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Batman Calls Out the Nolan Movies' Least Heroic Moment

Warning: Contains spoilers for Shadow War Omega #1

In the DC Universe, Batman has a very strict no killing policy. This moral stance has been tested on more than one occasion, with the most recent instance criticizing an important moment in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins.

In the Batman crossover event Shadow War, Ra’s al Ghul is assassinated by a sniper dressed as Deathstroke. After Deathstroke is set up for the murder, Batman and his family, as well as Talia al Ghul, seek to unravel the mystery behind the assassination. As it turns out, the killer is a superhero and leader of Markovia called Geo Force. Because of Ra’s al Ghul, Markovia was utterly destroyed and Geo Force sets off on a plot in order to destroy the al Ghul legacy.

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After a long hunt for Deathstroke and his family, Batman confronts Geo Force at a League of Assassins’ palace. The confrontation takes place in Shadow War Omega #1, which was written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Stephen Segovia, Mike Henderson, and Howard Porter. Having no immediate problem with Batman, Geo Force implores him to step aside and let him get his revenge on Talia al Ghul. But Batman declares, "That would not be justice" and stands firm, demanding that Geo Force stop this crusade. Geo Force doesn't stop, though, forcing Batman to work with his enemies in order to stop the rampage.

Batman's moral code against killing is well known. In fact, it's highly touted in the Nolan trilogy of films. But at the end of Batman Begins, Batman famously leaves Ra’s al Ghul on a train before it's about to crash. He even says, “I won't kill you but I don't have to save you either.” This directly contradicts what Batman says to Geo Force. Batman could step aside and allow Geo Force to have his revenge, which would effectively be the same thing as just leaving Ra’s al Ghul to die on that train. But he doesn't, because Batman knows saving a life is just as important as not killing one.

The dichotomy between these two philosophies is also striking for what it implies for Batman as a hero. In the comics, if Batman believes in serving a higher cause and ensuring everyone deserves justice, then he has a moral position that transcends himself. Whereas in Batman Begins, if Batman is fine to let someone die as long as he doesn't have a hand in killing him, then his morality is more internal. That Batman isn't worried about the grand scheme of ethics, he only cares about his own personal virtue. In this case, the Batman from the comics who fights for justice for all is a much stronger hero than the Batman from Christopher Nolan's films.

Next: New Batman Inc. Series Will Focus on The Dark Knight's International Team



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