Gotham City is home to the most inhumane and dangerous urban criminals in the superhero universe. And, the only man standing between these villains and the civilization refuses to take a life. He is the vigilante, the protector, the savior but more significantly, Batman is the man of moral conduct in DC comics.
Batman has been going on for more than eight decades now and since 1939, the Dark Knight has stood against the criminals and symbolized hope and justice to the citizens of Gotham City. One of the most baffling features of Batman is his moral compass and his no-kill policy. But, how did that come about?
Why Batman Has A No-Kill Policy In Comics
The only reason that is stopping Batman from embarking on a killing spree is the tragedy attached to his life. As the author of the hero’s legendary origin Bill Finger was never comfortable with his hero’s lethality and was relieved to divert from that direction. Also, the no-kill rule followed by the Dark Knight is to honor his parents’ death. Thomas and Martha Wayne despised violent criminals and were killed right in front of him. Hence, the origin of Batman within Bruce Wayne.
Also, Bruce becoming a killing vigilante wouldn’t be something that his parents would approve nor it would make him much of a hero. Moreover, he understands the pain of losing loved ones, as the murder of his parents gave birth to the Batman we know today. Having experienced the horrific tragedy, Bruce determined that the worst thing anyone could ever do was take a life.
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Batman had to stop killing to protect Gotham City from his own psychological self. Darwyn Cooke’s 2000 ‘Batman: Ego’, which is one of the important works of the franchise deals with the question of Batman’s lethality. Finally in ‘Ego’ Batman confronts his enemy – his true persona. Bruce knows the kind of beast restrained in him and if it ever awakens then who will save Gotham from him? The ugly truth he realizes is that he could easily become a monster himself just with one kill and the only way to stop this temptation is not to kill.
Batman’s Code Evolved Due To The Real World
Surprisingly, Batman had no rule against killing in the earlier comics. He even carried a gun and shot people to death without any hesitation. It was only after a few years of publication in 1940 that the superhero followed a no-killing rule. This happened mainly because the comic attracted many teenage readers and the publishers wanted to dial down the violence for the young readers.
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However, the rule became fluid and Batman occasionally killed people including monsters and aliens. Also during the late-1980s and early 1990s and again in the mid-to-late 2000s, the mainstream public’s impression of Batman was that he did kill villains sometimes and the fans seemed to be okay with it.
It was only during Christopher Nolan’s trilogy that the no-kill rule became important for the hero and thus began the fight for justice and revenge within Batman’s mind. In 2008’s ‘The Dark Knight’, Joker practically forced Bruce to break his no-kill rule, making him realize how impractical it was. Regardless of his correct moral justifications and the fact it is invariant with his primary directive to protect and save innocent people, Batman broke his rule.
The caped crusader’s code of ethics isn’t realistic. It is also not practical and can lead to trouble. Although it offers a great source of drama, the hero isn’t always right. Bruce himself agrees that his beliefs aren’t perfect and he struggles with his morality every time he fights crime. Maybe even superheroes need to shed some blood, without it, Batman will just be a hero too good to be true.
