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Joker's heroic future descendant proves Batman is right not to kill him

Summary

  • Batman's no-kill rule also applies to the Joker, showing that he is committed to non-lethal tactics.
  • A future story introduces a heroic descendant of the Joker and highlights legacy and hope.
  • Batman believes in the potential for positive change and chooses the future rather than immediate justice.



One of the most iconic pieces of Batman Tradition is his no-kill rule, which always applies to the jokerNo matter how rough and dark Batman becomes as a hero, his renunciation of murder is the only line Batman has drawn to separate himself from those he fights. And he will not back down on that issue, not even when it comes to the insane super-criminal Joker.

Although there is much debate about Batman's tactics, he might be justified in preserving the Joker's life. In the Golden Age of the Dark Knight a futuristic (and heroic) descendant of the Joker debuted in the story “Batman in the Future!” by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Charles Paris and Ira Schnapp from the 1950s Batman #59. This offspring is a complete surprise for the Caped Crusader and Robin.


In this future timeline Rokej is a superhero police chief who wants to stop criminals who are just like his villainous ancestor. With the help of Batman and Robin, this backward Joker saves the day – to the surprise of fans both from the 1950s and today.

Batman fights Superman

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Batman's no-kill rule keeps the Joker alive

The Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime

Batman in Detective Comics No. 1062 and Joker from Joker War


Batman has been traveling through time and dimensions since the '50s, meaning that even in a silly story like this, there's a lightheartedness about Batman that's almost forgotten in modern continuity. Today, the Joker's devastation is rivaled only by Batman's brooding nature, and what falls by the wayside is the pact the two share: neither is allowed to kill the other. While Batman isn't the only hero who wants to break his no-kill rule, he never does. which leads to a future in which the Joker's mistakes are righted with the existence of a heroic descendant.

Maybe it is this deep memory from the past that stops Batman from killing the Joker.


The fact that the Joker stays alive is proof of how much Batman believes in the long run. Everyone else sees the bloodbath of the Clown Prince of Crime and As if Batman had special super-vision, he can see into a future in which everything turns out well in the end. And maybe he will live to see it if all goes well with his modern Batsuit that literally defeats death.

Batman believes in legacy instead of justice

Batman's decision not to kill the Joker is his belief in hope

Batman (foreground) with members of the extended Bat-family together in the background.

Maybe it is this deep memory from the past that keeps Batman from killing the Joker. Maybe it is just Batman's hope for such a future, where the Children can become better than their fathers. Batman's own children are the best proof of this, as they complete the work he left unfinished. Dick Grayson, as Nightwing, has almost become the light side of the Dark Knight and a version of him that is completely healed from his trauma. After all, Nightwing only needed two words to heal his relationship with Batman. The very idea of ​​Batman is perfected in Nightwing.


The same may be true for the Joker. Perhaps Batman believes that the Joker's children will do the same job as Batman's own. If that's true, then perhaps Batman is a greater symbol of hope than Superman. Every time he drags the Joker back to Arkham Asylum, rather than ending the fight immediately, he is hoping for a different world: one where the joker can change and where his descendants can do the right thing. Batman is proof that the night is long and dark, but it gets better and brighter – that is always the case.

Batman #59 is now available from DC Comics.


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