The Reason Why Batman Don't Kill The Joker

Batman Comic book

Because the Joker wins if Batman kills him. That's what the Joker wants. Everything he does is to taunt Batman into killing him. In fact, the interesting part of their relationship, the real conflict of each story, is not to see if Batman will stop him (he will), but to watch Batman struggle with not killing him, because anyone other than Batman would of course kill him.This self-control is Batman's superpower.

The Joker and Batman are each trying to prove a point to society - and really to us, the readers. The Joker wants Batman to kill him because he perfectly embodies chaos and anarchy, and wants to prove a point to everyone that people are basically more chaotic than orderly. This is why he is so scary: we are worried he may be right. If the Joker is right, then civilization is a ruse and we are all truly monsters inside. If the Joker can prove that Batman - the most orderly and logical and self-controlled of all of us - is a monster inside, then we are all monsters inside, and that is terrifying. The Joker is terrifying because we fear that we are like him deep down - that he is us. Batman is what we (any average person) could be at our absolute best, and the Joker is what we could be at our absolute worst. The Joker's claim is that we are all terrible deep down, and it is only the law and our misplaced sense of justice that keeps us in line. Since Batman isn't confined by the law, he is a perfect test case to try to get him to "break". The Joker wants Batman to kill a person, any person, but knows that the only person Batman might ever even remotely consider killing would have to be a terrible monster, so is willing to do this himself and sacrifice himself to prove this macabre point. Batman needs to prove that it is not just laws that keep us in line, but basic human decency and our natural instinct NOT to kill. If Batman can prove this, then others will be inspired by his example (the citizens of Gotham, but again, also the readers), just as we are all inspired every day to keep civilization running smoothly and not descend into violence, anarchy, and chaos. This ability to be decent in the face of the horrors and temptations present all around us is humanity's superpower, the superpower of each of us. The struggle of Batman and the Joker is the internal struggle of each of us. But we are inspired by Batman's example, not the Joker's, because Batman always wins the argument, because he has not killed the Joker.

This basic logic applies to all superheroes who don't kill, but the Joker-Batman conflict is the most perfectly distilled example. There are a lot of other good answers on this page, and they are all different-but-correct ways of looking at the question, but to me, the philosophical and thematic reasons above are more resonant than the plot and character reasons that exist within the logic of the story.

Recommended reading: The Killing Joke (1988), obviously, but also Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #1 (1991, which the above picture is from, by Denny O'Neil and Jim Aparo), if you can find it. Excellent. And of course, also watching The Dark Knight. Nolan and Ledger got the Joker perfectly right.

EDIT: Perhaps this is why sidekicks work so well with Batman. It's always been a bit of a conundrum why the "lone avenger" ended up with way more sidekicks and assistants than any other superhero. But if Batman is all about inspiring others, these partners support his cause as evidence that he is winning. (Being inspired by Batman is even part of the first Batgirl's origin.) Robin, in particular, needs to be young to show that Batman is inspiring the next generation. The Tim Drake Robin (my favorite) also shows that you can be inspired to help even without Batman's defining tragedy in your life. Perhaps this is why the ending of Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is so great, and why Morrison created Batman Inc., showing Batman inspiring others throughout the world.

My Reaction

This is me when I see that there's actual people reading my posts...

Inspiration

Derp!

Marvel's Age Of Ultron and the upcoming movie Avengers: The Age of Ultron

Ultron and the consequences of a Robot having Daddy issues 

Comic Book Summary

For years, the Marvel Universe has lived in fear that the artificial intelligence known as Ultron would one day evolve to fulfill its greatest desire: to wipe out all organic life and take over the Earth. That day has arrived! The impossible has happened and Ultron rules the planet! And as the few super hero survivors that remain try desperately to stay alive, Luke Cage learns the staggering secret of Ultron's victory. As a near-broken Captain America leads a ragtag counterattack, Wolverine makes a controversial and desperate decision - that creates an all-new Marvel Universe! But can even this rash act defeat Ultron?

Actual Cover of the First comic book

My Review

Ultron, for those not in the know, is a sentient robot created by Doctor Hank Pym, who unwisely forgets to programme the Three Laws of Robotics into his creation. Needless to say, Ultron then goes all Skynet on our asses and has been a major pain in the Marvel universe for decades. Pym, also for those not in the know, is one of a long line of brilliant arrogant scientists who collectively have less common sense than my dog (who is already the stupidest dog on the planet, I still love him though). He also happens to be a superhero who has done a lot of good, but is also a wife-beating jerk and creator of aforementioned homicidal robot. 


