Why Superheroes Don't Kill - Issue At Hand, Episode 20
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Date: 2023-12-10
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Comments and reviews: 30
-foolslayer9416
This is my biggest problem with superheroes. When I bring up this debate, I'm usually given this answer, -because killing is wrong/not heroic-. How is it not heroic or morally good to kill? Aragorn from Lord of the Rings has killed hundreds of orcs and goblins to protect the people under his command, even risking his life to do so. There are soldiers and police officers that have killed criminals to protect their nation and/or the livelihood of the public.
There needs to be a hero that acknowledges that the Justice system is good, but it isn't perfect. That is why there needs to be a superhero that acknowledges that taking the life of a serial killer or a supervillain is heroic.
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This is my biggest problem with superheroes. When I bring up this debate, I'm usually given this answer, -because killing is wrong/not heroic-. How is it not heroic or morally good to kill? Aragorn from Lord of the Rings has killed hundreds of orcs and goblins to protect the people under his command, even risking his life to do so. There are soldiers and police officers that have killed criminals to protect their nation and/or the livelihood of the public.
There needs to be a hero that acknowledges that the Justice system is good, but it isn't perfect. That is why there needs to be a superhero that acknowledges that taking the life of a serial killer or a supervillain is heroic.
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-garrickgreathouse
Question for a Future Episode: Why are Mutants in Marvel comics still hated? It doesn't make sense anymore.
In a comic universe filled with mass murdering aliens, robots, Gods, demons, scientists and corporations, it doesn't make sense that the general public would be any less or more terrified of mutants than any other demographic.
Using Mutant hatred as a metaphor for racism made sense when the book was first launched, as crossover between titles was less common then, but how can your average Marvel Universe by-standards still single out Mutants as the focus of their hatred when so many other proper nouns are constantly setting things on fire and blowing stuff up?
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Question for a Future Episode: Why are Mutants in Marvel comics still hated? It doesn't make sense anymore.
In a comic universe filled with mass murdering aliens, robots, Gods, demons, scientists and corporations, it doesn't make sense that the general public would be any less or more terrified of mutants than any other demographic.
Using Mutant hatred as a metaphor for racism made sense when the book was first launched, as crossover between titles was less common then, but how can your average Marvel Universe by-standards still single out Mutants as the focus of their hatred when so many other proper nouns are constantly setting things on fire and blowing stuff up?
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polygon
I could try to come up with an in universe reason, but I won-t.
I will say this as a fan of comics since the late 50-s. That in all the superheros and comics heros you need different levels of moral codes of the different heros in the comics to make things interesting. That means you need criminals must be killed attitudes to no killing is acceptable attitudes and variations in between. If all heros killed casually or if they all refused to kill it would be too cookie cutter.
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I could try to come up with an in universe reason, but I won-t.
I will say this as a fan of comics since the late 50-s. That in all the superheros and comics heros you need different levels of moral codes of the different heros in the comics to make things interesting. That means you need criminals must be killed attitudes to no killing is acceptable attitudes and variations in between. If all heros killed casually or if they all refused to kill it would be too cookie cutter.
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polygon
this of course ignores the reality that in real life the criminal justice system is deeply corrupt and ruins lives on a daily basis. this also doesn't answer why these ultra bourgeois men like like batman and superman do nothing to question the violence and inherent criminality that is attached to their own lifestyles (i. e. lifestyles of capitalist excess and greed. perhaps that's why batman doesn't punish actual big time criminals; he's one of them.
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this of course ignores the reality that in real life the criminal justice system is deeply corrupt and ruins lives on a daily basis. this also doesn't answer why these ultra bourgeois men like like batman and superman do nothing to question the violence and inherent criminality that is attached to their own lifestyles (i. e. lifestyles of capitalist excess and greed. perhaps that's why batman doesn't punish actual big time criminals; he's one of them.
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-josephallison4302
Its kind of more interesting to see them solve a problem without killing anyone. You can brute force most problems but its not interesting and you don't learn, develop or prove anything. A story where someone gets through a maze by blasting holes through all the walls until they get to the centre would technically be an efficient way of solving a problem in the story but it wouldn't be as interesting. Limitations give stories structure.
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Its kind of more interesting to see them solve a problem without killing anyone. You can brute force most problems but its not interesting and you don't learn, develop or prove anything. A story where someone gets through a maze by blasting holes through all the walls until they get to the centre would technically be an efficient way of solving a problem in the story but it wouldn't be as interesting. Limitations give stories structure.
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-LupaDracolis
I also really like Cass Cain's reason for not killing (at least the one that's brought up in her run of Batgirl comics, I've not dipped into New 52 enough to know about her there) which is that because of how her brain works, she experiences the death with that person, and can't handle it. She thinks from there that any sort of killing is wrong, and at one point even breaks a man out of jail when she learns he has the death penalty.
