8 Times Batman Really Should've Broken His ‘No-Kill’ Rule

The topic of Batman’s no-kill rule is a surprisingly controversial one. Bruce Wayne’s refusal to kill is an essential characteristic of The Dark Knight. It’s virtually impossible to write for the character without that quality to him, and yet, it’s a characteristic that so many readers want abolished from Batman’s personality.

Some will say that Batman’s no-kill rule makes perfect sense, but others are quick to challenge its validity. Those who oppose the rule are quick to say that Batman’s insistence on not killing does more harm than good, as it lets reckless criminals become repeat offenders and habitual linesteppers with little to no consequences. Others will argue that Batman has been justified on more than one occasion to kill someone, even if he only broke his rule one time. These are some examples that some Batman fans would have let him slide for killing.

8

Robin’s Death Should’ve Given Batman the Greenlight to Kill The Joker

Batman Had the Perfect Opportunity, But Saved Joker Instead

The Joker’s murder of Batman’s second Robin is often cited as Bruce Wayne’s biggest failure. The resurrection of Jason Todd as Red Hood forces Batman to constantly be reminded of the one time he let his sidekick die at the hands of his rogues gallery. As far as audiences are concerned, a big reason why Batman should feel guilty is that he never avenged his surrogate son’s death, the one time he would have been justified. In fact, Batman had an opportunity to let the Joker die.

This references Batman #429, written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Jim Aparo.

Following “A Death in the Family,” all Batman can think about is Jason’s death, to the point of carrying a bloodthirst for vengeance. Yet, even when he hated the Joker the most, Batman refused to let another victim die of gun violence, even if this was one victim that no one would have blamed him for not saving.

7

Stephanie Brown’s Death is Overlooked As A Batman Failure

Spoiler’s Death is Almost More Brutal Than Jason Todd’s

If killing off the second Robin is considered Batman’s greatest failure, then the death of the fourth Robin should be considered just as damning. Stephanie Brown adopts the Robin mantle when Tim Drake’s father forbids Tim from being Robin anymore. However, in her efforts to infiltrate the criminal underworld, she gets entangled with the Black Mask. Technically speaking, after Batman fired her, she wasn’t under his watch at the time, but denying her as his sidekick is exactly what motivated her to try and prove herself.

Although she’s confirmed dead in Batman #634, fan outrage over Spoiler’s death would force DC to retcon her murder. In Robin #174, it’s revealed that Dr. Leslie Thompkins helped Stephanie fake her death.

Trying to prove herself against gangsters outside of her league got her killed. The least that Batman could have done after pushing his former pupil past her limits was avenging her death by putting a permanent end to Black Mask. Roman Sionis has contributed to some of DC’s most unforgivable moments, and no one would blame Batman for putting him out of his misery

How Every Robin in DC Continuity Eventually Died (& What Happened Next)

All the Robins have died – and returned – throughout DC’s long continuity. Here’s what happened after Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, and Damian died.

6

Bane Killing Alfred Was A Loss Batman Has Never Faced

“City of Bane” Saw Alfred Pennyworth Die at Bane’s Hands

Batman has endured some immense tragedies, but no tragedy broke him as egregiously as the death of Alfred Pennyworth. When Bane overtook the city alongside an alternate universe version of Thomas Wayne (a.k.a. Flashpoint Batman), the Bat-Family’s butler was taken as a hostage. Bane and co. promised that Alfred would be killed if any member of the family infiltrated Gotham to save him. Damian Wayne refused to listen, and ole Al had to pay the consequences. Both Batman and Robin still carry Alfred Trauma.

If he snapped and opted to break Bane’s neck as a result, even longtime Batman fans might have understood where Bruce was coming from.

In Bruce’s case, he had the misfortune of finding Alfred’s dead body, as he ran to his father figure like a child. It’s the most vulnerable that anyone has ever seen Batman on-panel. If he snapped and opted to break Bane’s neck as a result, even longtime Batman fans might have understood where Bruce was coming from. Even some superheroes would have had to give Batman a pass.

