One of the most defining characteristics of Batman is the
fact that he never chooses to murder his targets. Be they simple muggers or
evil mass murdering clowns no life will be taken by the hand of Bruce Wayne (or
his sidekicks) he also chooses to never use guns in his massive arsenal,
believing that they can be sloppy, loud, and lethal. Batman chooses to simply
catch the criminals then leave them to the justice system for their sentencing.
This can be a controversial topic
among fans since this more often than not leads to the super-villains being able
to escape time and time again. Now without breaking the 4th wall
(cause that’s no fun) lets analyze this a bit. Batman has explained his reasoning for this behavior before, in the animated movie
Under the Red Hood when questioned about why batman wouldn’t kill the Joker
even after he had killed the second robin he said:
“It'd be too d***ed easy. All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day
doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture
he's dealt out to others, and then end him… But if I do that, if I allow myself
to go down into that place, I'll never come back…”
basically he knows his
limits and if he makes an exception, even just this once, it would be just as
simple to rationalize it again the next time and eventually it would just come easy.
According to him that’s just too much power for one man, even ones as good as
him and his allies to have.
This practice is a common theme
with DC superheroes such as Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern. Heck after the
Man of Steel came out fans were in an uproar over the fact that Supes snapped
general Zod’s neck at the end. The simple fact is that DC superheroes don’t kill.
Yet then there’s the other approach over at Marvel. Where we see Ironman (much
to our delight) take out over a dozen terrorists in less than five minutes, Cap
literally uses a pistol and his bare hands to (again to our delight) kill Nazis and any other evil
doers in his path, Thor crushes skulls and the list goes on. Yet we don’t even
blink an eye, why because they were killing bad guys who were committing awful
crimes and the world is a better place without them, that’s why!
The two
different methods are both valid ways to tell a hero's story and I enjoy them equally.
But this still begs the question, is Batman being as effective as he can be? In
an article written by Jeff Rouner HERE he brings up an interesting perspective on the Joker in
The Dark Knight. He explains that while Joker is most definitely the villain of
the story, it’s actually the Joker who does more to take down the criminals of
Gotham city. Think about it his first move cripples the entire mob financially (while
killing other murderous goons in the process) and then later takes out half of
the mobs’ leaders. He even attempts to have all the wackos from Arkham
blown up on the ferries, and even manages to kill several dirty cops and
members of the justice system via Two Face. All things, Batman had been working
towards yet had been unable to accomplish. See what I’m saying… here. Joker did
in a couple weeks, what Batman had been unable to accomplish in the previous
two years! 
Yet here’s
the kicker. Joker is of course a CRIMINAL genius and one of his most defining
qualities is his complete disregard for human life. He is Batman’s polar
opposite and that’s what makes him so evil. Now what happens to Batman when you
take away his restraint? Simple, you get the most dangerous and efficient
DICTATOR the world has ever seen! This exact line of thought has been addressed
in a few stories before. In the Justice League cartoon, our Nobel heroes in an
alternate dimension get fed up with the rules and decide to simply rule over
the world as its masters. Killing any who try to disagree. With such power at
their disposal none could even hope to stop them and so the world fell under
their shadow into a frightful dystopia. Superman himself said in one comic that Batman is the single most dangeroius man on the planet earth! Our Batman is more aware of his inner
struggle than anyone else. He knows that taking a life is a line he simply cannot
cross, and so he chooses to take the high road. It may be a high price to pay
but it’s better than the alternative…But what if he did?!
SPOILERS FOR UPCOMMING COMICS!!!
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In the
new Batman storyline that will feature later this year. Bruce Wayne has died as
a result of the Joker’s last attack on Gotham. Knowing this and also knowing
that the city will likely fall into chaos without its watchful defender, Commissioner
Gordon has stepped up to take on the mantle as Gotham’s new Dark Knight. Armed with
a mechanized suite and a new array of police style gadgets, including a massive
revolver, he will now serve and protect the people of Gotham in a whole new
way.
But here’s the interesting part, Gordon is willing to kill. As is his
right and responsibility as an officer of the law when put in a life threatening
situation he does as he should and uses his weapon to defend himself, if necessary.
So will this new Batman do a better job? When backed into a corner will he permanently
end the life of one of Gotham’s most notorious villains? personally I hope so, it would definitely bring a new element to the Batman stories that will shake up the standard catch and release cycle. Guess we’ll just have to
wait and see.
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