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I also really like Cass Cain's reason for not killing (at least the one that's brought up in her run of Batgirl comics, I've not dipped into New 52 enough to know about her there) which is that because of how her brain works, she experiences the death with that person, and can't handle it. She thinks from there that any sort of killing is wrong, and at one point even breaks a man out of jail when she learns he has the death penalty.
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-Ceber300
I get superheroes not killing people, but I always find it odd that when a villain's handed over to the police there's never a single cop that, while transporting said villain to prison, finally snaps and kills them while they're incapacitated, consequences be damned. This isn't a valid option for villains like Zod or Magneto, but it could be applicable for almost every villain in Gotham.
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I get superheroes not killing people, but I always find it odd that when a villain's handed over to the police there's never a single cop that, while transporting said villain to prison, finally snaps and kills them while they're incapacitated, consequences be damned. This isn't a valid option for villains like Zod or Magneto, but it could be applicable for almost every villain in Gotham.
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-Lerkero
I agree that many superheroes are trying to -augment- the criminal justice system rather than replace it, but there is also the argument that self-defense is in order when someone is trying to kill you. In most places, lethal self-defense is legal.
of course, superheroes usually avoid being put on trial, so it's still a good idea to avoid killing.
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I agree that many superheroes are trying to -augment- the criminal justice system rather than replace it, but there is also the argument that self-defense is in order when someone is trying to kill you. In most places, lethal self-defense is legal.
of course, superheroes usually avoid being put on trial, so it's still a good idea to avoid killing.
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-payableondeath7
Question: What would be a good line-up for a Batwoman and the Outsiders team in your opinion? They kind of tried something like it in in the miserable Unknowns storyline (which honestly felt like they were trying to tank the book at that point, but I think after reading Tynion IV's Detective Comics run she could lead a squad of some kind.
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Question: What would be a good line-up for a Batwoman and the Outsiders team in your opinion? They kind of tried something like it in in the miserable Unknowns storyline (which honestly felt like they were trying to tank the book at that point, but I think after reading Tynion IV's Detective Comics run she could lead a squad of some kind.
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-Ruby_Coast
Could you do a short episode about the weird but kinda pretty interesting experiment DC did by having Stan the Man Lee do revamps of the main Justice League? I really wanna know what your thoughts about those were. Stan is p old now and he's not as sharp and also his prose can be much, but I gotta say I really like his version of Batman.
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Could you do a short episode about the weird but kinda pretty interesting experiment DC did by having Stan the Man Lee do revamps of the main Justice League? I really wanna know what your thoughts about those were. Stan is p old now and he's not as sharp and also his prose can be much, but I gotta say I really like his version of Batman.
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-achidifrick6124
I like this. Good reasoning. Only thing that I realised now though, is that B-Man doesn't have enough smarts to realise the system is completely broken. Although I think Punisher etc are indeed taking it a bit too far. Would be interesting to ask the question what it would take in the real world to actually make a change.
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I like this. Good reasoning. Only thing that I realised now though, is that B-Man doesn't have enough smarts to realise the system is completely broken. Although I think Punisher etc are indeed taking it a bit too far. Would be interesting to ask the question what it would take in the real world to actually make a change.
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-MichaelCadenPike
To say that if a superhero kills they would replace the criminal justice system is not true in a lot of countries in the world and states in america, since there isn't a death penalty everywhere. In places without a death penalty, they would be replacing the criminals with another criminal (themselves) if they killed.
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To say that if a superhero kills they would replace the criminal justice system is not true in a lot of countries in the world and states in america, since there isn't a death penalty everywhere. In places without a death penalty, they would be replacing the criminals with another criminal (themselves) if they killed.
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-JT_Jag
No one man has the right to be judge, jury and executioner-. To take in the fullness of another man's life and pass that final judgment on them, without the supervision of society. To take that step is to reject ordered society itself. I see that Susana came to more or less the same conclusion.
-unless they are Judge Dredd
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No one man has the right to be judge, jury and executioner-. To take in the fullness of another man's life and pass that final judgment on them, without the supervision of society. To take that step is to reject ordered society itself. I see that Susana came to more or less the same conclusion.
-unless they are Judge Dredd
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-solaceinrage
No mention of Deadpool? I'd have thought he'd be as obvious as The Punisher, or Spawn. Hawkeye, Thor, The Spectre, Black Panther and Aquaman have all willingly killed as well. Not Cyclops style -OIh no I can't control iiiittttt- but straight up murdered the villain in an expeditious and mostly unrepentant manner.
