How Many People Batman Killed (Before He Stopped Killing)

How Many People Batman Killed (Before He Stopped Killing)

Today, Batman is known as the prime example of a hero who follows a strict code of non-lethality – but he didn’t always spare the lives of his enemies. Aspects of the Dark Knight’s story and character have stayed the same for over 80 years – such as his tragic backstory, his cape and cowl, and his vast Wayne family fortune. But despite what DC Comics would have a current-day reader believe, Batman has killed multiple people – and he even saw some of his murders as completely necessary.

Batman was partially inspired by dashing heroes who fought against the corrupt elite, such as the Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and The Shadow. Creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger even considered giving Batman a sidearm, but eventually decided against it. Since the Comic Book Code was not yet in place (which prohibited heroes from killing their enemies, among other restrictions) and the previously-mentioned heroes killed, Batman killed as well – and even killed a foe in his first-ever issue.

In Detective Comics #27, Batman killed his first major villain when he punched Alfred Stryker off a bridge and into a tank of acid, commenting “A fitting ending for his kind.” Three issues later in Detective Comics #30, he would go on to kill a man named Mikhail by delivering a flying kick to his neck, snapping it in one swift motion. Batman’s third victim was a vampire (not a title or an illusion but an actual vampire, teeth and all), whom Batman shot with a silver bullet (“Never again will you harm any mortal being!” says Batman while delivering the fatal blow).

How Many People Batman Killed (Before He Stopped Killing)

Over time, the writers decided to make Batman slightly less of a cold-blooded killer. Batman kicked the villain of Detective Comics #37 into a blade protruding from a door – but one can make an argument that Batman was fighting in self-defense. However, this wouldn’t always be the case; in one of Batman’s most infamous moments in comics, Batman #1 depicts the Dark Knight in his Bat-Plane chasing a truck driven by two thugs. With the truck in his sights, he laments “Much as I hate to take human life, I’m afraid this time it’s necessary!” before shooting and killing the occupants. All in all, Batman would go on to kill eight people who did not come back to life later (the rarely-seen villain Hugo Strange was “killed” in the same issue, but later reappeared).

Bruce’s murderous ways would eventually come to an end in Batman #4, in which Batman reminds his new sidekick Robin while in the middle of a duel to “…use only the flat end of your sword, Robin! Remember, we never kill with weapons of any kind!” Batman’s so-called One Rule was thus firmly established, and would go on to be a central aspect of the character. Like any character, Batman took some time before becoming a well-known hero – especially for his strict adherence to his One Rule.