All at Sea

06.5: The Mysterious Death of Jason Todd

Content Warning ➙ implied/mentioned child abuse

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The Mysterious Death of Jason Todd

The YouTube recommended page lit up as the app was opened, at the top of the screen, a years-old video from the Buzzfeed Unsolved channel. The thumbnail had a faded map of Gotham with blood splatters edited on, in the foreground a picture of a young teen boy, his eyes obscured by a black rectangle.

Once pressed on, the video opened with a black screen containing a warning calling for viewer discretion and naming briefly some of the possible triggers that would be discussed in the video. Eerie music played as the show's name came on screen.

The two hosts were shown, grim expressions on their faces as they looked into the camera from a set made out to look like a scene from a detective film. The shorter man on the right opened a manilla folder before speaking.

"This week, on the season 5 premiere of Buzzfeed Unsolved, we look into the mysterious death of Jason Peter Todd. Though this case has technically been solved, an overwhelming amount of theories have been released and many of you have asked for it to be discussed on this show," after a short pause he continued, "Jason was born August sixt-"

"We're going right in for it today?" Shane asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "No melodramatic speech about your thoughts on the case? Not even a warning, Ryan?"

"I thought you said you wanted to get this case over with," Ryan countered, looking to his side at his co-host.

"Well, of course, I want a case about a thirteen-year-old boy to be done with as soon as possible. That doesn't mean I don't want to beg for the Waynes' mercy first." His brows were furrowed.

"Our condolences to the Wayne family and anybody who was inflicted pain because of the death of Jason Todd. Please don't sue us."

"Yeah, this is just a means to inform the public." Both nodded along to the statement and Ryan restarted reading from the file, his voice changed to sound more serious.

"Jason was born August 16, 2004, to Willis Todd and Dr. Sheila Haywood, though the couple separated and Willis' second wife, Catherine, gained custody of an infant Jason Todd. Sheila was not in contact with her son for most of his short life." Pictures and a timeline depicted the story.

"Growing up in Crime Alley, his father worked for gangs and eventually was employed by one of Gotham's infamous villains, Two-Face. During this, Catherine—the boy's primary caregiver—became addicted to many hard drugs including heroin. By the time Jason reached double digits, the woman he called his mother had died of an overdose and his father had been jailed. Not much else is known about his upbringing, though it is speculated that he spent some time on the streets before being adopted by Bruce Wayne."

The screen turned back with blue and yellow text spelling out the conversation.

hold on... this all happened in Crime Alley?

(wheeze) I mean- it sort of speaks for itself.

makes you feel bad for the kid, he wasn't
even ten and he was dealing with this.

it gets better though,

really, Ryan? does it?

for a little, yeah.

"Just before his twelfth birthday, Bruce Wayne issued an official statement of adoption. He was enrolled in Gotham Academy. Teachers and classmates of his claim that he did very well in school, and though he seemed very happy, he was guarded and hesitant to make friends."