The hypothetical nature of fan art gives the various talented artists out there license to go anywhere they want with their concepts. While some might use that freedom to completely break free from the constraints of reality and imagine something like a ferret wearing an Iron Man suit (and bless them for doing so), others prefer to keep things more grounded while still dealing in the world of dreams. This was the case with a fan rendition of Spider-Man stars Tom Holland as Batman and Titans character Jason Todd.
In this case, that means the given artist uses fan art as a way to cast their favorite actors in some preferred roles without all that pesky money stuff getting in the way. The latest recipient of such a treatment is Spider-Man himself, Holland. Thanks to the efforts of artist m.design34, comic book fans now have a frame of reference for how one of the hottest stars in Hollywood right now would look if he joined the DC universe as one of Titans' most tragic characters.
The piece in question depicts Holland as Jason Todd, one of the many young hopefuls to take up the mantle of Robin alongside Batman and arguably the most unfortunate of them all. However, this particular instance shows Jason as The Red Hood, an anti-hero who serves as a much more lethal take on Batman's own style. There's no surprise such a character has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, including an appearance on the Titans TV series.
Jason Todd has suffered a turbulent life through his various incarnations in the DC comics and beyond. His time as Robin was divisive among the fandom, and it all came to a head in one issue. Brutally killed by The Joker in the "Death in the Family" storyline (as the result of a reader vote, no less), he was eventually resurrected (welcome to comic books) and becomes furious when Batman refuses to kill The Joker given the chance. As a result, he becomes Red Hood, a vigilante willing to do the things his old mentor won't.
With a story like that, it's almost surprising that Jason/Red Hood hasn't joined the DC Extended Universe yet. Sure, he's on Titans and also served as the spoilerific pseudo/antagonist in the still awesome game Batman: Arkham Knight. But a tragic story like that seems like something Zack Snyder would have loved to implement, at least beyond an Easter egg seen in Batman v Superman.
If such a thing does happen, Holland probably won't be joining the DC team unless his time with Marvel starts winding down. But one should never say never. The artist's inclusion of the logo from The Batman certainly seems optimistic. Besides, if James Gunn can make a cluster like The Suicide Squad, it almost seems like anything's possible.
Titans season 3 debuts new episodes on Thursdays on DC Universe.
Source: m.design34/Instagram