The story begins with a growing tension between the Dark Knight and his protégé. Believing that Jason Todd, played by Vincent Martella, is becoming far too aggressive and reckless in his approach to crime-fighting, Batman, voiced by Bruce Greenwood, makes the difficult decision to suspend him from his active duties as Robin. Feeling betrayed and consumed by anger, Jason forsakes his mentor and chooses to leave Gotham City behind.
However, fate brings the two back together in Bosnia. They reunite to combat a dangerous alliance between the chaotic Joker, voiced by John DiMaggio, and the strategist Ra's al Ghul. The duo is working together with the sinister goal of stealing uranium to construct radioactive dirty bombs. While Batman focuses his efforts on stopping the soldiers of Ra's al Ghul, the Joker manages to capture Robin. In a scene of sheer brutality, the Joker beats Jason with a crowbar, leaving the young hero broken and dying inside a warehouse that has been rigged to explode.
Depending on the outcome of these events, several different paths unfold:
Path One: The Resurrection
If Robin perishes in the blast, the narrative follows a trajectory similar to the events of Under the Red Hood. A guilt-ridden Ra's al Ghul utilizes the Lazarus Pit to bring Jason back to life. Now reborn as the Red Hood, Vincent Martella wages a violent war against both Batman and Black Mask. This conflict eventually leads to Black Mask releasing the Joker from Arkham Asylum. The Red Hood captures the Joker and forces Batman into an impossible moral dilemma: choose which one of them lives, or let them both perish. While Batman manages to avoid killing either, the Red Hood vanishes into the shadows. Later, Bruce provides a recap of these harrowing events to Clark Kent, voiced by Nolan North, who commends Bruce for his bravery in facing his inner demons and offers his assistance in tracking down Jason.
Path Two: The Traumatized Vigilante
In another version, Jason survives the explosion, though he is left severely injured with his face swathed in bandages. Deeply traumatized and blaming Batman for his suffering, he dons a new Robin suit while keeping the bandages on his head. He transforms into a violent vigilante, brutally murdering several high-profile Gotham criminals, including Cheetah, the Riddler, and Black Mask. He is eventually discovered by Talia al Ghul, voiced by Zehra Fazal, who proposes a deal: she will help him find and kill the Joker if Jason agrees to raise her and Bruce's infant son, Damian. Jason accepts, though he secretly plans to turn the child against his parents.
Path Three: The Ultimate Sacrifice
In a more tragic branch, Batman manages to get Robin out of the warehouse, but Bruce is the one killed in the resulting explosion. With his final breaths, Bruce pleads with Jason not to seek revenge on the Joker and to remain strong for his family. Following the tragedy, Jason, Alfred, and Barbara Gordon lay Bruce to rest beside his parents, and Dick Grayson steps up to succeed him as the new Batman. This leads to a pivotal moment where the viewer must decide if Jason chooses to kill the Joker.
In one sequence, Jason visits a local diner where he sees a news report about the new Batman. A man sitting nearby suggests that the current Batman is likely Nightwing pretending to be the original. The man claims to have known and fought alongside the true Batman but insists he is now a reformed man starting over. He tells Jason a joke, which triggers a memory for Jason—it is the same joke told when Barbara Gordon was shot. Realizing the man is a reforming Joker, Jason reveals his identity by repeating the parting words the Joker once said to him in the warehouse. As the Joker grins in realization, Jason stabs and kills him, leading to his immediate arrest by GCPD officers.
Alternatively, Jason attempts to honor Bruce's wish not to kill. He adopts the Red Hood persona to wage a bloody war on the underworld specifically to lure the Joker out of hiding. After defeating him in combat, the Joker is delighted by Jason's brutality, claiming:
> "You are now more my successor than Batman's."
This causes Jason to suddenly realize the extent of the crimes he has committed while repressing his memories.
The Final Confrontation
Regardless of the chosen path, the Red Hood becomes a wanted fugitive pursued by the police and Dick Grayson. One night, atop a Wayne Industries tower, Jason is confronted by Talia and a revived Bruce Wayne. Talia reveals that she used the Lazarus Pit to bring Bruce back, but the process drove him insane; he can now only utter the phrase "Zur-En-Arrh". She invites Jason to join the League of Assassins, but he refuses and engages in a fight with the maddened Batman. The story concludes with a final choice: whether Jason battles Batman to the death or attempts to save his former mentor.
