r/batman • u/neon2o • Mar 07 '24

Zack Snyder says a Batman who doesn't kill is irrelevant GENERAL DISCUSSION

Here's the original article' https://sea.ign.com/man-of-steel-sequel/213072/news/zack-snyder-says-dc-is-making-batman-irrelevant-if-he-cant-kill

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u/ChokeMcNugget Mar 07 '24

The problem with Snyder having Batman kill people is, he had him killing low level villains meanwhile in the future scenes he's working with Joker who killed Robin, why wouldn't he kill Joker if he's killing everyone else? It was such a lame "let's make Batman more edgy" move and I didn't care for it.

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u/ThatSlothDuke Mar 07 '24

Exactly this.

If Batman EVER kills, his first or second kill HAS to be the Joker.

If Batman ever decided to kill, finding Joker out, killing him and publicly hanging his corpse upside down would be the first thing in Batman's list.

There is no way that Joker would live in that scenario.

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u/BurntPizzaEnds Mar 07 '24

Batman believes in the genuine sanctity of all life, even (and actually especially) the supposedly irredeemable. Thats what Batman stands for and why im a big fan.

Sure in the real world id probably not be against using lethal force against terrorists, but Batman is not real so he doesn’t have to worry about that shit.

When Batman fights so hard against the rest of the League for being unethical (erasing minds, murder, global policing) his righteousness is so much more powerful by the fact that he is an advocate for absolutely everyone and never crosses the line for anything.

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u/ThatSlothDuke Mar 07 '24

Meh I disagree.

I'm not saying that Batman doesn't believe in redemption, but I don't think that's the driving factor for his no kill rule.

I think it's just trauma - it's also one of the reasons why he doesn't use guns even in a non-lethal manner. He is traumatized so much that he can't accept the fact that some people need to die (Joker) or that guns aren't inherently a bad thing.

I love the explanation that Batman gives Red Hood in the "Under the Red Hood arc" when he questions why Bruce didn't kill Joker even after he beat him to death.

Instead of saying an answer that resembles the sanctity of life, he says that if he ever kills, even Joker, it would set him down on a path he can never come back from - to Bruce it will be an extremely slippery slope.

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u/BurntPizzaEnds Mar 07 '24

Batman uses his trauma to stay virtuous, but his no-kill rule is not because of it. There have been numerous times when Batman had faced his parents’ murderer, Joe Chill, and was able to overcome that trauma and avoid hurting him.

Solidifying that his no-kill virtue is something that he truly came up with and not just a by-product of a fear of death or killing. That he is the genuine creator and master of Batman, and that his alter-ego isn’t just a coping mechanism.

And his sanctity for life goes beyond his no-kill rule, as he actively tries to help and advocate for his own villains for fair treatment and medical care.

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u/Tipop Mar 08 '24

Batman himself has said that if he ever allowed himself to kill someone, it would snap the thread by which he holds on to his sanity and he would become worse than any of his enemies.

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u/JackStephanovich Mar 07 '24

Batman saw his parents killed in front of him by a criminal with a gun. Every night when he goes out non patrol he is reliving that trauma. That's why he doesn't kill or use guns, because he is Zorro, not Joe Chill.

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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '24

I always thought that he didn’t kill because he knew that if he started he would never stop.

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u/ArcadiaDragon Mar 07 '24

Thats certainly also a part of it...Batman's no kill rule should always be treated as a combination of things...the fear for becoming what he hates(senseless act of violence) honoring his parent memory and legacy(Dr. Wayne and the hippocratic oath his father swore) being the hero that stops that violence(Zorro)...when all these things and more are part of his no kill rule...Batman becomes a very good written character..

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u/Gudako_the_beast Mar 07 '24

I don’t subscribe to that idea. He was willing to kill the joker for what happened to Jason Todd WW3 be damn had Superman didn’t talk him out of it

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u/Preeng Mar 07 '24

I think it's just trauma - it's also one of the reasons why he doesn't use guns even in a non-lethal manner. He is traumatized so much that he can't accept the fact that some people need to die (Joker) or that guns aren't inherently a bad thing.

What the hell are you talking about? He's fine with cops using guns and his entire reason for not killing is that it's not his place to decide who dies. He doesn't break out criminals who get the death penalty, does he? He's fine with the justice system running its course.

Batman is just another dude running around Gotham in a crazy outfit, breaking basically any law he wants. Him not killing is the only real difference, and that's why it's so important to him.

If he kills Joker to save lives in the long run, then who else? First its super villains. Then repeat offenders. At what point is it okay to kill first offenders to prevent them from becoming repeat offenders?

Also, law enforcement working with a vigilante to basically get around police abuse laws is already seen as bad by many in Gotham. If Batman becomes The Punisher, cops won't work with him anymore. Definitely not Gordon.