The Batman: 10 Things Ben Affleck Must Get Right

Batman flat out murdered criminals in BvS and for the most part it was totally unnecessary (before we start complaining that Bale’s Batman did the same). It’s easy to pass the brutality off as the actions of a man who had lost everything but that just doesn’t fly. Batman is Batman because of his moral code. His parents were gunned down and died in the gutter and in response he dedicated his life to being above the actions of a petty thief. Even in the Dark Knight Returns, he savagely beats his opponents but stops short of taking their lives.

A murdering Batman creates vast storytelling issues moving forward as it becomes difficult to claim that the Dark Knight is a moral and heroic character when he carries out the same heinous actions as the criminals he’s pledged his life to fighting. While it’s clear Warner Brothers is making tonal shifts moving forward, it will take a lot of work to justify the Dark Knight’s actions and even more work to justify him going back to incapacitating his enemies as opposed to murdering them in cold blood via grenade, Batmobile, or wooden crate.

Of all of the concerns in this article, I’m sure this has to be top priority for Affleck and WB – Batman needs to be a hero once more.