WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for the Robin story in DC's Lex and the City #1!

Of all the Bat-Family , it’s safe to say that Red Hood holds the title of the family’s walking fashion disaster, thanks to multiple costume iterations ranging from a throbbing eyesore to outright ridiculous. And now, Jason is adding a new look to his costume history—one that somehow makes even his controversial pill-head getup seem slightly less ridiculous, which is a feat in itself.

Brendan Hay, Stephen Byrne, and Carlos M. Mangual’s To Live and Date in Gotham is one of eight short stories featured in DC’s 2025 Valentine’s Special—Lex and the City—an anthology spotlighting fan-favorite characters as they embark on various love-themed quests.

To Live and Date in Gotham specifically follows Damian Wayne seeking out his older brother, Tim Drake, for dating advice. This leads to Tim taking Damian on a practice date, teaching him all the core elements needed to ensure his date with Flatline is a success. However, Tim isn’t the only Robin helping Damian prepare—enter Jason Todd.

Jason Todd’s New Red Hood Look Is a Ridiculous Combination of His and Joker’s First Costumes

Main Cover by Guillem March for Batman and Robin #23 (2011)

As part of the practice date, Tim takes Damian to a restaurant to give him a sense of how the meal aspect of the date should go. To prepare Damian for potential mishaps, Tim arranges for the waiter to "accidentally" spill water on Damian’s lap. However, this isn’t just any random waiter—it’s soon revealed that Red Hood is participating in Damian’s date prep by playing the role of a fumbling server. While the brothers trade quips in a humorous exchange, what makes the moment even more memorable is Jason’s absolutely ridiculous outfit.

Jason is notably wearing his classic Red Hood helmet—the same one he first debuted in Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke’s Batman: Under the Red Hood storyline and that remained a core part of his design throughout much of Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy’s Red Hood and the Outlaws run. Paired with his signature helmet, Jason sports a standard black-and-white waiter’s suit, complete with a red bow tie that matches his hood. The result is an utterly absurd ensemble, one that arguably rivals his infamous pill-head look from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s Batman and Robin run.

What makes Jason’s outfit in To Live and Date in Gotham even more notable is how closely it mirrors that of the original Red Hood—AKA the Joker. As many Joker and Jason Todd fans know, the Red Hood mantle was first worn by Joker, whose look included a pill-like helmet similar to the one Jason wore in Morrison’s Batman and Robin. Joker’s Red Hood design also featured a simple three-piece suit and a bow tie, much like Jason’s current getup. Essentially, Jason’s outfit in To Live and Date in Gotham is a fusion of his first Red Hood costume and Joker’s original Red Hood look.

Sure, the Pill-Head & Waiter Look Are Bad, But This One Red Hood Look Is the Worst

Main Cover by Howard Porter for Red Hood / Arsenal #6 (2015)

Quitely’s pill-head costume and Byrne’s waiter look might not be winning any awards for best-looking costumes, but they are still infinitely better than one Red Hood design: the dreaded and fan-despised lip mask. This version retains the iconic full-face red helmet from Judd Winick’s Batman: Under the Red Hood but cranks up the shininess to an extreme level while adding controversial design elements—most notably, a sculpted nose, lips, and ears, making it look like Handsome Squidward. This design was highly controversial upon its debut and became a major eyesore in the comics where it appeared. So, while the waiter look may be ridiculous, at least it’s still better than the mask with the lips.

Doug Mahnke’s Red Hood Design Needs to Make a Return to Comics

Main Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, and Dean White for Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (2016)

While Byrne’s waiter-inspired Red Hood outfit is undoubtedly a humorous take and not a redesign meant to be taken seriously, it serves as an important reminder of just how good Jason looks with the helmet designed by Mahnke. As mentioned, this helmet was part of Jason’s first Red Hood costume and remained a defining element of his character design for years across various artists. Currently, however, Jason is portrayed wearing a half-mask featuring a classic domino mask with his lower face covered. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this look—it’s even pretty cool. But it would be epic to see DC bring back the old Red Hood design, helmet and all.

DC's Lex and the City #1 is available now from DC Comics!