The last few years of the Silver Age, leading up to Crisis on Infinite Earths, were a time of "soap-opera"-style narratives in the Batman comics. This meant long, drawn-out plots, romantic intrigue, and a large cast. Here are the major players in Jason Todd's life:

Trina Todd (front)

Trina is one of the 'Flying Todds', an aerialist team with the Sloan Circus. The 'Flying Graysons' were her childhood heroes, and she felt like she'd lost her own parents when they died.

She discovers the secret identities of Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne after walking in on a discussion between them at a dinner party at Wayne Manor.

Despite a bad feeling, she agrees to help Dick uncover the blackmail taking place at her circus. She is murdered by Killer Croc at the Gotham Zoo.

Joseph Todd (back)

Joseph is a 'Flying Todd', along with his wife and son. He helps his wife search for the answer to Sloan Circus' blackmail problem, and is murdered by Killer Croc at the Gotham Zoo.

Waldo the clown

Jason's closest friend at the circus. He knows performing is in Jason's blood, and that an ordinary life will never offer contentment for either of them.

Dick Grayson (left)

Bruce Wayne's ward. He first meets Jason at the Sloan Circus, both as Dick and, a few days later, as Robin. Dick's reminded of himself at a younger age by Jason and, when Trina and Joseph are killed, wants to adopt Jason himself.

Bruce takes Jason instead and, several months later, Dick passes on the Robin costume and identity to its new owner.

At Donna Troy's wedding, Dick admits to Bruce that he feels envious that Jason is legally Bruce's son, now, but Dick was a ward. Bruce reassures Dick how proud he is of him, and they wish each other well.

When Dick has a fight with Donna, and breaks away from the Titans for a time, Jason takes his place in the roster.

Bruce Wayne (right)

Jason's guardian and eventual adoptive father. The sole survivor of a botched mugging, the orphaned Bruce Wayne swore to fight crime and protect Gotham City when he was still a boy. He does this as Batman, having trained with masters in fields of both mental and physical prowess.

Though strongly opposed to Jason taking up the vigilante life at first, Bruce relents under Jason's endless enthusiasm and petulance. He continues to do his best to curb Jason's more intense obsessive tendencies long after they have begun working as a duo.

Alfred Pennyworth

Bruce Wayne's valet. Alfred often makes hot cocoa for Jason, who loves the drink, and dispenses frank and stern advice as required. He keeps an eye on Jason's school work, and stops him thinking or doing anything especially stupid.

Vicki Vale (left)

Bruce's sometimes-girlfriend, a newspaper photographer. She resents how much time Bruce spends with his new ward/son and suspects that he's cheating on her.

Julia ReMarque (right)

Alfred's daughter, who was raised in France and now works as a writer at the Gotham newspaper 'Picture News', with Vicki. Jason resents her intrusion into the household of Wayne Manor, as it puts a dampner on his Robin activities. Like Vicki, she wants to be a part of Bruce's life, but feels sure something else is standing in the way.

Amanda Groscz (right)

Jason's caseworker at the Gotham Child Welfare Bureau. As Bruce Wayne did not take steps to formally adopt Jason, and kept him out at late hours, Amanda removes Jason from Wayne Manor and takes him into state custody.

She later second-guesses this choice, after seeing Jason's distress at being taken away from his new home. When Bruce eventually regains guardianship of Jason and adopts him, Amanda remains as a presence in their lives, checking that Jason's grades remain good and his life stays on track.

Harvey Bullock (left)

An obnoxious member of the Gotham City police force who becomes Jason's temporary crime-fighting partner when Batman and Catwoman team up.

Natalia Knight (pictured)

Also known as Nocturna, Natalia keeps herself in luxury by stealing jewels. She grew up in poverty but was taken in by a rich benefactor. Her relationship with the night and all things connected to it defines her world, and the only people she cares for as much as she does it are Jason and Bruce.

When Bruce loses custody of Jason, Natalia adopts the boy as her son, and comes close to seducing him away from his life as Batman's partner. He comes to think of her as his mother, and cannot turn her in to the authorities.

She and Bruce dance around the idea of marrying and building a real family with Jason, but his strong feeling for Catwoman -- who flatly denies any maternal fondness for Jason -- is a spanner in the works of that plan.

Selina Kyle

Catwoman. Jason feels deeply jealous of her close partnership with Batman, and makes his feelings on the subject well-known. Though Alfred tries to convince Jason that his anger is nothing more than over-worked teenage hormones, Jason continues to feel that he no longer has a role to play in Batman's life with her around.

The two of them eventually find common ground when Bruce's playboy tendencies rear up once again, leaving them both without a partner.

Rena

Despite Bruce's best efforts, Jason's tendency to obsessiveness remains throughout his time as Robin. With Bruce's time and attention taken up with Catwoman, Jason turns the focus of his world onto a girl in his Social Studies class. He talks her out of falling in with the drug-taking crowd at their school, and the two of them begin a romance.

Rena has a slight crush on Robin (citing his legs as reason enough), and enjoys Jason's company. She expands his taste in movies beyond his beloved science-fiction adventures.

More importantly, she helps him find a more rounded form of relationship than his previous, overly intense mode of interaction with those he cares about. He finds a balance in his life, and accepts Catwoman's role in Bruce's.