DC‘s latest Batman movie features a Dark Knight who is not afraid of getting bloody, and I’m convinced that makes perfect sense for this iteration of the hero. While that has happened at times, especially in Elseworlds stories, Batman is not meant to kill in DC Comics. He has a strict no-kill rule, which other members of the Bat-Family follow.
Batman’s live-action movies have played fast and loose with his no-kill rule, ranging from Batman directly killing villains to indirectly murdering several goons. Most live-action Batman actors have seen their versions of the Dark Knight kill at least one character. However, Batman’s animated movies are closer to the comics, but not when it comes to the hero’s 2025 film.
Batman’s New Movie Has A Dark Knight Who Kills & It Makes Sense
2025 has seen the release of a new Batman movie, the animated Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires. The film is an Elseworlds story that could serve as the first chapter of a brand-new Batman universe, judging by how it sets up a few storylines for a sequel, including the arrival of the Penguin in Aztec Batman‘s post-credits scene.
Two-Face, who is the leader of the Spanish conquistadors, Hernán Cortés, kills his way through the Aztec Empire. After leaving a trail of blood behind, which includes the father of protagonist Yohualli Coatl, DC’s new Batman, Cortés and his army try to take the capital of the Aztec Empire, Tenochtitlan. During the final battle, Batman finds himself forced to kill.
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Two-Face’s men were using ships to shoot at the Aztecs, having great success. As such, Batman uses his glider to soar above the ships, dropping bombs that explode them and kill Two-Face’s men. With the limited technology the Aztecs had in comparison to the conquistadors, Batman did what he could. DC’s new Batman movie is also R-rated, so the hero killing is fitting.
Why The DC Universe’s Batman Should Not Kill
While Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is an R-rated, Elseworlds movie, DC’s next live-action Batman will come from a very different background, and as such, he should follow the comics’ example and honor Batman’s no-kill rule, instead of repeating what 2025’s animated Dark Knight has done. After all, Gunn’s DC Universe is a shared universe deeply tied to the comics.
David Corenswet’s Superman felt as authentic to his comic book self as possible, including when he tried to get the Justice Gang not to kill the kaiju. Batman needs to have that level of comic book accuracy for his personality in the DCU. Given that the no-kill rule is a huge part of who he is, DC’s next Batman must not kill.
Release Date
September 18, 2025
Runtime
89 minutes
Director
Juan Jose Meza-Leon
Writers
Ernie Altbacker
Producers
Aaron Berger, James Krieg, Michael Uslan, Fernando de Fuentes Sainz, Jose C. Garcia de Letona, Sam Register, Alicia Núñez Puerto, Tomás Yankelevich, Carina Schulze
Hernán Cortés / Two-Face (voice)
Horacio García Rojas
Yohualli Coatl / Batman (voice)