If Jason Todd's Nightwing's potential death, he'd absolutely lose his mind. When the news was leaked that former DC head Dan DiDio was thinking about killing Dick Grayson in Infinite Crisis, DC fans had big feelings and some choice words. In comparison, fans were far less kind to Jason Todd, casting votes to kill Batman's second Robin.
As seen in the 1988's Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, Jason Todd's Robin died after Batman failed to save his sidekick. While he was eventually resurrected, Jason became the much darker vigilante known as the Red Hood, his murder at the hands of Joker forever changing the trajectory of his life. At his best, Red Hood's the black sheep of the Bat-Family who still shows up to help when called. At his worst, he's been estranged from Batman due to his greater willingness to use lethal force. However, Todd's dark journey was famously the result of a publicity stunt where DC Comics has fans to call in to vote for whether or not Jason Todd would live or die from his injuries in Death in the Family. With many disliking Jason due to his rebellious and impulsive attitude, fans ultimately decided that Jason would meet his demise.
The decision by fans to kill Jason Todd is in direct contrast to how they reacted to reports that Nightwing would die in DC's Infinite Crisis years later in 2005. Just as the Flash and Supergirl died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dan DiDio wanted to create similar life or death stakes by having Batman's first Robin give his life to save the Dark Knight. However, the fan outrage was so high that DiDio later recalled an instance where an airport baggage handler held his luggage hostage until he knew that Nightwing would be okay. While Nightwing's ended up surviving the blast he took to save Batman, there's no doubt that Jason Todd's Red Hood would go crazy if ever learned how fans effectively saved the first Robin's life while choosing the kill the second.
Ultimately, DC and DiDio changed their minds and Conner Kent's Superboy was chosen to sacrifice himself in Infinite Crisis instead. However, the fact remains that the outrage at Nightwing's possible death proves fans didn't want just any Robin to die in Death in the Family. They specifically wanted Jason Todd's death to become a reality. As such, it makes Red Hood even more heartbreaking than he already was, showing that his perspective of the world being against him isn't far from the actual truth.
While Red Hood may have become a fan-favorite character right alongside Nightwing in the present, the fact remains that fans protected Dick while condemning Jason in the past. Fans really did hate Jason Todd's Robin. However, if they hadn't he might have never become the beloved vigilante Red Hood in the current DC Universe.
