10 Times Batman Proved He Was No Hero

The Caped Crusader is one of the most iconic figures, not just in DC comics, or even the comic medium as a whole, but in all of fiction. He's widely considered to be the world's greatest hero. But how heroic is he when you really look at what he's done?

Robert Pattinson, who's slated to play the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves' upcoming "The Batman," recently set the internet on fire with his statement that he doesn't consider Batman to be a hero. Fans immediately rushed to Twitter to defend their favorite Justice Leaguer, and recite a litany of heroic actions Batman has performed over the years - and he certainly has done many heroic deeds.

But things aren't quite that simple. Bruce is famous for operating in a sort of "moral and legal grey area" when compared to some other heroes, but that may be an understatement.

Batman has saved countless lives, and helped avert universal destruction time and time again, but he's a complex character, to say the least. He's performed inspiring, selfless acts... and he's done some pretty terrible things too.

No moment in comics has been debated more than the final page of The Killing Joke. What really happened? Did Batman kill The Joker? Well, the book's writer, Alan Moore, finally cleared things up during a Q&A with Goodreads.

"...for the record, my intention at the end of that book was to have the two characters simply experiencing a brief moment of lucidity in their ongoing very weird and probably fatal relationship with each other, reaching a moment where they both perceive the hell that they are in, and can only laugh at their preposterous situation."

So...one of Batman's most iconic stories ends with him standing next to The Joker, and sharing a chuckle with him, about how The Joker had just sexually assaulted Batgirl, and tortured Commissioner Gordon? Oof.