Batman Under The Red Hood

PHASE 2 What if Disney owned DC and made Batman 2 (2014)

After years of being in a coma, Bruce Wayne continues his war on crime primarily in Gotham City, now working in a tense alliance with A.R.G.U.S., the government organization led by Amanda Waller. While Batman remains Gotham’s protector, he is increasingly uneasy with A.R.G.U.S.’s expanding surveillance programs and its willingness to control metahumans and vigilantes alike. On missions, Bruce is often partnered with Dinah Lance, an elite A.R.G.U.S. operative known in the field as Black Canary, whose methods and moral flexibility frequently clash with his own code. During an operation against a criminal syndicate tied to Gotham’s underworld, Waller uncovers evidence that the League of Assassins, long believed to be fractured after past conflicts has secretly infiltrated global institutions, including A.R.G.U.S. itself. Before she can fully expose the conspiracy, Waller survives a near-fatal assassination attempt, forcing Batman to go off the grid when the organization turns on him, labeling him a liability. On the run, Bruce seeks help from Dick Grayson, now operating independently as Nightwing, his first Robin and former partner from before the tragedy of Jason Todd. Together with Dinah, they investigate the League’s true plan. The investigation leads to the League’s ultimate weapon: the Red Hood, a ruthless, highly trained assassin whose combat style and tactics are devastatingly familiar. In a shattering revelation, Bruce learns the truth that Red Hood is Jason Todd, the Robin he believed died years earlier. Resurrected, conditioned, and weaponized by the League of Assassins, Jason has been stripped of his past and molded into the perfect soldier. As Gotham descends into chaos, Batman works alongside Barbara Gordon, now an A.R.G.U.S. intelligence agent operating under deep cover. Barbara helps expose the League’s infiltration to the public, triggering the collapse of A.R.G.U.S.’s compromised systems and forcing Waller to burn the organization to the ground to prevent total control by the League. Amid the turmoil, Bruce has a quiet, personal reckoning when he tracks down Selina Kyle for the first time in nearly a decade. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Selina reveals she is suffering from a degenerative disease and has been living off the grid. Their conversation is unresolved, filled with regret, affection, and the unspoken understanding that time is running out for both of them. The conflict culminates in Gotham itself, where Batman confronts the Red Hood. Refusing to fight Jason as an enemy, Bruce removes his mask and appeals to the boy he once trained. Though the League’s plan is stopped and their presence exposed, Jason escapes, fractured and uncertain of who he is.

Story added by dippy2 on October 25, 2022