No superhero in DC Comics is more famous for their refusal to take a life than Batman. In modern comics, the Dark Knight constantly beats his enemies to a bloody pulp. Still, he’ll never take the extra step to make sure that they never come back to terrorize Gotham City. Not only does this provide a strong moral argument against killing, but it also ensures that his villains can always return. Many stories involving Batman center on whether or not he should kill his enemies. However, while Batman tends to stay true to his morals, there have been several times in comics where he has broken his one, defining rule. Whether on purpose or accidentally, some people have died as a direct cause of Batman’s actions.
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Batman’s no-kill rule wasn’t always present in comics, as it made its debut in Batman #4. In some of the Caped Crusader’s earliest appearances, when Batman’s character was deeply inspired by pulp noir comics, he was all for killing his enemies if justified by their actions. Of course, as times changed, comics became more kid friendly, and Batman’s identity evolved. Batman soon developed his now iconic aversion to killing people, even in self-defense. Yet, even after this rule was established, there were still some times in the main continuity where Batman crossed the line.
7) Detective Comics #30
During the early years of his time as a crimefighter, Batman could be extremely cold-blooded. In Detective Comics #30, the villain Doctor Death orders his assassin, Mikhail, to hunt down and kill Batman. During their confrontation, Mikhail tries to shoot Batman, only for the Caped Crusader to jump out of a window. However, instead of escaping, Batman grabs onto a wire and swings back around. When Mikhail pokes his head out to look for his target, Batman ambushes him by delivering a deadly kick that snaps the assassin’s neck, killing him. Batman had every opportunity to run away, but instead, he chose to murder Mikhail.
6) Detective Comics #32
On top of his no-kill rule, Batman has a very clear rule against using guns when fighting crime, especially since one was used to murder his parents. However, such rules didn’t exist for Batman yet by the time of Detective Comics #32’s publication. In this comic, Batman faces one of his first supernatural foes, the evil vampire, the Mad Monk, and his assistant, Darla. As in the original Dracula story, Batman took advantage of the moment when the two vampires were sleeping in their coffins to attack them. Instead of driving stakes into their hearts, Batman whips out a gun and shoots the Mad Monk and Darla with silver bullets, killing them both. Nowadays, Batman can barely bring himself to hold a gun in his hand.
5) Detective Comics #572
In comics, street thugs can oftentimes be treated as disposable. However, Batman proved himself to be particularly cold-blooded against one goon for no real reason outside of self-preservation. In Detective Comics #572, Batman and Robin swoop in to stop some armed crooks from killing innocent people. Shockingly, when Batman is shot at by one of the criminals, he grabs another thug and uses him as a human shield. Despite literally putting someone in the line of fire and causing them to be riddled with bullets, neither Batman nor anyone else gives the action a second thought. It’s bizarre how, in an issue featuring the Dark Knight meeting Sherlock Holmes, this action was the most outlandish thing to occur.
4) Detective Comics #613
Detective Comics #613 showed that even Batman can make mistakes that lead to people dying in gruesome ways. In the issue, a gangster named Tony Kruden and his goons threaten to throw an innocent man into a garbage truck’s trash compactor. After the gangsters shoot and kill the man’s son, Batman arrives to fight these villains. In the chaos, Batman throws one of the henchmen and hits Tony. The impact sends the two men tumbling backward into the trash compactor, where they’re immediately crushed into paste. Even though he didn’t mean to, Batman is horrified by having accidentally caused the deaths of two people.
3) Batman #1
In his very first solo issue, Batman brutally kills several people. Batman #1 sees the Caped Crusader facing off against Dr. Hugo Strange and his hulking mutant henchmen. Batman manages to knock two of the giants into each other, making them enter into a blind rage and kill each other. Then, using the machine gun on his Batplane, Batman mows down and murders two more of Strange’s goons. From the Batplane, Batman then catches one of the giants off-guard by ensnaring a noose around his neck. The Dark Knight then flies the Batplane upward, strangling the henchman to death. Finally, when one of the giants climbs to the top of a building, Batman deploys a knockout gas grenade to make him plummet to his death.
2) Detective Comics #27
As far back as his very first appearance, Batman was willing to make his enemies suffer excruciating deaths. Batman’s debut issue, Detective Comics #27, involved him trying to solve a string of murders of people involved at a chemical plant. Batman soon discovers that the killer was a corrupt businessman named Alfred Stryker. When battling Stryker, the Dark Knight punches him so that he falls over the railings and straight into a giant vat of acid. Batman only comments that Stryker deserved such a fate for his crimes. Not only was this Batman’s first kill, but it would go on to inspire the Joker’s iconic origin in The Killing Joke.
1) DC K.O. #4
If there’s one character that people have been demanding that Batman kill, it’s the Joker. For every time Batman lets him live, the Joker kills more people. And while usually Batman will never give into his temptation to kill his nemesis, DC K.O. #4 provided him a rare opportunity. Throughout this tournament to determine the fate of the multiverse, combatants can die and be resurrected thanks to the Heart of Apokolips. After the Joker previously impaled and killed Batman, the Dark Knight eventually returned to get some payback. When Joker joined Darkseid and became a killer cyborg, Batman impaled his nemesis, killing him. Although the Joker was soon revived, this was the only time in the main continuity that Batman officially killed the Clown Prince of Crime.
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