Why do you say that?

Vigilantism already has a bad name.

Also, you're going to compare killing a homicidal clown (seriously, how many times would Batman killing him have been in self-defense,) to mass murder, domestic terrorism, kidnapping, assault, and battery (of a minor?)

I bet money they'd throw Batman a parade if he finished off Joker once and for all.

I find it a bit odd that people say not killing Joker is Batman's worst decision.

If he did that, do you know how many people would groan and moan about them killing off one of comic's biggest villians?

Jmarshmallow

Who knew this would turn in to a hate Batman thread as well,I'm so shocked. Batman has no reason to kill the Joker,he has no reason to even be Batman,he could spend his nights as a rich boy,Gotham should be thankful,he's serving the public . He has not been legally sanctioned by the government,it's not like he's violating orders by not killing the Joker. He's made perimeters for himself,that's his decision,he can choose to kill Joker or not,he isn't bound. It's the job of the court to sentence Joker to death. Not killing Joker shows his will and resolve,anyone else would've cracked a long time ago,and that's a key feature of their dynamic.

lol

I think if we had a poll Jason Todd style which Batman villain should be killed off and NOT come back until another reboot or so I'm pretty sure people won't vote Joker.

Because he doesn't. He's in control of himself and seeking that kind of help will only get him into trouble storywise.

They'd throw an even bigger parade if Superman and all the other heroes killed their enemies but I don't see any people bringing them up.

But are they? They kill more people than Joker, cause more destruction than Joker and unlike Joker they are not mad. Batman's image is just as important if not more than Superman or Spider-Man, he shows a common man's will to fight injustice without becoming a psychopathic murderer.

Besides the fact he decide to use the costume?

All his bad decisions came from that decision.

QFT

@rustyroy: Yeah, they are. They've done provable good as opposed to the irredeemable Joker. And sorry but that thing about Batman's image being the "common man" is crap.

Nope they aren't, they'll go back to being bad guys because that's what they are. And they've killed more man, destroyed more properties, on that alone they are more guilty than Joker. And its not crap, its true.

@brinkthemoviemyfavoritemovie: That's because they've been given the chance to do good. Joker is insane, therefore there's a chance, however miniscule, that he'll get better. It wouldn't be right for a man that doesn't follow the law to end a man of the state's life.

@rustyroy: How would sitting down with Martian Manhunter or Black Canary for two hours, three times a week get him in trouble? You say he's in control, but if he's always so scared to "cross the line," maybe that's not the case.

You don't see them being brought up because this is a Batman thread. Also, Lex actually does some good with Lex-Corp. Most of his big opponents aren't the constant threat Joker is cause they're off-world. What good does The Joker do?

You think they'd ever write a story where he sits down with MM? And he doesn't even need it. Many superheroes don't cross the line so everyone of them should get help? Batman hasn't crossed the line so he's still in control. I don't see them being brought up anywhere but I see Batman brought up in this thread, gen. discussion, DC comics forums. And these some goods you're talking about are puny compared to the bad he does, he killed more people than Joker, destroyed more properties so does most of Superman's villains. Joker at least gets caught so there are many other people who can kill him, Judges can sentence him to death, cops can kill him, so even if Batman doesn't do it then it doesn't matter but how many people can kill characters like Lex, Norman, Sinestro, Zoom, Brainiac etc.?

Mot killing the Joker really is the stupidest thing he's done

@rustyroy: They've done plenty of stories, so why not. And the fact he hasn't killed Joker isn't the point. The reason not everyone has to see a therapist is because not everyone had to watch their parents gunned down, before them. That's not something a little boy just shrugs off.

Well then just visit their character specific forums if you wanna talk about other characters.

Here's the difference. Lex is sane, and does what he does for personal gain. Joker is insane and does worse for pleasure. And I'll take a little good in Lex over no good in Joker.

Also, Joker can get caught, but Batman will save him if he's in danger anyway. And you say it doesn't matter, but I'm sure Gordan, Barbra, and Jason would disagree. And as far as judges go, you really think Joker won't get off by reason of insanity?

I'd say a good deal of people. Superman, Shazam, and Spider-Man come to mind.

