Batman is pretty famous for being anti-killing. But Ben Affleck’s Batman murder spree is the main reasons Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice had so much flak. This article is not about Golden Age Batman.
The myth about Batman is that he was cavalier about killing until the Silver Age or when the Comics Code Authority was introduced. Here is a list of the times that Batman killed after making this vow.
14. DARKSEID (FINAL CRISIS)
Batman aids killing of Darkseid by breaking the vows to not kill by shooting Darkseid with a god-killing bullet, before meeting his “demise” from Omega Sanction (The Death That Is Life). His death follows a metaphorical one as to Morrison’s mind, a Batman who killed is not Batman.
13. RA’S AL-GHUL AND THE LEAGUE OF SHADOWS (BATMAN BEGINS)
Jim Gordon blew out a bridge that would lead to the train Ra’s was riding on exploding. Ra’s could have saved himself but chose not to as Bruce had surpassed him. And Batman decided to let him die rather than save him.
12. JOSE GARZONAS (BATMAN #425)
After a standoff where Batman exchanges life for Gordon’s, Robin appeared and distracted Garzonas, while Gordon escapes. Batman climbs a tower of cars which collapses and crushes Garzonas. Batman recognizes that Garzonas is going to die and chooses not to save him.
11. JOKER (BATMAN)
Batman says “I’ll kill you” to Joker and proceeds to toss him off a building then Bat ropes him to a gargoyle which causes him to plummet to death.
10. A WHOLE LOT OF CROOKS (ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN)
During a confrontation with Penguin’s gang, Batman is faced with a strongman-ish guy who, to his consternation, does not go down with one punch. Batman stuffs a Penguin bomb down the goon’s pants and throws him down a manhole.
9. REVERSE-FLASH (FLASHPOINT)
Flash attempts to navigate a new, harsher reality and finds a way to fix things while keeping his mother alive. Reverse-Flash shows up, and almost kills Barry, but Batman stabs him in the chest with Wonder Woman’s sword.
8. BANE (ARKHAM ORIGINS)
Batman is running foes set up by Joker and he Batman reaches Joker. Joker straps himself to an electric chair, while Bane is attached to the heart monitor. For each beat of Bane’s heart, the electric chair would charge until it kills Joker. Batman stops Bane’s heart with zappy gauntlets and restarts Bane’s heart. So it is a kill.
7. HARVEY KRUDEN (DETECTIVE COMICS #613)
Batman tussles Kruden but kicks him into another minion, and they two topple into a garbage truck’s crusher. Batman kicked the guy into a garbage crusher, and he does not seem broken up about it.
6. KGBEAST AND 20 OTHER GOONS (BATMAN V. SUPERMAN)
Starting with blowing up occupied cars with Batmobile that fires live ammunition, he attempts to kill Superman. He throws henchmen into hallways with live grenades. stabs people and forces them to fire guns at allies, and bashes a guys skull open with a giant crate.
5. KGBEAST (BATMAN #420)
After cornering KGBeast in a fight in the sewers, he realizes that even if KGBeast is captured, he will not face justice. He declines Beast’s challenge and instead locks the chamber leaving Beast to death.
4. JOKER (THE KILLING JOKE)
As the two laugh during a fight, Batman has his hand on Joker’s shoulder. Then they are separated by light. Joker’s laughter stops, replaced a whine of the police siren. The beam of light vanishes. And the remaining is open to interpretation.
3. RANDOM HENCHMAN (DETECTIVE COMICS #572)
In one confrontation with Moriarty’s henchmen, one of them opens fire on Batman, who grabs another henchman and uses him as a human shield. Batman did this to save his own life.
2. LORD DEATH MAN (BATMAN INCORPORATED #2)
Batman makes sure that Lord Death Man is locked inside a safe and put inside a satellite and launched into space without air, leaving him to spend an eternity suffocating to death and reviving repeatedly.
1. EVERY VILLAIN IN GOTHAM (BATMAN: THE RED DEATH #1)
In this, there are 7 alternate Batmen from doomed Earths, each of whom has merged with some aspect of another Justice League member. The first to receive Red Death merges with Flash in an attempt to save Earth with Speed Force. But he slaughters every villain in Gotham and does not save his Earth.
