In DC Comics, Batman is a hero well-known for two different but similarly related rules that he strives to abide by no matter the situation: Batman will never use a gun or kill. While the Dark Knight has done a commendable job over his long and storied career as Gotham City’s protector by staying true to these ideals, Batman once broke this rule in the face of ultimate evil, showing that sometimes lethal force is necessary to save the day.

Developing a slew of specialized gadgets to use during his nightly patrols, Batman’s signature batarangs, grapple gun, smoke pellets, and the rest of his high-tech gear always come in handy in a fight, with the idea of Batman ever truly wielding a firearm being slim to none.

Yet in a surprising twist, Final Crisis #6 sees Batman break his “no-gun” rule when confronting the nigh-omnipotent villain that is Darkseid. After a heated exchange between the two, Batman shoots the Dark God in the chest, setting in motion a series of events that eventually lead to both of their untimely demises.

Batman Broke His “No Gun” Rule by Using a Pistol Loaded With a Radion Bullet To Kill Darkseid

Final Crisis #6 - 2009 (Grant Morrison and Various Artists)

An epic tale where Darkseid finally won after unleashing the Anti-Life Equation, Final Crisis saw Batman captured and psychologically tortured in Command-D, a hidden bunker beneath Blüdhaven, with Darkseid intending to create a clone army of Batmen after breaking Bruce mentally. Escaping his confinement and retrieving a gun that he then slots a unique radion bullet into — a material toxic to Darkseid — Batman confronts the Dark God, saying, “I made a very solemn vow about firearms. But for you, I’m making a once-in-a-lifetime exception,” and then pulls the trigger, mortally wounding Darkseid and ending his reign over the DC Universe.

Technically breaking both of his sacred rules in one go, Batman, to be fair, quite literally saved the entire universe by breaking his “no-gun” edict, with his continued disgust for the tool feeling palpable on the as he tosses the spent gun away in the short moments before he is struck by Darkseid’s Omega Beams and “killed.” Though Batman could shoot his enemies dead whenever he pleases, that would obviously make him no better than the villains he fights. But in most extreme situations such as this, exceptions should be made, making this moment more cheerworthy than anything else.

DC’s “Main” Batman May Not Like Using Guns but Some of His Multiversal Variants Do

The Grim Knight Being One Such Example

Depending on the story being told and the continuity it’s set in, Batman has bent his “no-gun” rule before, but overall has an incredibly solid track record following this practice to the “T”. But with the introduction of the Dark Multiverse, this rule was utterly shattered, as a twisted Batman variant dubbed The Grim Knight became a walking arsenal of guns, explosives, and sharp pointy things to kill with. Batman may never use a firearm to take the life of an enemy he thinks he can save, but when it comes to Darkseid, he can’t pull the trigger fast enough.

Final Crisis #6 is available from DC Comics.