Idk if youβve already answered this but how do you think Duke & Jason should feel about each other at the peak of their characterizations (whatever that is to you!), or what would be most interesting to you?
Very interesting question!! Actually I'm quite fond of their current dynamic which seems to be Duke ribbing on Jason and Jason fondly taking it gsldkbgd. I go back and forth with my ideal Duke & Jason dynamic, so I'll answer only what I'm feeling right now!
I think Jason's views on Duke are pretty simple - imo he really likes him! Tbh my ideal Jason is more outside the Batfam than he currently is, but even then I think Jason would like Duke a lot more than the other younger bats. Not only is Duke free of a lot of the baggage of early RH era, but he's also open & honest in a way I think Jason would appreciate. And Jason calling Duke 'Narrows' is a fun way to signal that he connectx to Duke's upbringing. I think Jason would respect Duke forging his own mantle as the Signal (being a bit more 'outside' the Batfam than, say, Batgirl or Robin), and also he would looove Duke's Dick haterisms & the way he stands up to Bruce.
On the other hand I think Duke's feelings about Jason are complex. When we see them interact they are cordial, but when Duke talks to others he's overtly negative - he calls Jason a villain in All-Star Batman & Batman (2016), and is critical of Red Hood in DC Rise of the Power Company. I don't think these are contradictory, but rather a showcase of the way Duke interacts with heroes in general. You see this most clearly with Bruce, where Duke & Bruce have a vastly different dynamic than Batman & The Signal. Duke may like Jason on a personal level but he clearly dislikes Red Hood as a symbol & his vigilante philosophy. He is acutely aware that Jason's Whiteness enables him to get away with things he himself would never get away with, and this inevitably colours how he views Red Hood.
This isn't to say Duke is objectively correct about Jason, but to a Duke who only knows modern Jason (while having heard of Red Hood's crimes growing up) that's how it feels. I also really like this analysis from @zeetannas which explores more of Duke's feelings about Jason. To sum it up, while I think Duke & Jason as individuals get along quite well, I don't think Duke is ever fully comfortable with being close to Red Hood. I think it would be REALLY interesting to let Duke have a contentious relationship with Jason in canon. It will be a sort of foil to his contentious relationship with Dick - where Duke dislikes Dick on a personal level but they share a number of similar ideals, Duke enjoys Jason on a personal level but has vast ideological differences!
