Batman Just Killed The Joker, And DC Fans Might Not Have Even Noticed

This article contains spoilers for DC KO #4.

Batman’s no-kill rule has always been controversial. He didn’t have it in the first Batman comics, but it didn’t take long for the Dark Knight’s mythology to embrace it, with the vigilante insisting on it while training Robin in 1940’s Batman #4. The no-kill rule has always been a subject of contention, both in the fandom and in the comics themselves, and one question sounds above them all: How many lives would have been saved if Batman just killed the Joker? Shockingly, though, Batman has now done just that in the DC KO event.

First, some context. DC KO is an unusual event, because the power of Darkseid’s Omega energy is up for grabs for whoever emerges as the ultimate champion in a series of death matches. Batman was already “killed” by the Joker when the villains took the Justice League by surprise in entering the competition, but Bruce Wayne is a master strategist and entered the competition with a sort of “cheat code” that activated in the event of his death. He returns in DC KO #4, swiftly getting payback.

Batman Just Officially Killed the Joker

Written by Scott Snyder and featuring art by Javi Fernández, DC KO #4 kicks off with the ultimate battle between members of the Justice League and their Absolute versions, who are effectively under Darkseid’s control. Joker is technically on the side of the angels, but rather than face Absolute Batman, he switches sides; “I mean, I got to kill Batman with a bang, so… I’m good?” Powered up by Parademon energy, Joker proceeds to tear into Lex Luthor, quite enjoying himself – until the moment Batman unexpectedly returns, killing Joker in exactly the same way he was killed himself.

Let’s be clear; the deaths in DC KO are indeed supposed to “count” to the main continuity. The stakes are so high, with the entire universe in play because of the Omega energy prize, that even heroes like Batman and Superman are playing for keeps. This means that, after 86 years, Batman has just broken his no-kill rule in the most spectacular way. He’s killed the Joker, and he’s done it with a smile and a quip.

The Problem With Death Matches… Is That Death Doesn’t Matter

By rights, this should be a defining moment in the entire Batman mythology. Ironically, DC KO #4 itself spins on from this without a second thought, because the nature of the death match ironically means that death doesn’t mean much. This may be supposed to “count” in overall continuity, but the characters have chosen to eschew their normal morality, meaning the story feels like little more than the “bloodlusted” versus matches often debated online. Death has lost its significance, and DC KO #4 focuses on the battle against the Absolute Justice League instead.

The parallels between Batman’s original death and Joker’s are played for laughs, but they’re noteworthy because they ironically imply a degree of equivalence between the two; neither is able to definitively beat the other in any real head-to-head battle, both triumphing through a shocking surprise attack. It’s a smart way of positioning Batman and Joker as equals yet again, even if Batman’s quip seems rather out of character, as though confirming these heroes are truly bloodlusted.

In truth, too many characters have died in DC KO, and time travel is already in play, meaning it’s reasonable to assume the timeline will ultimately be rewritten and these deaths negated. For now, though, we have to face the simple fact; in continuity, Batman has officially broken his no-kill rule and killed the Joker. But he’s done it in a story where we’ll never see the personal consequences of it, where he’ll never be criticized for it, and where we’ll never see the reactions of his loved ones as they realize he’s finally crossed that fateful line.

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