The superhero genre continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment industry, although the DC side of things is going through some major changes. While upcoming DC movies will be set in the new shared universe (starting with Gods and Monsters), the discourse about the DCEU hasn't slowed down. And after Zack Snyder defended making Batman a killer, a DC comic writer fired back.
The 300 filmmaker kickstarted the old DCEU with his trilogy of movies, including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That movie saw Ben Affleck play a violent and jaded version of the Dark Knight, with Snyder recently defending his choice to make him a killer. Writer Grant Morrison took umbrage with his assessment, posting on his Substack, (via ScreenRant) about why this was a misstep. In his words:
I was reading how film director Zack Snyder thinks Batman should kill as part of the character’s self-imposed mission to stop crime. [If] Batman killed his enemies, he’d be the Joker, and Commissioner Gordon would have to lock him up!
Well, that was a fair point. While Batman is a violent vigilante who uses fear to intimidate the villains of Gotham City, his code in most media means that he won't actually kill someone. Because as Morrison points out, that would make him no better than his enemies.
As Snyder explained, he wanted his DC movies (which are available to stream with a Max subscription) to challenge how audiences feel about various figures from the comics. And that includes having Batman go against his code and use deadly violence, nearly killing Superman in the process. And when he returned for Justice League he had seemingly learned his lesson.
Later in his post, Morrison further explained why he thought Batman killing stood against the character as a whole. Namely because his code is key to understanding Bruce Wayne's trauma and unique POV. In the writer's words:
That Batman puts himself in danger every night but steadfastly refuses to murder is an essential element of the character’s magnificent, horrendous, childlike psychosis.
Some serious points were made. In some ways Batman would be more understandable if he was a killer, where the no-kill rule shows that his childhood trauma continues to dictate his actions. Still, Zack Snyder is standing behind his creative choices.
It should be interesting to see what come next for Batman on the big screen. In addition to The Batman Part II with Robert Pattinson, the new DCU will seemingly introduce a new Dark Knight in The Brave and The Bold. We'll just have to wait and see if his no-kill rule stands.
The DCU will start with Superman: Legacy on July 11th. While we wait for James Gunn's plans, check out the 2024 movie release dates.
