Batman and not so honorable reality behind his no-kill-rule
The problem with batman no-kill-rule is complex and in one of the more understandable but also infuriating thing to think about.
Because why Batman doesn’t kill? Because morality? Because we are not a judges and executioners? Yes, but only to a degree, there is much less honorable reason why Batman is so obsessed with non-lethal solution even if they don’t work.
It is his metal health or lack of it.
Batman is sick, really sick, from the day he saw mugger kill his parents, he have some deep fantasy on just going off and killing everyone that he sees as threat, that he should consult with psychotherapist about, but instead he take it out by beating criminals and never fully heals.
Batman put on himself “no-kill-rule” not fully because of the morality, but as a last straw, the last barrier from turning him into same goons he kills.
If he kills or will not try to actively prevent killing someone he will start justify killing someone again.
Batman kills Joker? > it’s ok to kill Riddler > it’s ok to kill Pengwin> it’s ok to kill Two-Face > it’s ok to Clayface > it’s ok to kill Harley > it’s ok to kill random murderer > it’s ok to kill jaywalker
This is batman fear of what will become of him if he kills and the sad part is, it’s probably true.
Depending o writer, but it seem there is always something wrong with batman, he have multiple personalities, and one of them is deranged lunatic that will justify any kill, and the no-kill-rule is the only thing that doesn't release him out, and batman is so scared of him that he even make a robot to kill him if he kills someone.
So no, opposite to what some people say batman shouldn’t kill Joker, as he will become Joker himself if not worse.
But that doesn’t mean anyone shouldn’t kill and there where Batman second problem shows up.
Because not everyone is batman, not everyone have same trauma, not every kill is black and every spare is white, and not everyone will turn into vengeful killers that will hunt jaywalkers.
But batman can’t understand it. Even if he actively isn’t aware of it, he seem to put everyone to the same standard as he is in.
No matter if it’s in self-defence against a lunatic that killed thousand, you kill him, you are same like him, you will become like him, because batman would.
When Red Hood points gun at Joker, the complete lunatic that killed hundreds for pleasure, and will not redeem, that is about to be killed by his son, a person who protects Crime Valley, is adored by civilians, and want to clear wrongness i Gotham for good.
He doesn’t see that, he sees Joker and to-be-new-joker, he thinks, no… he knows that Jason will become Joker if he kills more, because batman would.
Batman would throw batarang at Jason and potentially scar or disable him permanently, rather than let him kill complete psychopath that will kill more, because he believes that nothing would change that Jason would become Joker if he kills Joker… because batman would.
Batman in all his intelligence can't comprehend that not all kills are bad, that not all soldiers that killed for their countries are deranged psychopaths, that the father that in self-defense killed an armed robber that break into his house where his kids slept, will one day not kill his own family because “you killed once, the rest will come easier”.
That’s not how that works, and when batman logic can understand this, his in the end, much stronger emotional side cannon accept this.
“If he can’t kill how can others? They can’t! they maybe have more restrain than me, like Jason who killed some people and don’t seem that changed, but it only matter of time, and more kills, I have to prevent every possible one so he can't change, maybe I should sent him to Arkham, where he can’t kill anyone. Because I know he will turn into Joker one day, I know because batman would.”
In the end, batman doesn’t really not kill anyone because of morale, but because he is sick and try to hide it behind his noble but illogical worlds like "if you kill a killer the number of killers stay the same", and the “no-kill-rule” is the last think that keep him in check, and that’s a rule that he more or less attach to everyone not understanding that, not everyone is Batman.
