# What current superheroes will kill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335 "2004-07-28T22:43:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **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:** [July 28, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/1 "2004-07-28T22:43:00Z")
Pretty much like it says in the title. And this is concerning _mainstream continuity_, not “Elseworlds,” imaginary stories, one-shot alternate universes, or universes that no longer exist. (Like Earth-2) So far, I’ve got… The Punisher (d-freakin-uh) Wolverine Blade\* Most of Marvel’s _Ultimates_ (Which count, because they’re still being published) But my brain has frozen up, so I can’t think of any more. (And I can’t think of _any_ DC characters, oddly enough.) So…who else am I missing, if anyone? \*Technically, I’m not sure he counts…most superheroes seem to be much less reluctant to kill undead creatures like Vampires, and artificial beings like robots—no matter _how_ sentient they are. What the hell’s up with _that?_ I mean, I can see killing zombies or mindless androids without much concern, but…A.I.s, like the Manhunter robots? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/2 "2004-07-28T22:44:34Z")
Hitman (don’t know his real name) ---
**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:** [July 28, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/3 "2004-07-28T23:46:04Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Hitman (don’t know his real name) Tommy Monaghan. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/4 "2004-07-29T00:10:12Z")
Green Lantern, Hal Jordan (d’oh!) Superman Batman\*\* Wonder Woman\*\* Huntress Deadman Comissioner Ultima and Detectives Smax, Toybox, Joe Pi and King Peacock have all killed, most in the line of duty, in Neopolis Precinct in Parallel Ten. Was the Armageddon creature from Morrison-era JLA creature? If so, damn near the whole JLA had a hand in killing it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/5 "2004-07-29T01:06:28Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Green Lantern, Hal Jordan (d’oh!) > > Superman > Batman\*\* > Wonder Woman\*\* > Huntress > Deadman > > Comissioner Ultima and Detectives Smax, Toybox, Joe Pi and King Peacock have all killed, most in the line of duty, in Neopolis Precinct in Parallel Ten. > > Was the Armageddon creature from Morrison-era JLA creature? If so, damn near the whole JLA had a hand in killing it. Batman kills? Cite? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/6 "2004-07-29T01:11:09Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Batman kills? Cite? > :dubious: I don’t have a Citebut he was the first I thought of when I saw the OP. I seem to recall that the original stories were much darker and that Batman was not hesitant to mete out his own justice. But there are others on the board who follow these things much more closely than I ever did, I’ll leave it to them to say. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/7 "2004-07-29T01:27:32Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I don’t have a Citebut he was the first I thought of when I saw the OP. I seem to recall that the original stories were much darker and that Batman was not hesitant to mete out his own justice. > > But there are others on the board who follow these things much more closely than I ever did, I’ll leave it to them to say. That stuff’s waaay out of continuity, and it’s unclear (IIRC) that he ever actually killed any living people (as opposed to vampires). ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/8 "2004-07-29T01:29:44Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Tommy Monaghan. IIRC, he’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/9 "2004-07-29T01:55:22Z")
Yes, Batman killed in his early appearances. Vigilante gun-type justice. Batman’s killed villains in the movies. Batman’s killed vampires, demons, androids and dangerous animals in the comics. Batman has killed in “Elseworlds” type stories and parallel realities, and stories et in the future – but I may be wrong that he killed in regular continuity. O may need to recant. Mike W. Barr’s Batman from the Outsiders had a particularly mean streak and allowed preventable deaths to happen. Speaking of which: Geo-Force killed with impunity in his earlier BATO appearances, as did Katana. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/10 "2004-07-29T02:47:16Z")
