Warning! Spoilers ahead for Future State: Gotham #11
In the latest issue of DC's Future State: Gotham, it's revealed that the the Next Batman Jace Fox as they work together to take down the future's version of Joker.
In previous issues of Future State: Gotham, Jason Todd has become Peacekeeper Red working for the Magistrate who've taken over Gotham and turned it into a fascist police state with robots and drones galore. With the original Batman having disappeared and believed to be dead, Nightwing has been leading those who remain in a resistance movement while Jason fights the Magistrate from within. He's also become a frequent partner of Jace Fox, better known to comic fans as the Batman of DC's future.
Now, Red Hood and the Next Batman are attempting to take down Red Hood honors Bruce Wayne by respecting his paranoia in this new issue.
Batman's preparedness is constantly held up as his worst trait, demonstrated in his plans to take down the Justice League... eventually being turned against the team, as seen in Tower of Babel and War Games. He's always got Kryptonite on hand to take down Superman in particular, and Batman's even mined the moon with bombs just in case. While the Dark Knight's contingencies are often framed as paranoia and a lack of trust, it's significant that Red Hood sees Batman's planning as worthwhile now that he's gotten older.
Red Hood rarely has a nice thing to say about Batman, often butting heads with the Dark Knight as his most wayward Robin. As a result, it's a welcome, but not out of character change to see Jason finding the wisdom in his surrogate father's tactics in the future. Will this newfound respect between Red Hood and Batman take hold in the present day world of DC Comics? Only time (and perhaps extreme measures) will tell.
