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JayBabs is the het ship between Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon from the DC Comics fandom.
Canon[]
Barbara is one of the few people Jason feels comfortable with and can trust. Since Bruce and him trying to make his second Robin more like Dick causes his anger to burn up from time to time. As for Babs she thinks that Jason should be him and tries to help him when she can. This caused Jason to develop a crush on her, while Babs simply sees him as a friend. Even though there have been moments when the two have shared a kiss or a romantic-like moment, depending on the universe or version from one of the many DC medias. After Jason became Red Hood started to lessen his number of kill, Babs lends him the same support and assistance she gives Bruce and the others as Oracle. Knowing that Jason is trying to do good and needs someone who sees the good than the bad within him.
The two characters also have a lot in common with both of them being very protective of children, having bad tempers and occasionally being smart alecs. Furthermore, the most important thing that they have in common is both of them being traumatized by the Joker (around the same time as well), and reinventing themselves but not really in the healthiest of ways with Barbara (as Oracle and later as Batgirl again) pushing some boundaries and Jason becoming the Red Hood who started out as a vengeful and murderous vigilante hell-bent on killing the Joker. They both understand what it's like to be at the recieving end of the senseless violence of the Joker and being extremely pissed off about it.
Gotham Knights (comic)[]
In the 2003 series Batman: Gotham Knights #43, a younger Jason (during his tenure as Robin) and Barbara (as Batgirl) go on a mission together with the Boy Wonder flirting with the older girl. In one of the panels, Batman is seen smiling watching the two talk.
Death of the Family[]
In the New 52, in one of the final issues of 2012 Death of the Family, Joker used a booby trap to gas every member of the Bat-Family turning them into Jokerized versions of themselves fighting each-other and trying kill one another, however they managed to overcome Joker's influence and all of them survive. After Batman returns to them from his seemingly final encounter with the Joker, the knocked out Jason and Barbara are seen holding hands. Like they were reaching out to one another through the last bit of sanity they still had, before the deadly affects of the venom kicked in.
Batman Eternal[]
In the New 52 era, in the 2014 Batman: Eternal, Commissioner James Gordon gets framed for crimes that he didn't commit and Batgirl tries everything she can to get evidence of her father's innocence with Jason helping her along the way. At one point in the story, Jason gives a big speech to Kate Kane how incredible of a person Barbara Gordon is and he aspires to be good as her. Later, Barbara gets hypnotized and Jason is the one who pulls her out of mind control by recalling the memory of their first meeting and his childhood crush is very, VERY clear with Barbara even touched by this and hugging Jason afterwards. Over the course of the story, Jason helps Barbara through her rage and helping her recenter before taking it too far. Mid-miniseries, Babara expresses interest in Jason, however he pushes her away due to personal insecurities, despite this in the finale Barbara literally crashes through a wall to save his life with Jason claiming that he always took her as the knight in shining armor. Later, Barbara hugs Jason again and thanks him for helping her prove that her father was innocent. In the epilogue, Jason tries to leave a voicemail for Barbara in which he confesses his feelings towards her, however he deletes it and chickens out believing that he is not good enough for her.
Death in the Family (Animated interactive film)[]
Barbara getting shot and paralyzed by Joker was what got Jason to hunt the clown down. After hearing Bruce saying that he wants to pull him out of field work, Jason felt that he'll have to get justice for Barbara on his own. The relationship between Jason and Babs in the rest of the film depends on the choices viewers make in this interaction film. As they can have Jason survive the blast that killed him, while Batman dies in his place, have the both of them survive or still have Jason die.
Things between them go very dark from of choice of having both Jason and Bruce survive. While Babs was happy that Jason was alive and his body is recovering, Jason saw her smile of joy as one of pity. Along with viewing her as a victim of Bruce, from how he created the monster that shot her and had dragged the both of them into his war with crime. This has Jason swore off family and after making a deal with Talia al Ghul, he begins to set events that would allow him to destroy both the Batfamily and the League of Assassins.
In one of the versions of Bruce dying in Jason's place, with Jason secretly planing to kill Joker while making Babs and the others believe that he'll help they bring Joker in the right way, has Jason allowing visitors who try to help him through his grief. Along with him making time to share happy moments with Barbara and Dick. Until Jason encountered Joker at a dinner and kills him. The choice of Jason not turning himself has him becoming a serial killer version of Red Robin. Both endings from this choice do lead to Babs and the others welcoming Jason back, after Two-Face or Tim help him to realise what he became and wants to make amends.
Jason trying to explain his regrettable actions to Babs, who turns him away.
The second version that has Jason becoming Red Hood, however, has him pushing everyone away as he makes it his mission to find and bring Joker in on his own. The number of deaths that followed in his mission to lure Joker out, however, affect his relationship with Babs and the rest of the Batfamily. Should Jason decide to kill Joker the news brings Babs to tears, knowing one of her friends has become a killer. As for the choice of Jason not killing him after Joker made Jason realise what he had become, he tried to explain himself to Babs. The blood on his hands, however, has Babs turning her back on him and advised Jason to turn himself in to her father. Babs does welcome Jason back through the ending of Jason discovering Bruce to be brought back life by Talia, and decided to save their mentor than to dye for his sins. Due to the things Jason had done as Red Hood, he decided to take a step back from crime fighting to properly heal. While entrusting her and Dick to continue Bruce's work, when the three aren't looking for ways to cure Bruce.