Many characters saw their parents or loved ones get killed in front of them, they don't go to therapists. And I visit plenty of characters forums and I don't see people talking about 'why doesn't Superman kill Lex, why doesn't Spider-man kill GG'. And you stated the reason why Lex is more evil. And Batman won't save Joker from any danger, he wanted to kill him himself a number of times. And I'm pretty sure Gordon, Barbara and Jason has just as many reason to kill joker, why don't they do it instead of Batman? Even if the judges don't do it, a lot of cops can. See all the people you've mentioned are not normal human, Shazam doesn't have much reason to kill Luthor when Superman's around, Superman is one of the few people who can kill Luthor, when there's a lot of people who can and want to kill the Joker.

So just because other people don't go to a doctor, that makes it correct? You really think Batman is a healthy individual?

If you don't see people asking those questions, go to the forums and ask them yourself if it interests you that much.
Batman would totally save Joker, because if he can help anyone, he will. He'll knock him out, but he'll save him first. Under The Red Hood was a perfect example, when Jason was trying to kill Joker. Who came to his rescue?

We've already established that Batman will stop them, so why bother? Besides, Barbara is too nice and Gordon is too good. Jason has given up because of Batman, and as for other cops, I'm sure they've tried. But he somehow comes back, if Batman didn't come to his aid.

What does it matter if they're not human? I could have said a host of people could kill Luthor. At his best, he's been trained by Amazons. He's not tough. It's just the way comics have been written. It's why Joker remains alive, despite having his face cut off, being blown up, etc.

Its not incorrect either, why would he go to a doctor anyway? What is his problem really? Does he abuse himself or any other person?

It doesn't interest me, I believe that characters like Superman, Batman and Spider-Man are more than that, they are not judge, jury or executioner. I'm just tired of people who will defend Superman and others but condemn Batman. Do you know how many threads are like this one about Batman? He's the only one who's targeted. According to CV's rule this thread should'v been locked a long time ago.

Batman won't save Joker if the court orders it, he hates him, he'd like to make him better if he could but he won't go out of his way to save the Joker if he's guilty, he himself wanted to kill him many times. You're talking about the movie? Cause I remember him letting Jason kill Joker.

You established that Batman will save him, not me. So Barbara is too nice and Gordon is too good and Batman is very bad? Jason doesn't care about what Batman thinks, he can kill Joker if he wants to but he doesn't, he had the perfect chance of killing Joker but no he wanted to force someone else for the job. I've only seen one cop try to kill Joker, he shot him right in the head and you know what did Batman do? He threw him in the trash cans.

Luthor is one of the most powerful and wealthiest man in DCU, he can buy judges, cops etc. you can name many people who can kill Luthor but can you mention why would they kill him? Joker is more easier to kill and more than one person has reasons to kill him.

You could argue he does abuse himself. Like I said, he constantly tries to see how little sleep he can get so he can go running around Gotham, for no other reason than he can't let go of what happened to his parents. As a result, it's become an obsession. An unhealthy obsession.

Well, it's a thread asking what his worst decision was. That's not inherently spiteful. People can and will and have made it so, and I was personally joking (though I do believe Batman is unhealthy.) But that aside, Batman and Superman aren't the same. Batman killing is arguably the more realistic, though less explored of the Batman vs. Superman stories.

The court won't kill him. They can't. You know what they'll do? They'll send him to Arkham, and he'll be back on the streets the next night.

Nobody said Batman was bad. I'd say Barbara is the last person to kill a man, and that's essentially what Batman said about Gordon when he was about to kill him. Batman is just darker, and I think we weren't watching the same movie. In the one I'm thinking, he was about to burn Joker and some mob bosses to a crisp. He was stopped by Batman dropping foam on them.

You already said it. He killed people and destroyed land.

@darksideanime: Why hasn't Red Hood killed the Joker yet? Why hasn't anyone in this city killed the Joker? These corrupt cops aren't going to get anything out of letting him live, so why don't they kill him? I don't understand that. If Bane was able to break open Arkham, then someone would have done the same thing to kill the Joker. Batman stands for something, and I don't want him killing, but why won't someone else? Jim Gordon should put him down.

I don't know why, whenever the topic of whether Batman should kill, everyone immediately goes to the Joker.

What about Ra's al Ghul? The guy arguably has a way higher body count than Joker, and is far more dangerous and insane. Should Batman put him down once and for all and dissolve the League? He definitely should. Will he? Obviously not, since comics, but the point still stands.

