Red Hood's Oldest Nemesis Returns as His Newest Partner, & Jason Hates It
Spoiler warning for Task Force Z #9
One of Red Hood's oldest foes is back in his life, and now Jason Todd is starting to questions his decisions because of it. Though Black Mask—one of Gotham's many crime lords—began as a threat to Batman, his key role in Red Hood's origins make him one of Jason's rogues. Now Black Mask has returned to Jason's orbit in Task Force Z, but this time as Red Hood's newest ally.
Red Hood and Black Mask have clashed before, most notably during the «Under the Hood» storyline that re-introduced Jason Todd to the Batman mythos as the crime lord Red Hood, making Black Mask an essential element to Red Hood's contemporary origins. More recently, Jason Todd has been working closely with the Bat-Family—but that relationship is being put to the test in Task Force Z. In recent issues, Jason has fought with the likes of Nightwing and Batgirl. His methods and villainous teammates on this new task force—led by Harvey Dent—are putting him at odds with Batman's allies, despite Jason's ultimate goal of stopping the nefarious plans of Powers International and Mr. Bloom. Meanwhile, Black Mask is all-villain in the pages of Catwoman, where he is actively seeking to destroy Selina Kyle.
Related: Red Hood's Logo is a Huge Tactical Mistake (With a Hidden Meaning)
Task Force Z #9—by Matthew Rosenberg, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, and Rob Leigh—opens with a conversation between Jason and Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, who warns Jason that he better "end this now or your history [with the Bat-Family] won't matter." She insists he's "messing up," while he insists that he's doing the right thing. Later, Harvey Dent brings Red Hood and Black Mask together, as Black Mask has agreed to rent the team a warehouse,
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