Batmanis famous for his “no kill” rule, which he religiously follows whenever he goes out on patrol. Some believe this code holds him back from ever truly fixing Gotham City, butcrossing the “no kill” line is something Batman constantly struggles with, as the real ramifications of allowing his worst enemies to live aren’t lost on him.
Introduced to immediate acclaim in1940’sDetective Comics #27by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Bruce Wayne started his journey as Gotham’s dark protector in a way that seems entirely out-of-character for this hero in comparison to who he is at present day, showing just how far he’s come in the decades since his debut.
Well-known for his “no kill” rule wherein no matter how murderous, maniacal, and downright evil his enemies are, Batman has vowed never to take a life, witha scene from the recentDetective Comics #1095showing exactly why Batman needs this moral code, and how following it makes him an even better hero, regardless of the consequences of his mercy.
Batman’s “No Kill” Rule Controversy Isn’t Lost on Him or His Colleagues Despite the Consequences
Detective Comics #1095 - 2025 (Tom Taylor and Mikel Janín)
Following Batman as he delves into a mystery involving the man who killed his parents, Joe Chill, and how Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne, had once saved Chill’s life on the operating table years beforehis father’s Crime Alley death,Detective Comics #1095sees Batman self-isolating as he avoids all contact from his friends and colleagues, specifically Oracle and Superman.
Visited by trusted confidant Leslie Thompkins next,Leslie, after convincing Bruce to let her in, begins to explain whyBatman needs his “no kill” rule, especially when it comes to Joe Chill. Saying how she has “always respected the value you place on human life,” Leslie notes how nothing about what’s happening at the current moment invalidates Batman’s code.
Elaborating on how she’s heard the arguments of the “loud, ignorant people who believe that Batman should kill,” how his code is a “weakness” or a “failing,” or even how sparing lives is “easier than killing,”Leslie then explains how killing “isn’t hard,” and how she’s seen death and murder turn people into vengeful shells of themselves.
Bringing the conversation full circle,Leslie reassures Batman that “What you do is harder than vengeance because you also have to live with the consequences of your mercy,”telling Bruce that byfollowing Batman’s “no kill” rule, he mustalsodeal with the ramifications of it, despite Batman feeling like he’s barely keeping Gotham’s evil at bay by doing so.
Batman Will Never Kill Even Though Some of His Rogues Deserve It
Leslie Thompkins Understands This Is Core to Batman’s Identity
As Leslie wraps up, she tells Bruce that it’sbecauseof the consequences of his mercy —becauseof the man Batman is at his core — that makes this a never-ending cycle that he must struggle through daily,even if the more brutal option would make Batman’s life, and potentially the lives of others, easier.
If Batman broke his moral code, it would fly in the face of what his father stood for as well as what Batman believes in, so arguing that Batman should murder the Joker or any of his rogues is a silly conclusion to make, especially since Batman believes in the rehabilitation of his foes rather than the destruction of them.
Oddly enough,Batmanhaswielded a gun before— specifically during his early comic appearances where he carried one nightly — but he hasn’t used a firearm since, with the idea that Batman would ever use one again being something that probably won’t come to pass in the future, unless, of course, it’s in an Elseworlds or Dark Multiverse story.
WhileDC was quick to mandate that Batman needed to stop killing and stop using firearms in 1940, barely a year after Bob Kane and Bill Finger introduced him,Batman’s “no kill” ruleinstantly became a major part of the hero’s identity, ensuring that his strict beliefs will haunt him almost as much as they molded him as a hero.
