Eight years prior, Batman had discovered Jason Todd as a poor, orphaned young teenager living as a squatter in the Park Row neighborhood in the Narrows district, one of the most dangerous, poorest areas in Gotham City. To the Dark Knight's chagrin, the boy nearly succeeded in stealing the tires off the Batmobile one night. Batman also saw some potential in Jason, as the boy showed a sense of bravery in fighting off several muggers who had been preying on a young woman in a nearby alley during his initial confrontation with Batman.
Concerned about the boy's safety, and feeling the need to channel his anger and energy into something positive, Batman took Jason under his wing. He revealed his secret identity as Bruce Wayne, and took it upon himself to train the boy in exercise, nutrition, various martial arts disciplines, espionage, criminology, science, and other skills that he had previously taught to Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon; along the way, Jason gradually began to quit previous vices like drinking alcohol excessively and smoking cigarettes. Although Barbara, as Batgirl, was still working with Bruce, Dick had left Gotham shortly before Jason came into their lives. Seeing an opportunity for Jason to apply his skills, Bruce eventually trained Jason to be the new Robin, working closely with him and Barbara. Over time, Bruce noticed an impulsiveness in his new partner; Jason had a knack for throwing himself into confrontations with reckless abandon, and often showed an unhealthy level of rage and violent tendencies in the field, injuring and maiming several perpetrators beyond what the situation called for. After learning that Jason's father, Willis "Shifty" Todd, was a small-time enforcer for a loan shark and had been killed by Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, Batman forbade his new Robin from taking revenge. This started to cause resentment to build between mentor and student.
Following Barbara's paralysis and assault by the Joker, Jason grew overcome with anger and guilt, to the point where he had difficulty staying focused in the field. While on a mission pursuing the Joker in Eastern Europe, Jason felt compelled to prove his worth to Bruce and get revenge for Barbara. As a result, Jason disobeyed a direct order from Batman and, as Robin, attempted to confront the Joker on his own. Despite fighting Joker's henchmen valiantly, the Clown Prince of Crime savagely attacked Robin with his trademark sulfuric acid, while beating the second Boy Wonder within an inch of his life by a crowbar. By the time Batman arrived, the injured Robin had been mortally wounded by the explosion of a bomb planted inside the warehouse he had been locked in. Believing Jason to be dead, Bruce was devastated and blamed himself for putting his young partner in danger.
Unbeknownst to Bruce, Ra's al Ghul and Talia had been keeping a closer eye on Bruce and his young partners. Feeling remorseful for kidnapping Dick Grayson years before, and wanting to extend an olive branch toward Bruce, Talia ordered her assassins to retrieve Jason's lifeless body from the morgue before an autopsy could be performed. Taking the body to one of the Lazarus Pits, Talia arranged for Jason's body to be lowered into the mysterious pit of rejuvenating chemicals that had kept her father alive for over 600 years. Miraculously, the pit brought Jason back to life, however his mind was horribly scarred and traumatized by the experience.
Over the next few years, the League of Shadows helped Jason's mind and body recover, while training him in skills that went beyond what he had learned with Bruce. Despite being grateful, Jason declined to join the League of Shadows full-time, preferring to travel the world and build a new life for himself. Similarly to how Bruce Wayne had done in his youth, Jason traveled all over the world, honing his skills as a fighter and assassin. As the Red Hood, Jason avidly hunted organized criminal organizations across the globe, particularly those who dealt in human trafficking.
When he learned of the Joker still being alive and escaped from Arkham Asylum, Red Hood returned to Gotham to infiltrate the criminal underworld, seeking to end the life of the madman who nearly killed him. Red Hood's eagerness to kill all those who got in his way caused him to come to blows with Batman, who did not approve of such methods being used in his city. Red Hood stunned his mentor by revealing that he was indeed Jason Todd, alive and well, resentful that Bruce not only left the Joker alive, but had replaced him with a new Robin, Tim Drake. During their final confrontation, Batman attempted to apprehend both the Joker and the Red Hood, but lost them after being separated in a bombing of the abandoned tenement building they had been inside. Neither Joker nor Red Hood had been seen in Gotham in the year since.
Standing face to face, the reunited former partners tensely stared at one another. Jason was quick to reassure his former teacher that he was not looking for a fight.
"You're looking well, Bruce," Jason remarked, "Relax, I'm just here to talk. I know you're a busy guy, but I just wanted a minute or two of your time, away from prying eyes and ears.
"Alfred, Selina, and Lucius have been kidnapped by someone who apparently knows who I am," Bruce seethed, "Don't tell me to relax! Did you do this?! Do you know who's behind it?"
