The most iconic and famous duo of the DC Universe is the rivalry between Batman and Joker. The caped crusader is on a constant mission to save the city of Gotham, while Joker’s nuance makes it difficult. From killing Robin to Alfred, Joker pushed The Dark Knight’s boundaries and got under his skin, yet Batman let him live.
Time and again Batman’s most infamous no-kill rule has stopped him from killing villains far more dangerous than Joker, and it is the only reason why The Dark Knight is in touch with his humanity.
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Why Batman Will Not Kill The Joker?
Anyone aware of Joker’s crime and torture wants him dead or believes he is not worth saving. But the one who protects Gotham City believes otherwise. Batman might have won many wars, but only the war he lost was the one with his ideologies. He believes that the no-kill trait is the one that separates him from other criminals and vigilantes roaming around Gotham City. Joker went to extreme lengths to get under Batman’s skin like kidnapping and torturing Jason Todd and killing Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s father figure, with his bare hands, yet Batman held firm on his ideology.
Finally, the reason why Batman doesn’t kill the Joker has been revealed. The Dark Knight believes that there is still some part of the Joker that is worth saving. This belief in humanity and finding it even within Gotham’s most depraved criminal proves that Batman is and always will be one of DC’s greatest and most caring heroes.
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Does Batman Find Humanity In Joker?
For Batman, all human life is precious even those who have become villainous. It is because he still believes in humanity and hopes to find something redeemable even in Joker. Or maybe The Dark Knight finds similarities between his sufferings and misery in him. Hence for Batman saving Joker would be like putting himself out of his own misery.
From the eyes of the superhero, Joker is just a broken and lonely soul who knows that what he’s doing is wrong but has long been gone. Batman recognizes that such an existence is torture and whoever the villain was before, he doesn’t want the life he’s leading now. Even though Batman agrees that Joker should die, he still feels pity and empathy for him. Figuring that he is a lost cause, Batman couldn’t bring himself to kill Joker, not if there was a chance that he could save the man he was once.
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