Askia is right. From Detective Comics #27 to about #34 he carried and used a gun. In the modern era he is prone to not kill, but he’ll kill if he has to. Wonder Woman, in her current incarnation, has killed many times. Mostly mythological entities like Phobos and Deimos. Euryale of the gorgons was also taken out by Diana(though she got better). Katana(of the Outsiders) has killed many times. She killed the murderer of her husband and children in the original run of Batman and the Outsiders. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/11 "2004-07-29T04:10:39Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Askia is right. > > From Detective Comics #27 to about #34 he carried and used a gun. > > In the modern era he is prone to not kill, but he’ll kill if he has to. > > Wonder Woman, in her current incarnation, has killed many times. Mostly mythological entities like Phobos and Deimos. Euryale of the gorgons was also taken out by Diana(though she got better). > > Katana(of the Outsiders) has killed many times. She killed the murderer of her husband and children in the original run of Batman and the Outsiders. Batman wouldn’t even kill the psycho Mr. Zseasz (sp?) after he was threatening to kill his very close doctor friend. This guy had hundreds of scars on his body, each scar signifying each person he’s killed. How can those issues where Batman kills be canon? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/12 "2004-07-29T04:35:58Z")
**xvxdarkknightxvx.** Good question. See, I know am right, but there’s this little phenomenon called “retconning” that allows publishers to pick and choose what histories and events they NOW consider canon, and forget the rest. Robin II (Jason Todd) mostly likely threw the abusive son of a diplomat off a multi-story midtown Gotham highrise, but the circumstances of that death was framed in deliberate ambiguity. This is right before the Joker met up with Jason Todd in Addis Ababa. Speaking of which, Batman deliberately allowed the Joker to die in that helicopter crash at the end of ‘A Death In the Family’. Superman called him out on it in the 10-part _World’s Finest_ miniseries a few years later. ---
**Author:** ![PaulFitzroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@PaulFitzroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulFitzroy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/13 "2004-07-29T04:55:42Z")
[Catman](http://www.geocities.com/cobrakaikarate/catman2) kills. ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/14 "2004-07-29T12:44:27Z")
Most of the WildStorm superheroes will kill without much reluctance, especially the casts of **The Authority** and **Sleeper**. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/15 "2004-07-29T13:05:34Z")
Batman will not kill in current continuity. He would’ve let the Joker die, which isn’t the same thing. Evidence : Recent issue of Detective, I believe - he chastises the new Robin for using a potentially lethal karate move against Zsasz. Also, his return after the broken back was facilitated by Lady Shiva, who insisted he kill one of his opponents - he took the chance that he could fool her and faked the lethal blow. The Joker is the one who pushes Batman closest to the murder threshhold - he who killed Jason Todd, tortured James Gordon, and crippled Barbara Gordon - but he hasn’t killed the Joker yet. Superman killed three individuals in a pocket reality he was visiting. Thus far, it seems to be the only time in continuity that he has killed - they were Kryptonian super-criminals and he acted as executioner because he could see no other way to save the people of that alternate Earth. Wonder Woman kills - but not humans, as far as I know. Mythological monsters, yes. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/16 "2004-07-29T13:44:45Z")
I’ll admit I’m not up on current continuity, but **Green Arrow** has killed. There was one particular guest starring part in a Batman in the early 70s when he shot an arrow into the heart of a drug dealer. It made a great impression on me because it was the first time I had seen any superhero kill anyone. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/17 "2004-07-29T13:52:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I’ll admit I’m not up on current continuity, but **Green Arrow** has killed. There was one particular guest starring part in a Batman in the early 70s when he shot an arrow into the heart of a drug dealer. It made a great impression on me because it was the first time I had seen any superhero kill anyone. Heh. "I’ll just take’em out with the old boxing-glove arrow here… " TWANG! “D’oh! Wrong arrow… my bad!” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-current-superheroes-will-kill/257335/18 "2004-07-29T18:44:27Z")
Let’s look at the otehr side of the street, specifically the Avengers. Captain America–has killed in wartime Thor–has killed many opponents, not sure if any of them were regular humans Iron Man–had to be restrained from killing Molecule Man Hawkeye–has killed Egghead and the Silencer, which makes him quite the hypocrite regarding Mockingbird and Phantom Rider, IMO Black Widow–geez, this woman has a bigger body count than the Punisher! Moon Knight–this specific issue drove him out of the Avengers. War Machine–combat and black ops veteran Hercules–same as Thor Sub-Mariner–has killed many people in wartime, in general rages, and will likely kill more in the new iteration of the Invaders Human Torch (Jim Hammond)–killed many people in wartime, including Adolf Hitler No cold-blooded thrillkillers, these, but that’s ten Avengers off the top of my head who will kill if the occasion warrants it. That doesn’t even factor in Mockingbird, Swordsman, Deathcry, Gilgamesh or Two-Gun Kid.