Batman won't use gun but he'll blow someone to pieces?

[Hellstormer]

Just recently I was putting away my Batman Confidential isses and I was just casually flipping through them when it occurred to me. Batman has sworn off gun and yet he uses rocket launchers and high powered explosives. Can someone explain to me how that is any better? It seems like a gunshot would be better than a frikken rocket launcher. Maybe it's just me.



Sorry if there already a thread about this I search and saw nothing on the first page of results.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

I'm a little confused myself such as in Batman'89 when during the parade sequence you see Batman clearly aiming a target at the Joker's head with rockets.

 

[Qoèlet]

I'm a little confused myself such as in Batman'89 when during the parade sequence you see Batman clearly aiming a target at the Joker's head with rockets.

Well, the whole no guns no killing angle didn't exist in the Burton films. Batman was just fine killing the bad guys all the time. In fact, his Batmobile and plane were both armed with machine guns amongst the rest of the arsenal.

As for the original question, not sure exactly what explosives you're referring to but usually when Batman's using that sort of thing in a comic book, at least these days, it's in an explicitly non-lethal way. Say, blowing through a wall, destroying robots/other evil inanimate objects, or firing at a superhuman being to whom such weapons aren't likely to be lethal. Guns aren't too useful for anything aside from killing normal people... or hunting, but I don't think Batman does that. Of course, the added twist sometimes put on the no-gun rule is the unpleasant association with the death of Batman's parents. And they were shot, not blown up, so that logic doesn't apply to bombs.

Additionally, there are some stories, which I would say with some degree of confidence were mostly written well over a decage ago where, much like in the Burton films, Batman's rules of no killing and no guns do not exist.

 

[kooguy911]

i love the scene in BR when he straps a bomb to someone and throws them aside.

Batman is a hypocrite. Who cares.

 

[Mr. Socko]

Yes. I LOVE the scene in Returns when Batman straps the bomb to the fat man then b*tch slaps him down the hole and he blows up.

 

[Mladen]

the burton movies totally don't count. He blows up all those guys at Axis chemicals, throws (several) men off of cathedrals, shoots down a bunch of guys at the parade with a machine gun, lights some guy on fire, blows up a strong man...
hell no.

 

[Capt Throbberson]

Didn't he technically kill all those ninjas in Begins? As well as the criminal he didn't want to kill in the first place since he was bound and most likely couldn't escape?

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

Didn't he technically kill all those ninjas in Begins? As well as the criminal he didn't want to kill in the first place since he was bound and most likely couldn't escape?

Both Burton and Nolan's Batmen have different moral codes than the traditional, modern Batman.

Comic Batman will often risk his own life to save the most ruthless villain from death.

Nolan's Batman won't kill you outright (as he says, he's "no executioner") but he'll leave you to your own devices. Whereas comics Batman would've carried Ra's off the train, Nolan's Batman leaves him. If Ra's is good enough to escape on his own, power to him. Same goes for anyone in the Monastery; if trained Ninjas can't escape a burning building, sucks for them.

And Burton's Batman will just plain shoot you. Or blow you up. Or throw you off a roof, splattering your blood across the pavement (RIP Johnny Gobs).

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

What I've always seen as a grey area in Batman's moral code (one worth exploring, I'd say) is why he wouldn't or shouldn't just cripple or permanently injure certain villains.

So he refuses to kill the Joker; at least break his back and confine him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. That would at least slow down any Arkham escape attempts and/or killing sprees.

 

[Joker]

And Burton's Batman will just plain shoot you. Or blow you up. Or throw you off a roof, splattering your blood across the pavement (RIP Johnny Gobs).

you know, it never occured to me till I read this that Batman probably did throw Johnny Gobs off that roof...

 

[Mr. Socko]

Johnny Gobs got it bad man, Batman snapped Gobb's head in between his thighs.