There have been many times during his live-action adventures when Batman has broken his well-known “no killing” rule, but some instances have been particularly violent. Batman is one of the most iconic superheroes in any comic book franchise, but, unlike more brutal antiheroes or even morally-questionable heroes, Batman is usually steadfast about not killing his enemies. When bringing the character into live-action over the years, however, and it often seems impossible for Batman to get out of certain situations without taking out his adversaries once and for all.
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Batman’s “no killing” rule is so intrinsic to his character that many consider it a mistake that many movies have seen the Caped Crusader kill his enemies. Most iterations of Batman on the big-screen have killed people, whether indirectly, accidentally, or, indeed, deliberately, so the Dark Knight has regularly disregarded arguably his most important rule from DC Comics. Before the DC Universe reinvents Batman for the upcoming The Brave and the Bold reboot, let’s look back at seven violent moments in which Bruce Wayne simply couldn’t hold himself back.
7) The Joker’s Goons in Batman (1989)
Michael Keaton’s celebrated Dark Knight took on his most iconic adversary from DC Comics in his first on-screen adventure. The Joker (Jack Nicholson) and his goons both fell victim to Batman’s unbridled violence, however, with little care for his “no killing” rule whatsoever. Batman killed the Joker’s goons with a bomb that rolled from the Batmobile while they were trying to shoot him down. The bomb not only killed the Clown Prince of Crime’s henchmen, but also destroyed the surrounding area, including the Axis Chemical facility containing Smylex, which thwarted the Joker’s plans.
6) The Joker in Batman (1989)
After taking out his goons, Batman turned his attention to the Joker himself. Many actors have played the Joker in live-action, but Nicholson is lauded as one of the best, and this iteration is the only on-screen Joker killed in cold blood by Batman. After Batman thwarted his chemical plans, the Joker tried to escape from their cathedral battle. Batman, however, attached the Joker’s leg to a crumbling gargoyle with a grappling hook, the weight of which sends the Joker plummeting to his death. This was retribution for Bruce Wayne, as the Joker was his parents’ killer in this continuity.
5) The Firebreather and the Tattooed Strongman in Batman Returns (1992)
Michael Keaton returned as Batman in Batman Returns in 1992, and continued his violent killing spree after taking down the Joker and his henchmen. Batman first burned a firebreather (John Strong), a member of the Red Triangle Circus Gang, alive with the exhaust fumes from the Batmobile. Soon after, the Tattooed Strongman (Rick Zumwalt), got in between Batman and the Penguin (Danny DeVito) in their initial battle. Shockingly, Batman tucks three sticks of dynamite into the strongman’s belt and punches him into a man-hole, leaving him to explode. These murders are completely unprovoked, making this Batman a seriously dark killer.
4) Harvey Dent’s Two-Face in Batman Forever (1995)
When Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton in Batman Forever in 1995, it was surprising to see Batman’s neglect for his “no killing” rule continue. The Dark Knight battled Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) after finally defeating the Riddler (Jim Carrey) in Batman Forever, with the deformed Harvey Dent eventually flipping a coin to decide Batman’s fate. Batman distracts him, however, by throwing several identical coins in the air, causing Two-Face to lose his balance and fall from the optical illusion-like floor to his death below. Not direct, but certainly another shocking death caused by Batman.
3) League of Shadows Members in Batman Begins (2005)
Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins reinvented Batman in 2005 with Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne becoming the Caped Crusader after training under Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and the League of Shadows. Wayne decides to return to Gotham after learning of the League’s mandate that all criminals should be killed, but he ironically departs by destroying the League of Shadows’ temple with an epic explosion. He later decides not to save al Ghul, but doesn’t directly kill him, though there’s no doubt some members of the League of Shadows lost their lives in Bruce Wayne’s explosive departure from the temple.
2) Harvey Dent’s Two-Face in The Dark Knight (2008)
Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Shadows weren’t Bale’s Batman’s only victim, as this iteration of Batman also killed another version of Harvey Dent’s Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart) in The Dark Knight. Despite primarily facing the Joker (Heath Ledger), Bruce Wayne also fought the twisted and burned former district attorney in The Dark Knight when he threatens the lives of Commissioner Gordon’s (Gary Oldman) family. Before he can kill them, Batman tackles Two-Face, causing the villain to fall to his death like his 1995 counterpart. At least this was a devastating inevitable tragedy rather than an outright murder.
1) Lex Luthor’s Henchmen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Ben Affleck’s Batman from the DC Extended Universe played it very fast and loose with the “no killing” rule, and took down many individuals throughout his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. While he planned to kill Superman (Henry Cavill), he ultimately joined forces with the Man of Steel to battle Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Doomsday. During a warehouse battle and a Batmobile car chase, however, Batman seems completely unfazed about killing any of Luthor’s goons. He drives into goons, fires countless rounds of ammunition at people and vehicles, breaks bones, smashes heads into walls and pallets, fires a flamethrower, and stabs some more. Affleck’s Batman was seriously unhinged.
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