Top 10 Times Batman Has Killed Someone
Turns out that the Dark Knight has broken his one rule…quite a lot. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we are counting down our picks for the top ten times Batman has killed someone.
For this list, we'll be looking at instances across various media when the Caped Crusader has taken a life. Doesn't matter if it was by accident or because he decided to just get his murder on. This also applies if these people managed to come back to life later on. Also, be on the lookout for a few spoilers down the line.
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#10: The Fall of Harvey Dent “The Dark Knight” (2008)
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In Christopher Nolan’s Bat-Universe, Batman may have refused to kill the Joker, but the hero’s former ally Harvey Dent wasn’t so lucky. After the psychotic clown murdered Dent’s beloved Rachel’s, the District Attorney slowly fell victim to his own form of madness. He became the ruthless Two-Face, whose every villainous act hinged on the flip of a coin. Blaming Jim Gordon for the current state of affairs, he held Jim Gordon’s son at gunpoint, with a coin toss determining his fate. Luckily, Batman decides to intervene before the coin can determine the outcome, saving Gordon’s son in the process. Harvey on the other hand is sent literally over the edge.
#9: The Green Dragon Detective Comics #39 (1940)
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When dealing with a gang of criminals as dangerous as the Tong of the Green Dragon, the World’s Greatest Detective uses everything in his environment to his advantage in order to win the day. But maybe he went a little too far with this one. After being cornered by the horde, Batman decides to hold them off by taking their giant statue and dropping it onto them. Uh, we know you want to avenge the murdered mayor of Chinatown, but crushing a whole bunch of gang members probably is the not the best way to go about it.
#8: Starving KGBeast Batman #420 (1988)
When you’re backed into a corner with a savage supervillain coming at you with intent to kill, it’s possible to see how a fatality could occur in the name of self-defence. This is not one of those times. After engaging in an all-out brawl, Batman eventually overcomes the Russian death machine known as KGBeast, who has been sent to assassinate the President. Problem solved? Not quite. You see instead of incarcerating him in prison or even leaving him with a few broken bones, Batman goes out of his way to lock him underground with no means to escape. He then just walks away, essentially leaving him to starve to death.
#7: The Warehouse “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
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Not surprisingly, many Batman fans were not too happy when they saw their hero going around killing henchmen left and right in Zack Snyder’s film interpretation of the character. This reached a peak when he put his differences with Superman aside in order to save the Man of Steel’s mother. Because, you know, Martha. The fight choreography in this scene is truly something to behold, almost like it was ripped straight out of the Arkham games. However, we’re pretty sure that a few of those goons aren’t getting up from that beat down, especially the guy whose flamethrower he caused to explode.
#6: Batman = Hangman Batman #1 (1940)
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We all know that back in the day the Bat had no problem with taking a life, but even by those standards this is really pushing the envelope. After a group of mental patients are turned into freakishly strong killers and sent on a rampage, it’s up Batman to put a stop to them. Maybe by restraining them until they can be cured of the affliction? Nope. He hops into the Batwing, fires off a cable, latches it around one of the patient’s necks, and hangs him until he’s put out of his misery. Not…quite the approach we would have gone for.
#5: Acid Bath Detectives Comics #27 (1939)
The first ever appearance of the Caped Crusader may be a landmark comic and one of the most sought after in all of existence, but it also features a pretty grizzly death for an unfortunate criminal. Solving the Case of the Chemical Syndicate, Batman manages to put down the leader of the criminal operation, Alfred Stryker, with a well-timed punch…which also sends him flying into a vat of acid where he meets a rather sticky end. Huh, that sounds like the origin story of a certain murderous clown we all know and fear.
#4: Taking Out the Trash Detective Comics #613 (Apr., 1990)
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Well on a more positive note it looks like that Batman regrets accidentally sending a couple of criminals to what must be a rather painful end. The Dark Knight finds himself in the middle of a deadly dispute between rival garbage disposal companies. When one of them kills the innocent son of a garbage worker, Batman tries to bring them to justice. But while fighting, he ends up knocking the gangsters into a garbage grinder. The results are as you would expect, with Batman’s reaction perfectly capturing the shock and horror as the nameless goons are turned into bloody scrap. But hey, at least he feels bad about this one!
#3: The God Bullet Final Crisis #6 (2009)
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So you know Batman despises guns due to them being the tool that took his parents from him, essentially left him traumatised and makes a point never to carry one? Well that goes out the window when it comes to Darkseid. Now granted, if there was anyone who deserved to get put down, the Lord of Apokolips is definitely in his own top ten. Despite the radiation bullet only mortally wounding him, it does allow for the others to finish Darkseid off. With the fate of the universe on the line, Bruce Wayne is willing to go to the edge to save it.
#2: The Last Laugh “The Killing Joke” (1988)
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The conclusion to what many consider one of the greatest Batman stories has stirred debate in recent years. After defeating Joker and saving Gordon from his own personal house of horrors, the story ends with the Joker telling Batman a grim joke. Joker, of course, finds it hysterical…but so does Batman. The two laugh uncontrollably, and the focus shifts away from them to a beam of light. By the final panel, the light is gone and the laughter has stopped, leading some fans to insist that this means Batman killed the Joker. While this one is up in the air as to wether or not the Caped Crusader ended The Joker for good, we’re in the ‘Batman totally killed him’ camp.
#1: The Goddamn Batman “All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder” (2007)
From the man who brought us The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, Frank Miller’s reimagining of the dynamic duo gave us a Batman who for lack of a better word was absolutely nuts. He kidnaps Dick Grayson and forces him to become Robin, acts like a spoiled chid while making enemies of the Justice League and of course kills criminals. The best and most otherworldly example being when he sets some baddies alight…while getting laid. That’s right; the Dark Knight burns criminals alive as he gets his freak on with Black Canary. Why, you might ask? Because he’s the goddam Batman! Do you agree with our list? What’s your fondest memory of Batman killing someone? With new top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.