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No mention of Deadpool? I'd have thought he'd be as obvious as The Punisher, or Spawn. Hawkeye, Thor, The Spectre, Black Panther and Aquaman have all willingly killed as well. Not Cyclops style -OIh no I can't control iiiittttt- but straight up murdered the villain in an expeditious and mostly unrepentant manner.
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-quentinhoward99
Nope, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested. I think I made my point.
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Nope, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested, the villains break out again, kill more people, get arrested. I think I made my point.
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-screamwarrior8794
I thought it was kind of general knowledge that Batman doesn-t kill because if he did he-d be no better than the random mugger who killed his parents.
Also, Batman notwithstanding, superheroes have killed: Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman. the list goes on.
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I thought it was kind of general knowledge that Batman doesn-t kill because if he did he-d be no better than the random mugger who killed his parents.
Also, Batman notwithstanding, superheroes have killed: Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman. the list goes on.
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-PompeyMagnus487
Ratchet: No. If we kill him, we're no better than him. If we kill him, he wins. First Aid: Yeah except we are better than him and he doesn't win. He doesn't anything. He'sdead. That's the point
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Ratchet: No. If we kill him, we're no better than him. If we kill him, he wins. First Aid: Yeah except we are better than him and he doesn't win. He doesn't anything. He'sdead. That's the point
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-sabriel_
ok i've always been wondering why DC's go-to -weird skin color for aliens and robot characters- is green while Marvel's is blue. How did the weird-colored comic book characters start?
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ok i've always been wondering why DC's go-to -weird skin color for aliens and robot characters- is green while Marvel's is blue. How did the weird-colored comic book characters start?
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-Jericut
I have a question for an ep: how do good fourth wall breaking comics (gwenpool and good deadpool storylines) avoid seeming up their own tuckus when it's such an easy line to cross?
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I have a question for an ep: how do good fourth wall breaking comics (gwenpool and good deadpool storylines) avoid seeming up their own tuckus when it's such an easy line to cross?
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-Wolfphototech
The short and simple reason.
The comic book companies would run out of good ideas for super villains ages ago and would have to reset everything a 100+ times by now.
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The short and simple reason.
The comic book companies would run out of good ideas for super villains ages ago and would have to reset everything a 100+ times by now.
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-dreziv
I find the answer -because if they killed the villains, they wouldn't have any more villains for the heroes to fight- ridiculous, considering how often the universes get reset
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I find the answer -because if they killed the villains, they wouldn't have any more villains for the heroes to fight- ridiculous, considering how often the universes get reset
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-TevyaSmolka
Okay question do you think with the success of DC rebirth and marvel sales keep plummeting do you think its possible for marvel to finally do a major reboot
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Okay question do you think with the success of DC rebirth and marvel sales keep plummeting do you think its possible for marvel to finally do a major reboot
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-goddessblade
I laughed out loud when I saw that clip of dark knight with Batman making a speech, because he sounds very much like pete Holmes' impression of Batman
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I laughed out loud when I saw that clip of dark knight with Batman making a speech, because he sounds very much like pete Holmes' impression of Batman
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-paanoop
Because if Superheroes kill, then writers will have a hard time coming up with supervillains all the time.
Spawn, Deadpools are cool guys which I love
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Because if Superheroes kill, then writers will have a hard time coming up with supervillains all the time.
Spawn, Deadpools are cool guys which I love
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-shucksshinji
ANOTHER QUESTION: would be fun to know what everyone involved in the show's favourite superhero is, or what was the first comic they got into!
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ANOTHER QUESTION: would be fun to know what everyone involved in the show's favourite superhero is, or what was the first comic they got into!
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-brockmckelvey7327
What do you recommend as a good, modern (New 52 or more recent, and readily available comic series to get people started in comics?
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What do you recommend as a good, modern (New 52 or more recent, and readily available comic series to get people started in comics?
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-bloodangel13
Great explanations on why superheroes don't kill and all the reasons why I like anti-heroes more (besides being more compelling)
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Great explanations on why superheroes don't kill and all the reasons why I like anti-heroes more (besides being more compelling)
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-thirdbest2324
Why Superheroes Don't Kill should be about 10 seconds long and just be -Dead villains can't come back and sell more comics. -
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Why Superheroes Don't Kill should be about 10 seconds long and just be -Dead villains can't come back and sell more comics. -
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polygon
That clip from the Dark Knight looks and sounds so much like the parody Pete Holmes version. Man, Holmes nailed that impersonation.
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That clip from the Dark Knight looks and sounds so much like the parody Pete Holmes version. Man, Holmes nailed that impersonation.
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polygon
Superheroes are still fighting for the weak that is why they lose. Also, putting the villains in jail won't solve any problems.
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Superheroes are still fighting for the weak that is why they lose. Also, putting the villains in jail won't solve any problems.
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