Breaking Bruce Wayne’s one
rule alters the fundamentals
of the character, argues
Amon Warmannthe source material, to turn Batman
into a killer is to ignore his “one rule”,
a core trait that has defined the character
for decades.
Ever since the night his parents
were taken from him in Crime Alley,
Bruce Wayne dedicated his life to
ensuring that the same fate would not
befall anyone else. Not only would
becoming judge, jury and executioner
make Batman no better than the man
who shot his parents, but it also opens the
narrative up to a bevy of hard-to-answer
questions — not least of which is why the
Joker and other villains are still alive.
To be fair to Snyder’s defenders,
Batman v Superman is not the first
time Batman has killed on screen.
The Caped Crusader racked up quite
the kill count in both Tim Burton movies.
And he’s also culpable for some major
deaths in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.
But the Batman who says, “I won’t kill
you, but I don’t have to save you,” has
quite a different moral code from the
Batman who brands criminals and
goes on pre-meditated murder
sprees. As the DC comics writer
Gail Simone argued on Twitter:
“It changes Batman if he is
actually going out at night withIT’S BEEN THREE years since Batman v
Superman: Dawn Of Justice introduced us
to a new, ultra-violent version of Batman,
and it feels like we can’t stop debating it.
Not even the film’s director, Zack Snyder.
At a recent fan Q&A, the question
of why Batman kills in his movie was
brought up once again, and this time the
director was on hand to offer his rebuttal.
“Someone says to me, ‘Batman killed
a guy,’” Snyder began. “I’m like, ‘Fuck,
really? Wake the fuck up... It’s a cool
point of view to be like, “My heroes are
still innocent. My heroes didn’t fucking
lie to America. My heroes didn’t
embezzle money from their corporations.
My heroes didn’t fucking commit any
atrocities.” That’s cool. But you’re living
in a fucking dream world.’” To which
I say: really, Zack?
Batman is one of the most
mutable characters in comics, and while
it goes without saying that all creators
are allowed their own interpretations ofthe potential to kill people. One thing is
crime prevention, saving innocents,
the next is executions without trial.
That is a fundamental difference in what
we root for.”
Perhaps it’s not surprising that
Snyder, who directed an adaptation
of Alan Moore’s Watchmen in 2009,
would say that we’re “living in a
dreamworld” if we think that “heroes are
still innocent”. That comic — and film
— was a clever deconstruction of the
superhero genre, and is a text that
Snyder clearly holds in high esteem. But
applying that same logic to a figure as
archetypal as Batman without first
constructing this new version of him was
always going to lead to a jarring,
unpleasant experience.
Batman’s next cinematic steward
will be Matt Reeves, and while he hasn’t
confirmed that the no killing policy will
be in effect, the director has revealed that
his movie, scheduled for a 2021 release,
will focus on a younger, more
detective-minded Batman. After
years of brooding Bats,
perhaps the next version of
Gotham’s famous
crimefighter will be the hero
audiences need, and deserve.Above: The Dark
Knight turned killer in
Batman v Superman.
Below: Director Zack
Snyder says not all
heroes are innocent.SOUNDING OFF ON THIS
MONTH’S BIG NEWSALAMYZack Snyder
is wrong
about Batman