If you ask any comic fan what Batman‘s main rule is, they’ll tell you without hesitation: no killing. Batman’s commitment to preserving life is so strong that he once went out of his way to give the Joker CPR after Nightwing snapped and beat him to death. That may be the case for the Dark Knight in the comics, but Batman in the movies has a more loosey-goosey approach to killing. Though several different Batmen have taken lives in feature films, Michael Keaton’s Batman is the worst offender by far. While most live-action Caped Crusaders have bent the no-kill rule at least once, only Keaton’s version has deliberately murdered his foes with seemingly no remorse whatsoever.
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Over the course of Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns, The Dark Knight takes life after life until you start to wonder if it’s really Frank Castle underneath that cowl instead of Bruce Wayne. With that in mind, we’ve put together this list of the 10 most egregious examples of Michael Keaton’s Batman being a ruthless killer.
Bombing Axis Chemicals — Batman
The Dark Knight manages to make it about 2/3 of the way through Batman (1989) without using lethal methods, but when he finally does, whoo boy, is it a doozy! In an effort to stop the Joker’s gang from producing the deadly Smilex gas, Batman shoots his way into Axis Chemicals using high-caliber machine guns mounted on the Batmobile. Surprisingly, those machine guns aren’t the most lethal weapon in Batman’s arsenal as a few seconds later, the Batmobile drops a bomb explosive enough to destroy the entire factory, along with the dozen or so Joker goons inside.
Perhaps the most chilling thing about Batman’s assault on the chemical plant is that he wasn’t even there, instead piloting the Batmobile remotely like the unmanned drones used in warfare decades later.
Missile Strike on Parade Floats — Batman
During Batman‘s third act, the Joker holds a parade under the guise of celebrating Gotham’s bicentennial as a cover for his plan to expose as many people as possible to his toxic Smilex gas using giant balloons. In order to thwart the Joker’s deadly scheme, Batman takes to the sky in his Batwing, a vehicle even more heavily armed than the Batmobile.
After getting rid of the balloons, Batman decides to take care of the Joker’s henchman — permanently. Wasting no time, he launches missiles at several parade floats blowing them — and the criminals riding them — to smithereens.
Attempted Murder of the Joker — Batman
After dispatching most of the Joker’s thugs, Batman sets his sights on the man himself. Using an electronic targeting system that paints the Joker with a literal bullseye, Batman fires everything he has at the villain. We’re talking missiles, as well as hundreds if not thousands of bullets courtesy of two giant Gatling guns attached to either side of the Batwing. If you’ve seen the film, then you know that Batman fails to hit the Joker, but not from lack of trying.
Given the lethality of the weapons used, not to mention the sheer volume of projectiles fired at the Joker, we’re inclined to count this even if, technically, no one died. After all, Batman was definitely trying to kill the Joker with extreme prejudice, and if not for divine intervention — in this case, Tim Burton wanting to use the Joker for another 20 minutes or so — he absolutely would have.
Throwing Goon Down Bell Tower — Batman
The climax of Tim Burton’s first Batman movie takes place in an old rundown cathedral. The Joker, with Vicki Vale in tow, heads to the highest point of the cathedral — the bell tower — with Batman following close behind. Upon reaching the top the Joker dispatches three of his henchmen to take care of his foe. Batman makes short work of the first two goons while managing to reach the top of the bell tower, but the third proves to be a challenge.
After taking several lumps, Batman decides he’s had enough and wraps his legs tightly around the goon’s neck. The Dark Knight lets out a guttural yell and, proving he never skips leg day, throws his assailant into the Cathedral’s giant bell and down the bell tower. With the movie’s novelization putting the height of the bell tower at 800 feet, it’s safe to say Batman’s opponent didn’t survive the fall.
Making the Joker Fall 60 Stories — Batman
After trying and failing earlier to turn the Joker into Swiss cheese, Batman gets another chance to punch the villain’s ticket at the very end of Batman. After a knock-down-drag-out fight atop the Cathedral’s roof, Batman ends up hanging from a ledge hundreds of feet off the ground as two of the Joker’s men arrive with a helicopter to rescue their boss. The Joker grabs onto a ladder attached to the helicopter and bids Batman farewell, his escape all but guaranteed.