Arkham Knight[]
Even though Jason ordered Barbara's kidnapping to harm Batman, he orders his men not to harm her. Due to their past friendship, before he was kidnapped and tortured by Joker; who made Babs and the others believe that Jason was dead. A recording of the Arkham Knight's voice reveals a convention between him and Barbara after she was kidnapped. As Jason has Barbara to be the first person to know he was alive, as well as to tell her his reasons why he is helping Scarecrow destroy Batman. Babs tried to reason with Jason by telling them the pain they all went through when they thought him dead, but Jason's rage kept him from excepting the things she told him. From wanting to see his revenge through, but apart of him did wish that Barbara wasn't dragged into it.
Gotham Knights (game)[]
Just as Barbara had helped when she lost her father, she tries to be there for Jason and his adopted brothers when all the four of them lost Bruce. Even though Bruce had saw the two of them as family, both Babs and Jason took stood with the rest of the monriors at his fulrial. With the world still think that Jason Todd was dead, while Babs was forced to hide her true ties with Bruce. With their mentor gone, Batgirl, Red Hood and the others take it upon themselves to continue what Bruce started.
Due to the struggles Jason went through from the side affects of the Lazarus Pit he suffered, Babs resides him that Bruce still cared and trusted him. Before and after Jason became their ally again. Her words help Jason to see that he still has a place with the Batfamily, as the Gotham Knights search for the reason why Bruce was killed and it relates to his final case. When they aren't making their new Belfry base more homely. Like setting up a TV and game system for down time. Barbara had even got the spooky update for the dance game she and Jason play.
When the two were playing that game, however, the colored water that his character was being submerged in reminded him of the Lazarus Pit, along with its side affects affecting his mind. Barbara noticed this and paused the game so she can tend to her friend. Despite what Jason told her she knew he wasn't fine. Jason had died and that isn't something to brush off, as Bruce's death has only reminded Jason of his own death and what the pit had done to him. She says the right things to Jason except this, and that she and the others will be there for him. Barbara even speaks in Jason's defense when Talia al Ghul revealed her role of bringing her friend and ally back to the world of the living.
Just as Babs was there for Jason and his brothers, Jason was were for her when she was questioning her place in the team, for simply forgetting her late father's despite her photographic memory. Jason was a little glad was someone else besides him is angry and helps Babs feel good about herself again. Photographic memory or not, she is still Batgirl and has served the Batfamily well as Oracle, before and after her damaged spine was healed. After the news showed an old recording of Bruce and being reminded of the things he did to throw people off the sent of him being Batman, Barbara states that they need someone else to serve as the sexy dictation and Jason offers to do it as a joke, before doing a bit of table dancing to show them that "he can do it." Even the dance traumatized Tim and leaves the room, while Jason, Babs and Dick have a little laugh about the dance.
Despite Bruce seeing the two as family beside Dick and Tim, Jacob Kane saw Jason and Babs as outcasts from how he had addressed the two by their last names than their first ones. Like he did with Dick and Tim.
Batman: Three Jokers[]
In Batman: Three Jokers, Batman, Red Hood and Batgirl investigate after the mystery of the three Jokers (the Criminal, the Clown and the Comedian). Earlier in the story, Commissioner James Gordon (who is implied to know the secret identities of the vigilantes) warns Batgirl that she shouldn't stick around with the Red Hood, which causes Batgirl to become defensive over the subject. Jason eventually kills the Clown Joker who made fun of Jason saying that he will the Robin to his Joker before his death and when Barbara confronts him about this, Jason notes that although she did throw one of her Batarangs at Jason, she missed. Later, Jason gets kidnapped by the Criminal and the Comedian Jokers who beat him with a crowbar (again) and Barbara is the one who comforts the traumatized Jason and she tells him how much she would've helped him had they met before Jason took up the Red Hood moniker, which is followed by a kiss between the two. Jason tries to go further, but she declines. At the end of the story, Jason writes a letter to Barbara about how much he loves her and wishes to become a better person because of her, even willing to give up the Red Hood moniker if she wants. Unfortunatley the letter never makes it to Barbara.
Moments[]
LEGO Batman: Family Matters
- Jason picked the police station as one of the locations for the bombs to reference Batgirl, and her father.
Quotes[]
- “And to think, I used to have a crush on you.”
- — Jason to Barbara, Lego Batman: Family Matters
Fanon[]
This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.
JayBabs is one of the overshadowed ships between Barbara and one of the earlier Robins. Even though Jason and Babs have shared a kiss in the DC comics or had dated in one of the many DC universes, the popularity of DickBabs and TimBabs still has the most attention than JayBabs. Because moments between the two were limited to the comics and a few video games, it has JayBabs possessing the least media presences. Moments between the two in the 2022 Gotham Knights, however, has drawn fans towards them again. As the two help one another with the struggles of their losses and other things the two were struggling with.
The two appearing in the Young Justice series has got a few YJ fans to wonder if the series plans to have Barbara or any other member of the Batfamily learn that Jason is alive, and if he'll ever find his way back to them. However, the chances of JayBabs being canon to this universe is zero, due to the show confirming DickBabs to be canon in Young Justice.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Babs/Jason tag on AO3
Gallery[]
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