Probably the most controversial one , honest thoughts on "No Kill Rule"? What are the most egrigious examples of it in your opinion? What media makes it work in your opinion?

[u/Doot_revenant666]

[u/david_this_isnt_weed]

I’m sure everyone else has said this, but with Batman it’s a classic case of his character not evolving while the threats and situations he faces do. When the character was first created he was much more detective than sole enforcer, and in this way he was a counter to an era which saw an increasing amount of authoritarian power and violent repression. Batman saying outright that he doesn’t have that jurisdiction, and willingly withholds his own strength to just do his part to help the democratically elected officials carry out their job, shows him as the paragon he’s meant to be. His no kill rule is less a character choice at this moment and more a message of resistance against violent solutions to conflict. It also puts him more in line with someone like Sherlock Holmes, where people would find it insane if he ended a case by just shooting the guy who did it.

In the century or so since, the whole landscape has changed around this. People see heroes like Batman as more responsible to completely prevent all crimes because we’re used now to the idea that if not him, nobody else will. Arkham’s security became a running joke, and his villains evolved in their brutality and scale. At first many were more thieves than serial killers, and those that did kill were expected to be dealt with permanently by prison at the end of the issue, same as other serialised pulp. Now nearly all of them are sadistic serial killers who don’t just kill tens but actively threaten to level whole cities sometimes, so we increasingly want to see Batman put them down the way real law enforcement mostly would.

People think the “slippery slope” argument is silly, but that’s only because we are external observers of this clean cut fictional world with heroes and villains. In real life when authorities start taking the whole concept of justice into their own hands, we end up with a very real slippery slope of oppression and tyranny. I think it’s a good thing to have Batman remain a symbol of saying no to that, no matter what fans say. If the people of Gotham choose to kill joker, they can do so within the proper legal channels, not due to the whims of a crazy bird themed masked vigilante.