"I had nothing to do with any of that, I swear," Jason insisted, "I know that Bane was involved somehow, but he's not the only one…I'll bet Ra's has something to do with it."
"Talia came to me last night," Bruce revealed, "She says that Ra's is missing, and she doesn't know who is pulling the strings in the League right now."
"And you really believe her?" Jason asked, skeptically, before pausing, "Oh wait…she told you about the kid, didn't she? Honestly, I would have told you about Damian last year, but we were pretty busy at the time…you know, what with us beating the hell out of each other and all." Bruce glared at Jason angrily.
"What do you want, Jason?" Bruce asked, "What do you know about what happened to Black Mask, Zsasz, and the rest of the corpses left on City Hall with my name on them last night?"
"Leaving them out on City Hall with a note addressed to you was not my idea," Jason insisted, "I mean, I definitely killed Sionis, Zszasz, and their goons though. You're welcome, by the way."
"Whose idea was it then? Bane and the same mercs that broke into Arkham last night, kidnapping inmates and killing two people?" Bruce continued to interrogate.
"I've got eyes on Bane, but he doesn't know I'm leading him and those psychos from Arkham into a trap," Jason insisted, "I'm sorry to hear about Wesker and that doctor who got killed, I really am. But I'm on your side here, Bruce. I am going to finish what you should have started years ago; I'm going to put a stop to all these degenerates once and for all, including the man who killed my father, by the way! I know where they're going to be. And I'm betting the guy who took Alfred, Lucius, and Selina will be there too."
"Do you have any idea what you've done?! You broke out the most deranged, violent criminals in the city and set them loose," Bruce seethed, careful not to attract attention from any of his employees nearby, "And now two innocent people are dead because of it!"
"Woah, hold on a minute, Wesker did some pretty terrible things as The Ventriloquist," Jason countered, "He was hardly innocent. And they are not on the loose, I know exactly where they are. If this kidnapper is who I think it is, he won't be able to resist. I'm going to put an end to all of this craziness, once and for all."
"So that's what this is all about? Revenge? Trying to prove a point to me?" Bruce retorted, "Your need for revenge is what nearly got you killed in the first place."
"This is more than revenge, and you know it," Jason shot back, "This is punishment. This is a just outcome for these dirtbags. More than any of that, you should know this, Bruce: The Joker is alive, and he is out there somewhere. And somehow, he knows who you really are; I'm almost positive he was behind the kidnappings too. Ra's has kept him locked up since last year. I'm willing to bet he told the clown who you are and set him loose, maybe to distract you from something bigger he's planning."
"Then come home and work with us," Bruce pleaded, "We don't have to be enemies, and we don't have to stoop to their level either. I know I've failed you, Jason. I am truly sorry for that, but what you're planning is too risky." As they noticed other employees and staff entering the room and walking by casually, Bruce and Jason lowered their voices, and did their best to appear to have a calm, normal conversation.
"Between you and me, I'm not the one who's emotionally compromised here," Jason insisted, "Plus, I have my own team with me. Like me, they don't mind getting their hands a little dirty."
"So, since you have it all figured out," Bruce defiantly asked, "Why come here and tell me about it?"
"Well, for one, this is a pretty neutral place and time of the day," Jason pointed out, being in a public building during the daytime, "But I wanted to warn you, Bruce. Stay out of this one. Whatever you, Dick, Babs, Tim, and whoever else you're working with are thinking about doing, don't get in our way. Not this time."
"You know I can't promise that," Bruce retorted as Jason began to leave the room.
"I know," Jason said, "And honestly, I understand why you let the clown live all these years. I don't hate you for it anymore, I really don't. But he's never going to stop, and he needs to be put down. Deep down inside, you know it's true. Some people, you just can't save."
As Jason disappeared out of the office and into the building's corridors, Bruce stood steadily, trying to keep his emotions in check. Sensing her boss was distressed, Bruce's secretary, Jessica Sanders, approached him with concern.
"Hey boss, everything okay? I know it's been a rough morning," Jessica asked with concern, "Who was that you were talking to?"
"Thanks Jessica, I'm fine, all things considered," Bruce replied, regaining his composure, "That was just an old intern of mine from out of town who was visiting, he's no one to worry about. Mainly I'm just worried about Lucius, Alfred, and Selina. I'm sure the police will take care of it and have them back in no time."
The cops won't do it alone, Bruce thought to himself, But I can't Jason find them before I do. Even if he kills the Joker, Harvey, and whoever else, that won't save Selina, Alfred, and Lucius. After saying goodbye to Jessica and the rest of his co-workers, Bruce immediately sent Gordon's message to the rest of the team, along with the information he just learned from Jason, before leaving the office himself.