One of the most important things in comic books is the evolution of popular characters. It doesn’t matter if they’re a hero or a villain; something about them should evolve. They must become stronger, smarter, or more sympathetic (or, for villains, more ruthless). In this case we have the two former Robins of DC Comics: Jason Todd (Red Hood) and Dick Grayson (Nightwing).
Dick and Jason have gone through a lot of changes over years beyond no longer being Batman’s sidekick. Red Hood stopped killing people and led two teams (Starfire and Arsenal, then later, Artemis and Bizarro in Red Hood and the Outlaws). During the recent comic book Red Hood: The Hill, he started to live a happy life. He even had a partner that he loved and danced with.
At the end of Dark Crisis, Nightwing became the premier hero (along with the Titans). While in charge, he prevented the world from destruction (Titans: Beast World) and later led the heroes to victory in Absolute Power. Not to mention all of he amazing things he did for Bluhaven in Tom Taylor's Nightwing.
After everything the two Bat Family members have gone through, it looked like they were going to take steps forward. They're beloved by comic book fans and even have an animated project on the way. Sadly, after all of that improvement, they’ve both taken steps backward.
After Absolute Power ended, Nightwing hasn’t been as important as he once was. He said that his dedication to Bluhaven’s improvement stopped him from seeing what Amanda Waller was planning. With that in mind, he stepped down as leader of the Titans to focus on his city (this happens in Titans No. 16 by John Layman).
As for Red Hood, he’s back to working with villains in Batman: Hush 2. All of the improvements to his temperament and leadership seem to be gone. His anger towards Bruce continues to be justified, but teaming up with a villain is a bit much.
To be fair, both characters are popular enough to survive these minor setbacks. Dick Grayson is currently doing big things in Dan Watters’ Nightwing. Meanwhile, there's more to Jason Todd working with Thomas Elliot in Batman: Hush 2, and the story is far from over. Plus, Hush says there’s something wrong with Jason’s brain, and Batman is wrong for letting Joker live.
It will be easier for Nightwing to recover from halted evolution than Red Hood. DC Comics has tried multiple comic books and storylines with Jason, and nothing seems to keep his momentum going. There was a perfect opportunity for him after Batman No. 148 (The Storm) and Red Hood: The Hill, but nothing came from it. However, still being loved by fans is a good sign. It shows that there's still hope for him.
If Jason Todd continues to regress in Hush 2, it may be time to move him away from the Bat Family. If we’re being honest, his time with the Outlaws was when he was at his best. Teaming him up with Artemis and Bizarro worked for all of them. Maybe running that back is in his best interest.
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