Jason Todd and Two-Face

 SPOILERS AHEAD for current comics.

I haven't been reading Task Force Z, honestly, I finally got the first issue but haven't gotten around to reading it. I have been spoiled on Harvey's involvement and while I love the potential, I'm not sure if I'm liking the execution so far. For those in the know about Jason Todd lore this could, if handled right, be an amazing examination of another loose plot thread that writers have pretty much ignored. Post-Crisis his father, Willis Todd, worked for Two-Face and it was assumed Harvey killed him. This led to Jason as Robin lashing out at him and inevitably deciding to forgo revenge. In RHATO it was revealed that Willis is alive.  

Tomasi wrote about Harvey knowing Bruce's ID. which I guess is still in play. We also have his obsession with the number two in Task Force Z with his twin employees and his Crispin alias. As Robin Jason also used this to his advantage by pointing out he was the second Robin.

These story beats create a nice dynamic that could play out a number of ways. I'm not sure how canon currently works but Jason still could be under the impression Harvey killed his dad. Sure, we kinda had something like that with Cobblepot in RHATO but I always got the impression Two-Face knew his employees better. And if Willis is alive, it could create a more personal connection.

Harvey still could harbor an obsession based on the number 2 or realize this is Willis' son. But it seems like all that potential is being tossed out along with developments from RHATO to make what appears to be subpar friction. (Which could have been used with Nightwing since he's had an intense bias against Harvey since his Robin days when he was beaten to a pulp.)

Harvey claims he wants to help people then calls out Jason for stealing hubcaps (tires) and wanting to prove himself/revenge on Batman. He also claims Jason wasn't at the top of his list and acts like Jason's record is worse than his. A few points.

• Yes, Harvey did do some good for Gotham, but Jason stealing was for survival. He was one of the people that needed help, he was a kid. Mentioning it is just petty.

• Writers keep bringing it back, but Jason has moved past wanting revenge from Bruce a long time ago. Sometimes he tries to prove himself but that's not his only focus. In RHATO it just happened to work with his skill set to go undercover, to do things the others couldn't. He's not defined by it and will act how he sees fit. He's not shackled to Bruce's mindset.

• This is also rich since Harvey picked Jason and claims it's because he's changed. (Gun rule?)

• I call BS. Every person in the DCU would want a former Robin to work on their team. As far as morally grey people go Jason is the best choice. (People might argue Slade, etc. but I see a lot of those people as villains anyway. They often have no moral code beyond a checkbook.) I'm also convinced Jason would be on the top of his list because he was Robin #2 and his connection to Bruce. So, Harvey has no moral high ground on that score.

• Though I question Tynion's writing he claimed Jason had about eighty people on his confirm kill count a while back. I don't think that's accurate, but Harvey has been activated longer than Jason and killed innocents. Jason's also worked freelance for a government fixer and saved an FBI agent. Jason can be reasoned with while Harvey often uses a coin to decide his moral choices.