Batman has been going strong for over 80 years now. Since the character's inception in 1939, the Dark Knight has stood as a beacon of hope and justice to the people of Gotham City. As DC Comics fans surely know, the defining feature of Batman's moral compass is his strict "no kill" policy towards his enemies.

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Nevertheless, a lot can happen to a character in 80 years. Although Batman still sticks with this noble policy, there have been times where he's broken his own cardinal rule. Some examples of Batman killing a foe are unequivocally (and unapologetically) blatant, while others are a bit more complicated. Regardless, Batman has restored to lethality on more than one occasion.

8 Golden Age Batman - Numerous Occasions

Golden Age Batman

In DC's Golden Age of comics, the Batman character was still finding his footing. Traits that define the Dark Knight today were still being formulated in 1939 and the early 1940s. In Batman's formative years, Bruce Wayne's "no killing" policy wasn't quite so strict.

Numerous examples exist in Golden Age Batman comics where the Dark Knight dishes out overwhelming (and often lethal) force to the criminals of Gotham. Some of his early offenses include purposely throwing a man into a vat of acid, impaling another man on a sword, and even snapping another guy's neck! Only a bit later did Batman adopt his canonical non-lethal methods.

7 Michael Keaton's Batman - Numerous Occasions

Michael Keaton Batman relied more on expressions than dialogue

Fans that are well-versed in DC Comics history will notice quite a few striking similarities between the Golden Age Batman and Michael Keaton's iteration of the character. In Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, the Dark Knight isn't too broken up about killing thugs he comes across. This was an interesting decision, considering that by 1989 Batman's "no killing" policy had already been solidified in the comics for quite some time.

In fact, it's fair to posit that Keaton's Batman technically doesn't even possess a "no killing" rule. For example, in the first film, many fans are likely to remember the scene where Batman destroys the Joker's laughing-gas factory, along with everyone inside it. The Batwing is also armed with plenty of lethal weaponry. This version of the Dark Knight occupies an interesting morally gray area where both lethal and non-lethal methods are mixed, depending on the circumstances. Nevertheless, the Dark Knight's depiction in these movies is certainly at odds with the character's traditional representation.

6 The Dark Knight Strikes Again - Dick Grayson

Batman Kills Dick Grayson From The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Frank Miller's Batman is a rather frightening individual. There are instances where the character appears borderline homicidal. However, despite the ruthlessness that Batman displays in The Dark Knight Returns, Bruce Wayne still adheres to his non-lethal ways. Nevertheless, like the previous entry, there are times when Batman adopts a somewhat looser interpretation of his most basic rule.

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This becomes readily apparent in The Dark Knight Strikes Again. In this story, Batman is confronted by his former Robin, Dick Grayson, the latter of whom is bent on exacting revenge on his oftentimes cruel mentor. Beyond all hope of saving and seemingly indestructible, Batman purposefully hurls himself at Dick, causing the latter to fall into a chasm of lava.

Vampire Batman From The Red Rain Trilogy

The Batman & Dracula trilogy is a rather bleak, but captivating Elseworlds tale by Kelley Jones. In this three-part series, Batman tangles with the likes of Count Dracula himself. Although the bloodsucker is ultimately defeated, Bruce is bitten in the struggle and becomes a vampire as well.

Initially, Bruce manages his affliction but eventually succumbs to the beast within. Driven by his lust for blood, Batman forsakes his noble creed and butchers everyone in his path. He decimates his rogues gallery and even decapitates many of them! Witnessing Batman turn into something so monstrous is sad to behold.

4 Arkham Origins - Bane

Batman faces down against a power-up Bane in Batman: Arkham Origins

In Batman: Arkham Origins, players control the Dark Knight during the early stage of the crime fighter's career. On Christmas Eve, Batman is introduced to many of the villains that will eventually become his longtime enemies. One such character is Bane, a hulking mass of muscle who proves to be extraordinarily dangerous to the Dark Knight.

During the final portion of the game, Batman is confronted with an interesting moral dilemma: he must kill Bane in order to stop the Joker from killing himself by way of an electric chair. Ultimately, Batman actually does kill Bane, thereby saving the Joker. Bruce, however, revives Bane with the help of his electric gauntlets soon after. So, Batman does kill Bane...at least for a few seconds.

3 Batman Begins - Ra's Al Ghul

Batman-Begins-Ras-al-Ghul-death-scene

Fans of the Christian Bale trilogy already know where this one is going. Much like his modern-day comics counterpart, the Batman in the Dark Knight film trilogy adheres to a strict "no kill" policy. However, this creed is dramatically put to the test (and failed) at the end of Batman Begins in the final fight against Ra's al Ghul.

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Batman leaves Ra's al Ghul to die on a runaway train. Bruce's reasoning for this is given when he states, "I won't kill you...but I don't have to save you." From a strictly moral point of view, this is a rather illogical argument. By not saving Ra's, Batman is, in fact, killing him. No amount of shaky internal justification changes the fact that Batman had a chance to save someone's life...and didn't.

2 Arkham Knight - Ra's Al Ghul (Again)

Ra's al Ghul Arkham Knight

Ra's al Ghul can't catch a break. Another similar dilemma with the same villain plagues the Dark Knight in the Batman: Arkham Knight DLC, "Season of Infamy." In the scenario focusing on Ra's al Ghul, civil war erupts within the League of Assassins regarding whether or not the Demon's Head should continue to lead the shadowy organization.

Batman has two options when it comes to dealing with Ra's. One option entails severing Ra's supply of the materials that sustain his immortality. This ultimately ends the threat of Ra's al Ghul once and for all. However, once again, Batman is effectively killing Ra's al Ghul by this decision. In a sense, Batman knowingly forsakes his "no kill" rule to stop a dangerous killer.

1 Batman V Superman - Too Many To Count

dceu batman ben affleck

If people thought that Michael Keaton's Batman was ruthless, Ben Affleck's iteration of the character takes the cake. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Dark Knight doesn't make it a secret that he uses lethal force. The film could have explained a bit better why exactly Bruce acts in this manner.

The implication is that Batman may have once been an upstanding individual in the vein of his comics counterpart. It's implied that Batman lost his way somewhere along the line, perhaps after the death of Robin. Any semblance of a "no killing" rule is absent by the events of the film. Thugs are shot, blown up, and incinerated at multiple points throughout the film.

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