Age of Ultron #1 opens where most events end – Ultron, it seems, has already won! The Avengers are defeated and in hiding, Cap appears so desolate he is unable to even lift his head with his iconic shleed in pieces. New York City is overshadowed by a sprawling mechanical mass that resembles either a giant robot spaceship or a kind of robot dome built atop the remains of what used to be New York City. A wrecked Air Force One lies in pieces on the street as the few remaining humans exploit one another for survival.

Inside a derelict building are some goons with guns dealing mutant growth hormone (MGH) pills while in the shadows outside, a purple figure emerges… Somewhere within the building is a defeated and unmasked Spider-Man, somehow so weak and vulnerable he is tied to a chair and unable to escape by himself. Hawkeye to the rescue!

Bendis (esteemed comic book writer) has written an intriguing opening issue with the reader kept guessing as to how things got so desperate. The comic is nicely set-up with Bryan Hitch’s large two opening splash pages giving us a destroyed NYC while we also get some good action in Hawkeye’s rescue of Spidey.

Which isn’t to say that it’s not a quibble-free comic. When Ultron’s enforcers show up, the MGH dealers mention “paying Ultron off” to stop his robotic goons from destroying their base of operations. Which makes me wonder – has Ultron changed so much in this version that he cares about money all of a sudden? Seriously, this guy rules NYC – maybe even the world – and can have whatever he wants, so why does he want money like some stereotypical mob boss?

Hawkeye&Spidey

Ambushed by Luke Cage and She-Hulk

The next characters we see is Luke Cage and She-Hulk, these two characters also won't be making a appearance due Marvel not having the rights for these characters, actually ambushing the two heroes that just survived from being murdered by zombie drones.

SIDE NOTE: She-Hulk is one of the best characters in the Marvel universe, the type of character that is strong but still feminine (Like a big green Buffy)... Okay, I find her extremely awesome and in one instance to slept with Hercules and didn't phone him! *I might do a character profile of her....

Hercules feeling used after doing the nasty with She-Hulk

And despite the Avengers appearing down and out, this isn't the first time readers of Marvel’s Event books will have seen this. Flip, just last year we saw the Avengers go to ground as the Phoenix 5 hunted for them in “Avengers Vs X-Men” – and they always come through... (bastards! I mean *Yay for Avengers **sarcasm)

What I really find frustrating about the whole comic books being turned into movies is that the directors of the movies rarely stay true to the comic books, even though the comic's plot is insanely awesome and will be profitable, due to the owning rights of the actual characters like Luke Cage and She-Hulk, the directors would have to change more than half of the original plot, which sucks so bad!

So that's the end of my first Review

Stay Awesome!

Learn from my pain!

Please note that this is just some friendly advice that I'm offering, something that I've learned from my own personal experience(s) :(

Now, have you ever been in a situation you hate? you can't even remember how you ended up in because you’re smart enough to make the right decisions for yourself... but still here you are trapped  *(insert your own uncomfortably unpleasant situation here)...Mine is excruciatingly  painful public excursions which I always get emotionally bullied into by my excessively extroverted brother.

Now what I learned is this.

That you, yes that poor pathetic creature rueing the fact that you got out of bed this morning, is entirely to blame for this mind numbingly awful  experience.

The best advice I can give is to take control of your own life! And I can hear you thinking aloud, “but I’m a grown ass adult Patrick, I make my own decisions.”

Just check next time you’re surrounded by your friends or another group of people. If you pay attention to what they are saying, you can actually notice how often people (even yourself) allow others to have control over your life to varying degrees.

-          The vegan friend making the rest of the group feel bad because they’re eating meat (The last time I checked, Kirtanya, I wasn't a sheep!)

-          Watching a rom-com movie, with a dull actress with an annoying voice and a penchant for pink, because your one friend can't handle scary movies! *Thank Pearl! **Sarcasm

Let’s face it you will live a very unhappy life if you don’t make things YOU like happen. Things that count in the long run.

If you actually want to do something of substance that will genuinely make you feel better about yourself and life in general, why don’t spend a day helping underprivileged kids do their homework?

Why not take part in an awesome community development program? (Fun tip: Gain the moral upper hand in your group of friends and make them feel bad for not doing something good)

Stop caring what other people think, if it makes you happy go out and do it (or in my case don’t do it) – “Bitches gona talk whether you doing bad or good”

And I’m not saying to go shave your head into a Mohawk and walk around in a purple cat suit ( you get those weirdoes) but in the end I think you would know what will make you happy… you are a grown ass adult after all ;)

So guys go out and go pave your way to greatness by doing something you love every step of the way.

Stay Awesome