Same point goes for most of his other villains. Joker isn't the only one of his rogues deserving of killing, you know.

He sleeps 3-4 hrs a day and takes power naps, I do it when I have exams and even then I'm not nearly as busy as he is, he has to run a company, fight crime and get laid, its not abusing ;). And when you see your parents gunned down in front of you, its not a easy thing to forget, and he doesn't obsess about his parents death, he hardly brings it up, if he had to trade his parents for Gotham and the world he'll trade them in a heartbeat.

I don't think the OP meant this thread to be spiteful, he himself along with some other posters have mentioned some of the bad decisions of Batman which are correct, but other people are accusing him of things that are incorrect and they'll just blame Batman and not the other characters, they'll even defend the other characters. Some of the posters have even mentioned that putting the cape and cowl was his worst decision which is completely incorrect. I don't think Batman is unhealthy, everyone in the world has some problems, he has his too, and mentally he's one of the strongest and most stable mind in the world, he has gone through mindcontrol, mindrape, got his memory wiped out, saw and experienced things that will break most individuals and turn them insane but not Bruce. Yeah Batman and Superman aren't the same and they still work together, Mark Waid explained why, they don't want to see anyone die, that's what they have in common. Batman killing someone goes against everything he believes in, he's inspiration to all, he's got the biggest number of followers in comic books and if he starts killing who's to know that his followers won't follow?

I know but no one blames the court, I have already mentioned a few number of people who could kill the Joker, its not Batman's job to kill the Joker, just like Superman and other heroes, he's there to help others, they're not supposed to take the law on their own hands and become the judge, jury and executioner.

I'm got this info second hand but didn't Babs kill his brother? Gordon isn't a killer but he won't even let Batman kill Joker, he stopped him from doing it before, even when Joker raped and crippled his daughter but no one will blame Gordon, its only Batman's fault. I think we were watching the same movie but you don't remember it very well. In the one scene you're thinking, Joker was burning Black Mask and his henchmen to a crisp and Batman stopped him.

Yeah but not everyone knows about it, Luthor is smart, Joker let's everyone see what he's doing, I don't think Luthor does.

@theacidskull: what.

This thread is kinda funny.

I think one of the worst decisions he made was slipping up and letting Ra's Al Ghul getting ahold of his Anti-JLA plans and causing the Tower of Babel storyline.

@orangebat: actually Bruce did willingly kill ras. He came back yes, but he did try.

@rustyroy: It is incredibly obvious to anyone reading now that your massive Batman fanboyism means you aren't going to listen to any reasonable argument. Accept that your favorite superhero might not be perfect. SPOILERS: he's not actually a real person!!

I'm not a Batman fanboy, I accept that he has flaws and agreed to other users when they posted true statements about Batman's bad decisions, I gave very reasonable points to why you are wrong and you have no points to prove me wrong and that's why you are calling me a fanboy, I could'v called you a hater or a hypocrite but I didin't.

There hasn't been a single reasonable argument,or do you legitimately believe" He doesn't kill Joker LOL bad detective/superhero" is a good argument.

This thread was made to question Batman's decisions NOT his character.

@entropy_aegis: Dude, have some ****ing self-awareness. Read your own post just and see how you are coming off as a completely irrational fan.

Dude contribute something or GTFO.

It was never Batman's job to kill Joker, it was always Gotham citizen's job to condemn him to death. They never did, always just criminally insane, institutionalize. I think after the first time he escaped it should have been death row in real life courts. Guess the citizens of Gotham are... dense, forgiving, fearful?

You take out Joker, he may be replaced with someone infinitely worse.

For my answer, this scene is one where I really hated being a Batman fan, and all that followed...

@rustyroy: Couldn't have said it better myself.

I love Batman, but I also love it when he gets told off.

Love how people come to the Batman forums just to hate on him. So many people who really don't know much about him but always have one small example of a mistake he made and exclaim. he's the worst!

He's so stupid!

I don't show up on you're favorite heroes forum to Ru stupid shit theyve been written to do in your face get a better hobby guys the Bat-hate gets old :/

I know this thread is about his bigger mistake but I mean on the forums in general and people who don't even read batman being experts on his mistakes

His greatest mistake was never crippling Joker. I mean, I'm fine with him not killing him, but he could at least shatter his spine or something.

This.

Being a superhero

Not killing Joker.

Not killing Joker.