Red Hood (Jason Todd) - previously Robin

The first (brief) appearance of Jason Todd was in Batman #357 (cover-dated March 1983, but according to the GCD on sale November 23, 1982):


His first appearance in a Robin-like costume was in Detective Comics #526 (May 1983):




It was also in that issue when Bruce Wayne decided to take Jason in after learning Jason's parents died because of Killer Croc.

First appearance of Jason as the second (or was it third?) Robin: Batman #366 (December 1983):



However, Jason's taking on the role of Robin was not approved of by Batman (Bruce).


And the Who's Who entry for Jason as Robin in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. XIX (September 1986):

Always preferred his original origin story. I never really understood why he had to be revamped as a juvenile delinquent.

tony ingram wrote:Always preferred his original origin story. I never really understood why he had to be revamped as a juvenile delinquent.

Making him a Dick Grayson-clone (circus background, parents killed, etc.) may not have been all that creative, but they really gave the character whiplash trying to revise him to be TOTALLY different for the post-CoIE version.

MajorHoy wrote:

tony ingram wrote:Always preferred his original origin story. I never really understood why he had to be revamped as a juvenile delinquent.

Making him a Dick Grayson-clone (circus background, parents killed, etc.) may not have been all that creative, but they really gave the character whiplash trying to revise him to be TOTALLY different for the post-CoIE version.

I think they just wanted to reintroduce him minus any kind of backstory for the benefit of the new readers they expected to get post-COIE. How many new readers they actually got, however...