# Has Batman EVER killed anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239 "2003-12-16T02:43:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/1 "2003-12-16T02:43:10Z")
…Especially in current comic continuity? Non-current continuity still counts, though. I know “not killing” is part of his basic ethos, but surely there have been accidents, or maybe even “exceptions.”\* And just “letting someone die” sort of counts as a “kill,” for the discussion. But only if Bats _could_ have stopped the death, but chose not to. I know that in the _really_ early days of the comic, Batman carried a pistol. And in the Tim Burton _Batman_ movie… > [@](#): > > …Bats sends to Batmobile to bomb the Axis chemical factory, which still had people inside. The goons standing NEXT TO to Batmobile, at least, couldn’t possibly have survived the bomb’s explosion. And, of course, Robots, Androids, and other artifical intelligences, even if sentient, are always “fair game” to western animated heros. Even if the A.I. _was_ a sentient being. (Go ahead, check for yourself) So…any thoughts, anyone? Ranchoth \*Mostly in _really_ extreme situations, and mostly pre-crisis, I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/2 "2003-12-16T02:59:23Z")
In one of the dumbest comics ever, he doesn’t even kill the killer of parents. In fact, he TEAMS UP WITH HIM to fight someone else. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/3 "2003-12-16T03:02:10Z")
Hmmn. Some early Bill Finger Batman stories had him someone by refusing to save him. I also remember him coming close to killing someone when someone nearly killed Robin, but don’t recall if he actually did it. He also made sure that Joe Chill would die, but others pulled the trigger. Not sure of the details, but Batman may have thrown Professor Radium to his death during a fight in Batman #8 (the story, BTW, was written by SF legend Alfred Bester). Not Batman, but in a Batman story in the early 70s, Green Arrow killed a couple of drug dealers with an arrow with an actual pointed tip instead of a boxing glove. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/4 "2003-12-16T03:57:28Z")
He’s killed Ra’s al Ghul several times, but I suppose knowing that he’ll be resurrected shortly after keeps that from weighing too heavily on his mind. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/5 "2003-12-16T04:28:55Z")
In his early stories, Detective comics #27 and the next few, he killed several people. He threw a couple off of roofs and allowed one to fall into an acid tank. More explicitly, he outright killed two henchmen of an early opponent named Dr. Death (IIRC). He strangled one with a silk rope and broke the other one’s neck. He also killed some mental patients that Hugo Strange had mutated into giant form. Used the rope, choking gas, and a machine gun for that escapade. Don’t forget that he outright gunned down The Monk and Dala, though I don’t know if it counts as killing since they were vampires. In a late '70’s story, I also remember him using a bow and arrow to off another vampire. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/6 "2003-12-16T04:30:10Z")
He killed someone early on with the gun he used to carry, didn’t he? And yeah, Tim Burton’s Batman kills people like nobody’s business. He took out a bunch of those clown gang members in Batman Returns. Then, of course, the Mutant Gang Leader in Dark Knight Returns. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/7 "2003-12-16T04:55:30Z")
_Batman Forever_ killed my inner child. (not really) ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/8 "2003-12-16T05:04:34Z")
Oh, BTW, I thought Bats only crippled the Gang Leader in _Dark Knight Returns_. Though he did shoot the mutant holding the kidnapped toddler. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/9 "2003-12-16T05:16:24Z")
Superman’s kllled, too. In his second appearance in 1938, he finds a military interrogator torturing some prisoners, picks the guy up and “then tosses him away as tho he were hurling a javelin!” The next page, he leaps into the air to attack a fighter plane, the plane’s prop smashes “upon Superman’s skin. The airplane falls to its doom!” There is absolutely no indication whatsoever that the torturer or pilot survived. And of course, there was that hooker who said he was faster than a speeding bullet, so he tore her in half like a phone book. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/10 "2003-12-16T05:21:08Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by shy guy_ > Oh, BTW, I thought Bats only crippled the Gang Leader in Dark Knight Returns. Though he did shoot the mutant holding the kidnapped toddler. That’s correct. After he beats him to a pulp, there’s a line of those “talking heads,” and one of them is a guy in a green suit and sunglasses saying, “We’re not talking about letting the mutant leader go. Once he is mobile, he’ll be arraigned – to see if he’s fit to stand trial, or is the victim of mental illness.” It’s a female Mutant he shoots, too: one of the other characters calls her “Grace.” Always wondered if this was a continuity error: considering how adamant his “no guns, no killing” position is later in the book, you’d at least think he’d be more torn up about plugging the gang member. But I don’t believe it’s mentioned again after it happens. Maybe Frank Miller (no relation, btw) got carried away in that issue, and forgot about Batman’s moral code. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/11 "2003-12-16T05:51:58Z")