Suddenly, Batman fires a bola with one end wrapping around the Joker’s leg while the other attaches itself to one of the Cathedral’s stone gargoyles. The helicopter succeeds in lifting them both, but the added weight of the gargoyle causes the Joker to lose his grip on the ladder, and he falls to his death, hitting the ground hard enough to create an impact crater.
Sending Two Clowns Flying Into an Inferno — Batman Returns
Tim Burton’s second Batman film sees the Caped Crusader switching out the Joker and his goons for the Penguin and his group of evil circus performers, the Red Triangle Gang. The movie’s first big action sequence sees the Red Triangle Gang crashing Gotham’s tree-lighting ceremony, causing Batman to retaliate violently. The sequel’s first Bat-murder is actually a twofer. When a couple of Red Triangle clowns throw themselves onto the Batmobile’s hood, the Dark Knight drives in front of a burning department store and slams on the brakes, sending them flying into the flames.
Turning the Tables on the Firebreather — Batman Returns
Shortly after setting the two clowns ablaze, Batman is attacked by the Red Triangle Gang’s resident firebreather. The firebreather blows a fireball at the completely fireproof Batmobile, doing no damage whatsoever. Rather than drive away, Batman takes the pathetic attack personally and turns the Batmobile around until the car’s afterburner is pointed directly at the firebreather. Once he’s in position, Batman flips a switch, and a giant fireball shoots from the back of the Batmobile, engulfing the circus performer in flames. Batman then callously drives away, leaving the man to burn to death.
Blowing Up The Strongman — Batman Returns
The last Red Triangle member that Batman sends on a permanent vacation is perhaps the most gruesome. During the gang’s second assault on Gotham Batman ends up cutting an explosive off of a suicide bomber clown. Shortly after, Batman — still holding the bomb — runs into a circus strongman who dares the Dark Knight to hit him. Batman takes him up on the offer and punches the strong man square in the face. The Strongman shrugs it off, only to find out that while Batman was hitting him with one hand, he was attaching the bomb to the circus performer’s belly and arming it with the other. As the bomb begins ticking, Batman smiles before knocking the strongman into an open sewer grate, where he promptly explodes.
Backhanding Catwoman Off of a Ledge — Batman Returns
Batman Returns might have the most violent first meeting between Batman and Catwoman in any DC story. It’s not unusual for the two costumed vigilantes to trade a few punches and kicks, but stabbing and acid throwing? That’s a bit extreme for enemies-turned-lovers if you ask us. After causing Catwoman to fall off the roof of a multistory building with the above mentioned acid, Batman pulls the feline felon onto a ledge on the side of the building saving her from certain death.
Catwoman pays Batman back by stabbing him with her homemade sewing needle claws, and he responds by backhanding her off the ledge he only moments ago helped her onto. While technically, Catwoman does “survive” the fall by landing in a conveniently placed kitty litter truck, Batman had no idea whatsoever that the truck was there. Once again, we’re counting an attempted murder because that was clearly Batman’s original intention. Plus, if you look at the whole nine-lives aspect of Tim Burton’s quasi-supernatural take on Catwoman, an argument could be made that Batman took one of her lives.
Using Bats to Push the Penguin Through a Window — Batman Returns
If there’s one thing Michael Keaton’s Batman likes to do, it’s kill people with long falls from great heights. After making both the Joker and Catwoman fall off a building, Keaton’s Batman finishes off his career — if you don’t count The Flash — by pushing the Penguin through a window. OK, technically, Batman makes a flurry of bats swarm the Penguin, knocking him through the window, but Batman was the one who pressed the button, and a murder weapon is a murder weapon, living or not.
While we should note that the Penguin does pop up for one last scare, the fall clearly mortally wounded him, evidenced by the fact that he says three or four lines and then falls down dead.
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How do you prefer your live-action Batman? Homicidal or a little less kill-happy? Let us know in the comments!
