By: Thomas Horvath

Everyone knows Batman. If you went to someone on the street, they would probably tell you these things about him: his parents were shot, his sidekick is Robin, and he doesn’t kill. That last one is always associated with the caped-crusader, but was it originally intended? And is it a good piece of a character for the vigilante?

People associate him with not killing his villains because, in his most iconic versions, he does not. Batman: The Animated Series, The Dark Knight, and his newest adaptation, The Batman, all have him not kill the villains. Why did this start? You may think it was because writers did not want to come up with more villains, or it being because he is supposed to be a “good guy” but it’s actually because of a head writer at DC stating that he was no longer allowed to use guns or kill people in the comics anymore. But I think it works perfectly for his character.

Batman lost his parents at a young age, with them being shot and mugged in front of him after watching a play. This made Batman sensitive to death in a way, with him not wanting to take away someone else’s life like when his parents were taken from him. People think of him as a grumpy anti-hero, but he’s not that at all. He’s the definition of a hero, using his great power to help those who do not have what he has. Batman cares for life, if he didn’t believe that, he would not fight crime. Even if it makes his job harder, he is not going to take someone’s life away. He believes in second chances and redemption, not execution. That is why Batman does not kill his villains anymore.