5

Batman Could Have Avengers KGBeast For Creating Rioc Grayson

Bruce Came Close To KIlling Dick Grayson’s Shooter

In trying to work within the confines of his no-kill rule, sometimes Batman comes as close as possible to killing someone just to prove a point (or because he can’t bring himself to complete the deed). In most of these cases, Batman comes close enough that fans can debate if intent is enough to break his rule. One of these examples came after KGBeast fatally shoots his son, Dick Grayson. Nightwing’s blow to the head is so severe that he loses his memory, forcing him into the much-maligned Ric Grayson identity. Distraught, Batman hunts KGBeast to a remote location.

At the end of their skirmish, Batman breaks KGBeast’s neck and leaves him to die in the snow. While he doesn’t kill KGBeast directly, he does live him paralyzed in freezing conditions. The thought-process is Batman refusing to save KGBeast instead of killing him, but some would call the options the same.

4

Batman Almost Had No Choice But To Take Killer Croc’s Life

The Hush Storyline Temporarily Rebranded Killer Croc Into an Even Worse Monster

Killer Croc has often been framed as one of Batman’s more harmless villains. Obviously, ‘harmless’ is used loosely in this sense. Killer Croc has always been dangerous, but compared to The Caped Crusader’s more A-tier threats like The Joker or Bane, Killer Croc comes up short. That changes during the “Hush” story arc, where, through the title supervillain and The Riddler’s experimental meddling, Croc is mutated into a savage shell of his former self. His more human characteristics and intelligence are minimized, while his physical strength and protective scales are upgraded.

Batman (left) next to Bruce Wayne as a child (right) kneels by the bodies of his parents.

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Fans have been complaining for decades about Batman’s no-kill rule, but most people get the real reason he follows it completely wrong.

As such, he’s prompted to commit far more terror than he usually does, including outright eating people and kidnapping children. While Batman is able to dispose of him, Croc still gives him a tougher fight. If Batman had been forced to put down a more animalistic Croc, it would’ve been understandable.

3

Professor Pyg Batman’s Most Explicit Serial Killer Villain

A Batman Villain Who Would Be Wiped Out on Sight in Real Life

Professor Pyg is a newer supervillain of this bunch, and for the most part, this baddie is rooted in reality. What separates him from most of Batman’s foes is that there’s no cartoonish plot for Batman’s most twisted foe. He’s mostly just a serial killer, but what helps him fit into DC’s Universe is that he reanimates his victims into mindless minions, or Dollotrons, using his skills as a former scientist.

His murder spree alone would be considered deranged at best, but the caveat of how he experiments on his victims allows him to achieve something beyond just being certifiably insane. In the real world, it’s hard to believe Professor Pyg wouldn’t force police or even other criminals to shoot him on sight, let alone be tossed into Arkham Asylum for a brief vacation. Rather than preventing that, maybe Batman should reconsider keeping such a calculated psychopath alive.

2

Victor Zsasz Could Be Gotham City’s Worst Serial Killer Ever

Batman Might Be Too Lenient Toward Serial Killers

Similar to Professor Pyg, Victor Zsasz is a serial killer, and as an enemy who predates Pyg, he has a little more skin in the game (no pun intended). In contrast to Pyg, Zsasz has a bigger body count than the professor, and perhaps any other Gothamite in existence. Victor Zsasz carves a tally into his body to represent every single person he has killed, and right now, his body is running out of space, hinting at countless murders.

Batman has admitted he hates Victor more than most rivals from his rogues gallery, but that hate still hasn’t been enough to compel Batman to use lethal force. For these murderous villains, it’s getting harder for fans to understand why Batman more or less allows Zsasz to keep killing. Or why he’a actively keeping him from meeting his own grisly fate.

1

The Killing Joke’s Ending Makes More Sense With Batman Strangling The Joker

If The Story Wasn’t Canon Now, This Would Be the Ideal Ending to Joker and Batman’s War

There was a time when The Killing Joke was considered non-canonical, which meant that the final panels of Batman and Joker sharing a laugh could very well have implied Batman strangles The Joker to death. And it would be easy toi understand, considering the villain shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon, and torments her father in the story beforehand.

Perhaps only under these circumstances would the average reader accept Batman killing, framed as “the killing joke” which became his final straw. In DC canon, all of these events have now actually taken place, minus Batman’s attempted murder. But fans can still debate the original intention, canon or not.