have been avoided by having Black Mask be responsible for his death.
Which is the direction I feel this story should have gone. When Brandon Vietti focuses on the love/hate triangle between Batman, Red Hood and Black Mask, the movie flourishes. The action scenes are entertaining (such as Batman and Nightwing doing battle with Amazo) and the bulk of the voice talent, which also includes Phil LaMarr, Carlos Alazraqui, Gary Cole and Kelly Hu, is good. What drags Under the Red Hood down is the inclusion of the Joker, who feels like a third wheel. He intervenes near the end and overshadows both Red Hood and Black Mask. Brandon Vietti should have put him on the backburner and focused his attention on Red Hood and Black Mask. They should have been the ones shining here, not the Joker.
-Justin Oberholtzer
