Batman famously only has one rule - ‘no killing’ - and it’s a rule that some Batman fans take more seriously than others. Some think there’s little difference between killing a man and breaking virtually every bone in his body, whereas others believe it’s the definitive line Batman doesn’t cross that keeps him from being no different to the thug who killed his parents.
Since 1989, there have been seven different solo movies and five different actors filling in the cape and cowl, including the ultra-violent Bat-Fleck (short for Ben Affleck from the DC Extended Universe). With all those different takes on the caped crusader, there have been increasingly more injustices made by the “vigilante” that have gone against his one rule, and they’ve just been swept under the rug.
The Joker’s Goons (Batman)
As the Batmobile is stationed at one Joker’s safe houses, the Joker’s goons assume that Batman is sitting tight inside the ridiculously long car. The goons start shooting at the body of the vehicle (as if that would even do anything) but as they are distracted, a metal bomb rolls out from the wheel and by the goons’ feet.
The bomb explodes, not only killing the goons, but blowing the whole area to smithereens. And somehow, the Batmobile rides out without a scratch. Needless to say, there were no survivors.
The Joker (Batman)
One of the things audiences didn’t know about Jack Nicholson’s Joker is that he shaped the way people looked at the the character today. Not only that, but he started a trend of Batman’s villains dying from a really large fall.
But it wasn’t just a slip that led Nicholson’s Joker to falling from the top of that gothic, very Burton-esque cathedral. Instead, Batman used his grappling hook to tie him to the church's gargoyle and make him plummet to his death. This, of course, after Joker its that he could "kill himself" because he's so darn funny.
The Fire Eater (Batman Returns)
Reintroducing Batman to audiences a couple of years removed from its cinematic predecessor showed that Batman had not only doubled down on the murders in the years since, but he is outright being creative with it!
When Batman jumps back in to the Batmobile after battling all of the Penguin’s thugs, an unfortunate stray fire eater is in the wrong place at the wrong time, as the fumes from the exhaust completely set the fire eater alight. It's an ironic death, sure, but what was a circus pyro artist going to do against a Batmobile anyway? Was this really necessary, Bats?
The Tattooed Strongman (Batman Returns)
As part of the Red Triangle Circus gang, the overpowering, tattoo-covered meathead was the only thing standing in between Batman and Penguin during their initial attack on Gotham City. The circus strongman stood confidently in front of Batman, only for the Dark Knight to casually shove three sticks of dynamite into his waistline before kicking him down a nearby manhole where he promptly explodes.
What makes the murders in Batman Returns more psychopathic and grimly hilarious is that Batman’s life is never even in danger; he just wants to murder people!
Two-Face (Batman Forever)
Batman was fairly well behaved throughout we wish appeared in the Tim Burton movies, and his time in Forever will always be ed for having the most moronic death in the series.
Standing on a ledge with Batman, Robin and Dr. Meridian at gunpoint, Two-Face flips his coin to see if he should pull the trigger. Batman foils the villain with a prank, simply throwing coins at him. Two-Face tries to catch one of them, but he loses his balance and falls hundreds of feet to his death. Why Batman had a bunch of coins in the first place and where he kept them is a mystery for the ages.
The League Of Shadows (Batman Begins)
Rebooting the series from the ground up, Christopher Nolan did a great job of trying to ground the Caped Crusader in reality, giving a plausible explanation for the Batmobile and nifty gadgets, which is one of the ways why it’s the director’s most underrated movie. But there are some Batman tropes that Nolan just couldn’t shake off. One, in particular, is Batman's habit of accidentally murdering people.
After completing his training with The League Of Shadows, Bruce Wayne is asked to behead a thief as the final rite of age. Bruce refuses since he believe that this brutal form of justice isn't right. And so, fighting in the name of the sanctity of life, he starts a fire that kills most of the League and even the man he refused to execute. Good job, Bruce.
Ra’s Al Ghul (Batman Begins)
In the climax of on-screen versions of Ra’s Al Ghul) is pinned down on a derailed tram and gets crushed.
Batman famously says “I’m not going to kill you, but I don’t have to save you” before gliding out of the tram and leaving Ra's to his doom. Why yes Bruce, you did kill him; that is the exact definition of manslaughter.
Two-Face (The Dark Knight)
After a ton of high-octane action sequences making use of practical effects -- which is one of the most common elements of a Christopher Nolan movie -- it all comes down to the final hushed scene between Two-Face, Batman, and Jim Gordon’s family.
Two-Face points the gun at the Commissioner’s family, but before he can shoot, he gets tackled by Batman. He then, as per franchise tradition, falls down several stories to his death. Compared to every other death here, though, Two-Face's fall was more of an inevitable tragedy than borderline sadism on Batman's part.
Everyone In The Warehouse (Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice)
In the backend of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, after the two heroes have become best pals because their moms share the same name, Batman searches for Martha Kent and winds up in a warehouse full of Lex Luthor's henchmen.
If it wasn’t for the dark lightning, viewers might have been able to see Batman drooling with excitement at the prospect of wanton murder. The combat showcased here is actually one of the things director Zack Snyder gets right about Batman and the whole scene is a joy to watch, but not one those guys is coming out of that warehouse alive.
Literally Everyone In Sight (Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice)
The most murderous part of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t perpetuated by an insufferable Lex Luthor or an ugly Doomsday, but Batman drifting around in his BatTank that literally has a machine gun attached to the hood. Batman thinks he’s playing Grand Theft Auto or something, as he’s pointing the gun at anything he thinks will explode and/or bleed.
On top of that, the few pitiful criminals he decides not to kill are branded with the Bat logo, which is known to be a death sentence when they enter jail anyway. Truth be told, this isn't really Batman; it's The Punisher with a trust fund.
