Comments on: Thoughts About Moral Codes of Conduct, Justice, and Why Batman Should Have Killed the Joker

By: johno

johno — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:43:06 +0000

Some good points already made. I feel having witnessed evil and what it can do, in his youth, combined with his other experiences that Nolan’s Batman (and indeed, the more recent comic book Batman) is barking up entirely the wrong tree if “realism” is what they’re after. Bruce Wayne is very, very intelligent – which combined with these experiences – I’m pretty certain the intelligent and practical part of his brain would override any “moral” part, and he would kill the joker. As already mentioned above (and I agree), I think to protect his reputation he would just make it look like an accident or suicide.

Bob Kane (Batman’s creator) had him take life. As far as I’m concerned this is not only psychologically correct, but also canon; so far as the character’s personality is concerned. Batman actually says himself in the earlier days “Much as I hate to take human life, I’m afraid *this* time it’s necessary.” Now *that’s* a “disturbed” highly intelligent man talking right there…

By: BatSani

BatSani — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:58:48 +0000

I’m watching Batman since a was a kid, and I’ve been asking myself that same question over and over again until I realized that Batman and every other superhero that doesn’t kill (Spider-Man, Superman..) is right. Moral code isn’t something that Bruce Wayne made for him self, he just decided that he is going to follow the moral code of life that God gave to people (don’t kill, don’t swear, don’t smoke, use drugs…), you can do it too. And if he wants to be different that criminals he fight and make a difference, first he needs to be moral and then go out and uphold the law, if he ever crosses that line, every villain that Batman has ever faced will won, and all he trained and fought for his entire life will be gone.

By: Nate

Nate — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:13:37 +0000

I’ve thought about this a long time, and I totally disagree. Batman needs to kill the Joker and make it look like an accident. I think about Batman like I think about the Joker and the Riddler. Use a superhero archetype – all three are supermen with one limitation; Batman cannot break his moral code, Joker cannot kill without a reference to a … See Morejoke, and the Riddler can’t tell the world he knows who Batman is because that would ruin the riddle. If any of them were to overcome themselves, they would solve their problem. I don’t think it’s morality that keeps Batman from killing the Joker, I think it’s pride – it’s the fear of living with himself with the knowledge that he broke his own code. However, if you’re truly sacrificing yourself for a cause, I think you should be prepared to have to do that.

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:49:21 +0000

You raise a really good point. I guess this could just be a moral questions along the lines, “if you could kill hitler as a baby”. Now I don’t know how I feel about the situation. Part of my thinks he still should have taken the joker out, but you’re absolutely right — once you start down that road, you’re easily corruptible.

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:48:25 +0000

I’m going to have to disagree with you here. I think thats the whole point of Batman and really why the cops leave him alone (aside from they cant catch him anyway). If Batman began killing (like it appears he did in The Dark knight) the cops would be all over him. Thus ending his ability to work along side cops and save the countless (fake) lives … See Morehe no doubt will. Also, if he takes one life why not just walk through Arkham and take them all out? They’re gonna get out eventually and kill people, so why not prevent it? I don’t think the Psychologists of the Batman universe would agree and it would turn him into what he’s fighting…crazies in costumes.