Batmanis one of the darkest superheroes in all comics. Using stealthy skills, martial arts prowess, and an endless array of gadgets, he enforces his own brand of vengeance on the criminals of Gotham City. That said, he is a firm believer in the rule of law. He also tries to take down crooks through the justice system, which means no killing.
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The acclaimedArkhamgames mostly hold to that mentality, but nobody’s perfect.Batmansometimes uses tactics that would kill a normal human. Players are meant to accept it as part of the game. In reality, though, they would leave a lot more bodies in their wake.
8Fire In The Hole - Every Arkham Game
The Caped Crusader has many gadgets in his utility belt, but one of the most ridiculous is the Explosive Gel. This substance does exactly what it says: Batman sprays it on a surface and subsequently triggers a concussive blast. Needless to say, it doesn’t exactly scream,“World’s Greatest Detective.”
Batman uses this to incapacitate thugs in allArkhamgames. During stealth segments, he sprays it on a weakened wall. He then detonates it to take out anyone on the other side. As many times as he’s pulled this trick, he should have really racked up some casualties by now. Even if the victims survive the weight of the wall and the chunks of stone flying everywhere, the sheer force of the explosion would cause massive internal bleeding or other trauma. Nope, the bad guys are just sleeping (supposedly).
Let’s hope Batman has auto insurance. After a harrowing fight,the ‘roided-out Banecatches up to the Dark Knight in the firstArkhamadventure. Knowing he can’t best the brawler through brute strength, Batman calls in reinforcements…from his car.
The Batmobile bursts in at full speed and slams into the supervillain. The impact sends both him and the vehicle straight into the river. The sheer force of the blow would have ripped Bane in half if he wasn’t hopped up on Venom formula. Even then, he has the massive weight of an armored car on top of him in the water. He’s lucky he didn’t drown, but maybe his muscles are buoyant.
6Breaking Bane’s Heart - Arkham Origins
Bane just can’t catch a break. TheArkham Originsprequel ends with the muscular maniac giving Batman an ultimatum:fight him to the death. To make sure, he connects his heart monitor to an electric chair, which will kill both the Joker and Jim Gordon.
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The Dark Knight obliges, pummeling Bane until his heart stops. The oversized bruiser is clinically dead. Luckily, Batman uses his handy-dandy shock gloves to jumpstart his enemy’s ticker. This really skirts the line of his no-kill code. If he undoes a murder, is it still murder?
5Joker’s Debut Beatdown - Arkham Origins
The Caped Crusader has several rapid-fire beatdowns throughout the series. After stunning an opponent, he starts a slew of speedy strikes straight out ofDragon Ball Z. It’s a stylistic choice normally not worth dwelling on, but this one slows things down to show the painful blows in greater detail.
At the end ofArkham Origins, Batman defeats the Joker in a borderline psychotic fashion. Given how many times he hits the crazed clown and how vividly players see it, the sequence really calls into focus the sheer brutality.The developers want to hammer home the significance of Batman beating his nemesis for the first time. After taking that many punches, though, the Joker’s bones should be paste.
This warlord is different from Batman’s other foes in that he’s immortal. Even when killed, he can be revived using the Lazarus Pit. The Dark Knight seems to take that as carte blanche not to pull his punches. That mindset generally holds true for their clash inArkham City.
Thefight with Ra’s al Ghul is a hallucinogenic battle of trippy proportions. Batman delivers another bout of high-speed beatdowns and shoots enough shock blasts to light up a building. Their climactic conflict in Hugo Strange’s tower goes even further. When the place explodes, the hero tackles Ra’s in midair, causing the despot to impale himself on both his sword and a statue. The developers must have thought back toBatman Beginsat this moment: “I won’t kill you, but I don’t have to save you.”
3Roadkill - Arkham Knight
TheBatmobile may be a divisive elementofArkham Knight, but it does lead to a memorable scene. The hero is desperate to find the titular villain. He captures one of the henchmen, who does nothing but talk trash.
To crush his confidence, Batman brings in his car. He then slowly backs it up over the guy’s head. The strategy doesn’t go far enough to crush his skull, but it is sufficient for him to scream in agony. If Batman’s finger had slipped even a little, he’d have had some explaining to do.
2Joker 2.0 - Arkham Knight
Arkham Knightsees Batman infected with the Joker’s toxic blood, which mixes with Scarecrow’s fear toxin to make the hero slowly go insane. He sees the Clown Prince of Crime everywhere, and he must fight to keep his enemy from taking over completely. Sadly, he’s not always successful.
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One of the worst slip-ups occurs when Scarecrow hits him with more fear gas on Stagg’s airship. The Joker then fully inhabits Batman’s body. To test his new strength, the sadistic fiend attacks Scarecrow’s minions and pounds them to a pulp. The poor punching bags are paralyzed with fear; even their boss is aghast at the savagery. Batman eventually regains control, but the physical and psychological damage is done.
1The Final Blow - Every Arkham Game
To be honest, Batman’s melee battles were already lethal before the Joker stepped in. Not only doesthe masked vigilante break baddies’ bones through takedowns and counters, but he frequently launches across the room and slams into enemiesto keep up a combo. That kind of momentum must lead to permanent damage.
That damage is all the more apparent with the slow-motion finisher at the end of every skirmish. The deafening crack and resulting echo hammer home the immense impact of this final strike. The thugs then land in compromising positions that the human body was never meant to be in. This definitely ensures that they don’t get up…ever.