It probably happens a lot in DC’s “Elseworlds” imprint. One famous scene comes to mind in _Justice Leage: The Nail_, in which …the Joker (armed with Kryptonian weapons, no less) kills Robin and Batgirl, driving Batman over the edge and causing him to kill the Joker. On live TV, too. I can’t think of any others off the top of my head. Elseworlds are a free-for-all, though, and Batman’s been in the most. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/12 "2003-12-16T13:13:00Z")
The most blatant one I recall is from **Batman Returns** where he straps a bomb onto a strongman’s chest, kicks him down a hole, and you see the following explosion. Then, of course, there’s the Joker and Penguin from those first two movies as well, so… I also remember reading the storyline **Son of the Demon** I believe, dealing with Ras and his daughter, and some crazed military man that crushed people’s ribcages with his bare hands. Anyway, at one point, Bats punctures a vat of acid that spills on a guy’s face. Don’t really recall if the guy died, but I can’t imagine him having a great life afterwards. And although it was someone else who actually shot him, it could be said he killed the Joker at the end of _Death in the Family_’s storyline. Of course, he came back, but still…it’s the thought that counts. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/13 "2003-12-16T13:19:23Z")
**Res** , that wasn’t Batman, but the mystery villain of the piece that killed Joker (and framed Batman). Batman himself was held by the Joker’s tech. It’s pretty clear that Batman, unlike even Superman, has never killed or purposely let a perp die, in current continuity, although some have suceeded in offing themselves anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/14 "2003-12-16T14:16:56Z")
IIRC, In “Death in the family” Batman turned up at the united nations to kill the joker. The joker had just killed Robin 2, but had diplomatic immunity as the ayatollah had made him an ambassador. Superman stopped him. ---
**Author:** ![Mystery\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Mystery\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mystery_Dog)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/15 "2003-12-16T14:46:49Z")
In the late 1980’s, Batman tried to kill the Soviet villain KGBeast. From [this page](http://www.darkknight.ca/villains/kgbeast.html) : > [@](#): > > Batman chased KGBeast through the sewers until he entered a room with no other exit. Batman admitted that, in the past, he would have felt the need to fight his opponent, but he was a bit wiser, and merely locked him in the room. The story made it clear that Batman intended to leave KGBeast to starve to death in that room. That would have counted as “letting someone die”, as the OP specified, if KGBeast hadn’t been brought back for a few later stories. At the very least, it should count as an _attempted_ murder. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/16 "2003-12-16T16:19:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bakhesh \* > \*\*IIRC, In “Death in the family” Batman turned up at the united nations to kill the joker. The joker had just killed Robin 2, but had diplomatic immunity as the ayatollah had made him an ambassador. > > Superman stopped him. \*\* Yes, but later on when the Joker gets in a helicopter to get away, Batman jumps in to stop them, and in the process, hits a thug who in turn shoots the Joker in the chest. Then the helicopter crashes and explodes, and everyone thinks the big J is dead. Of course, they always think he’s dead… ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/17 "2003-12-16T17:46:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Res, that wasn’t Batman, but the mystery villain of the piece that killed Joker (and framed Batman). Batman himself was held by the Joker’s tech. Nope. I just checked my copy of JLA: The Nail and it’s right there: Batman pummelling the Joker with a loud “crack,” followed by Bats holding his limp form. It’s shadowed (gotta protect the kiddies, ya know), but very apparent. This was set up by the mystery villain in order to further discredit the superhero population and the JLA. There was already severe distrust of the JLA, and Batman spooked the hell out of everybody. The Joker’s murder on live TV began to push paranoia over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/18 "2003-12-17T08:52:17Z")
Too many poor hamsters with “Batman vs (someone)” threads. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/19 "2003-12-17T11:38:38Z")
I bet he’d like to kill Joel Schumacher… ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239/20 "2003-12-17T11:47:45Z")
Well, there was that time Batman got a hold of a 1920’s style “Death Ray” . . . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-batman-ever-killed-anyone/219239.md?page=2)