Batman Kills?

If there’s one thing that fans know about Batman (beyond the black cape and bat costume, and dead parents, and penchant for gadgets and toys), it’s his number one rule: don’t kill. But throughout the Caped Crusader’s extensive career, he’s nearly faltered, if not straight up broken his mantra on numerous occasions. Here are the top moments Batman was pushed over-the-edge.

Strangling a Mentally Ill Man

Contrary to popular belief, Batman didn’t start his career with his number one rule. During the Golden Age of comics in the 1930s, he would kill people with no remorse and even wielded a gun. This led him down a violent path of vigilantism that resulted in the deaths of numerous criminals. Most outrageously, he killed a mentally ill man that served as a gang’s strongman by lowering a noose from his Batwing, which snatched the strongman from the ground, strangling him to death.

Shooting Mad Monk in His Sleep

One of Batman’s earliest villains was the Mad Monk, a vampire who hatched a plot to kidnap and brainwash Batman’s then-fiance Julie Madison. Batman eventually thwarted these plans and saved Julie from Mad Monk’s menacing clutches. He then ended the ordeal by murdering Mad Monk in his sleep with a pistol.

Locking KGBeast in a Sewer to Starve

The 1980’s marked a new era for Batman killing people. One notable instance occurred during Batman’s bout with KGBeast, a short-lived villain sent to America by the Soviet Union. KGBeast forced Batman into a political stalemate: if Batman caught the man alive, he’d have to surrender him to the authorities. The villain would then be returned to the Soviet Union and likely escape legal punishment. This forced Batman to take desperate measures. Batman eventually lured KGBeast into a sewer and cornered him in an underground room. He then quickly closed the door and locked KGBeast in, leaving him inside to starve to death.

Kills Two Crooks Using a Garbage Truck Compactor

Batman was once forced to settle a turf war between two criminal-owned garbage disposal companies. The conflict culminated in an intense junkyard brawl between Batman and an army of crooks. During the scuffle, Batman knocked two of his opponents into a garbage truck’s rear compactor, where they were both crushed to death.

Killing Ra’s al-Ghul With Death Rays

Batman once had to battle a villain known as the Messiah of the Crimson Sun, who threatened the world with a satellite that could convert sun rays into dehydrating death beams. The battle took the pair into space where it was revealed that the Messiah was actually Batman’s nemesis Ra’s al-Ghul. The two fought, but when the villain’s plan began to go south, he attempted to flee in an escape pod. However, Batman used his handy spacecraft remote to slow down al-Ghul’s escape pod, and drag him into a wave of dehydrating death beams.

Choking Joker to Death. Or Does He?

Alan Moore’s iconic Killing Joke storyline pit Batman against Joker in yet another tumultuous battle. The conflict–which began when the Joker paralyzed Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl–culminated in a moment where the Caped Crusader offered to rehabilitate the Joker. The Joker refused Batman’s offer, instead telling a joke that caused the two to break out in laughter. What followed was an ambiguous scene that appeared to be Batman either putting his hand on Joker’s shoulder or strangling him to death.

Breaks Joker’s Neck and Paralyzes Him

If the Joker’s possible death at the end of the Killing Joke storyline was too ambiguous, The Dark Knight Returns offers a far clearer climax. This alternate universe storyline featured an older, more cynical Batman who comes back to crime fighting after having been retired for a decade. His return inevitably inspires Joker to go on a murderous rampage to get Batman’s attention. The two confront one another and engage in a brutal fight, which ends with Batman breaking Joker’s neck and paralyzing him. While Batman doesn’t murder him, the Joker uses his injury as an opportunity to commit suicide so he can frame Batman for his murder.

Murders Thugs With an Incendiary Bomb

All-Star Batman is bizarre alternate universe storyline with an overtly sociopathic Batman that forcibly kidnaps Robin to be his sidekick and refers to himself as the “Goddamn Batman.” It’s a ridiculous take on the character that features numerous instances of Batman murdering criminals. A significant moment has him using a makeshift incendiary bomb to set a group of thugs on fire. While this occurs, Black Canary shows up to assist but she ends up getting turned on by the violent ordeal, and starts making out with Batman as the criminals he murdered continue to burn to a crisp.

Kills Innocent People While Under Mind Control

Batman was once kidnapped by an evil cult that brainwashed him into joining their cause. As a result, he lost control and suffered numerous hallucinations. One moment from the comic showed him with a submachine gun unloading bullets into someone who appeared to be Two-Face. However, Batman awoke from this hallucination surrounded by dead bodies with a spent submachine gun in his hand. While it isn’t stated explicitly, it’s implied that Batman killed these people under the influence of the cult’s mind control.

Mortally Wounds Darkseid With a Gun Loaded with God-Killing Bullets

During the DC crossover event known as Final Crisis, infamous villain Darkseid threatened to undo all of existence. With nearly all of the universe’s heroes killed or out-of-commission, it was left up to Batman to defeat Darkseid. This meant breaking his other rule: never using a gun. To save the world, Batman loaded a gun with bullets made of Radion–a special material that can kill Darkseid–and shot him in the chest. The crossfire between his pistol and Darkseid’s laser eyes ultimately resulted in Batman’s temporary death in the DC universe.

Sends Lord Death Man Into Space To Suffocate Forever

Batman once had to fight a super villain known as Lord Death Man, a Japanese crimelord with the ability to constantly revive himself after death. Due to his powers, he believed himself to be the lord of death and embarked on a murderous rampage, killing hundreds of people. Batman realized that he could do little to stop Lord Death Man, so he decided to attach him to a rocket and launch him into space where he’d continually suffocate to death over and over again.