Batman Kills: The One-Man Reign Of Terror

 

With this latest portrayal of the Caped Crusader, in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, there seems to be a clear division between those who feel Ben Affleck’s screen version of the Dark Knight is the best yet, and those that declare the characterisation is entirely wrong specifically because he kills people, both directly and indirectly, and also because he appears to consciously decide to kill Superman, in a sinister and pre-meditated fashion. This, some argue, contradicts the thing that is widely held to be the defining characteristic of Batman – which is the fundamental belief that killing is unacceptable.

It certainly does make sense for this to be the case. We all know the origin story of the Caped Crusader consumed by the need to fight crime and protect his precious Gotham City. Having been orphaned by a criminal with a gun, it is entirely logical that he would find crime and firearms abhorrent. He even says so, very clearly, on many occasions, in several forms of media. No guns, no killing those are his words to live by.
Batman has been with us for over 75 years now. There are almost eight decades worth of comic book stories about this one man. He is among a select few comic book characters to have been so embraced and adored by readers and audiences that he has long since transcended his original medium and has become firmly entrenched in film, television, animation and video games – in addition to his ongoing, vast, comic book presence. This leads to two very important facts.

Firstly, with such a long history of comic book stories, he has been reinvented, rebooted and ‘retconned’ countless times, leading to many subtle alterations and evolutions of his character. Secondly, with so many versions in other media added into the already varied mix, he has actually been portrayed in popular culture in a wider range of ways than many figures from classic literature.

This all adds to the reason why we love him. Batman is one of the most relatable of all comic book characters. He is, literally, just a man. He’s not an alien, or a mutant, or an intergalactic policeman. He’s not an ancient being related to Greek Gods, nor is he part-robot. He’s just the world’s greatest detective, who happens to be rich enough to have some cool gadgets. We can relate to his grief, we can relate to his anger and we can relate to his desire to protect what he loves. Batman is us, and we all have a Batman of our own, tucked away in the dark recesses of our minds.

So, when Batman says that he doesn’t kill, and that this is central to his ethos, we want it to be true. We are rooting for him to succeed. We reflect on the balance between the dual identities of Bruce Wayne and the costumed vigilante, and the meaning these both hold for him.

We demand that storytellers adhere to his ‘no kill’ rule, and any time they don’t, we declare it to be wrong, or an aberration, or “non-canonical.” Here’s the thing though – Batman is us, and we are Batman. When he says that he doesn’t kill, this is the goal to which he aspires. But, being us – being human – he is imperfect, and though he strives to do the right thing, sometimes events conspire against him.