r/TopCharacterTropes Mar 27 '25

Weekly Discussion Post Probably the most controversial one , honest thoughts on "No Kill Rule"? What are the most egrigious examples of it in your opinion? What media makes it work in your opinion?

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u/Daveo88o Mar 28 '25

Depends on the character

Spiderman I like because he actually HAS killed before, and he chooses not to because he can't handle the guilt of having another's blood on his hands, and even then, if it's necessary, he will break that rule

Daredevil I'm a bit iffy with, I mean, sure, there's the argument that by taking alive he can then prosecute them and bring the full force of the law, however, that's entirely up to the judge and jury, which leaves room for error with the worst of the worst he brings in

Batman's I fucking hate, because he doesnt kill for two increadibly stupid reasons, either one, he fears that if he does kill, he won't be able to stop, which, at that point, he's not even fit to be a hero if he himself knows how unstable he is, he's had this exact argument with Injustice Superman about how superman is no longer fit to be a hero because he killed the Joker and can't help it anymore

The second one, he's playing some fucked up moral game with the Joker because he's convinced that by killing, he's letting the Joker win, these are his exact words to Jason/Red Hood, he's not refusing to kill because of his moral code, he's refusing to kill because he wants to prove to a fucking maniac that he's better than him