Is OK for a HERO (INE) to KILL ?

[Guest HellSpawn]

Holla ! If Ya, True Believers Hear Me !

 

So, I been reading down here, please, no DX jokes, in Mexico about how Great is/was The Authority, or Preacher or Punisher by Ennis, etc., then I remember some Wizard article about Batman Murderer? Wiz ask to some creatives about that, should Bats kill? I also remember one Wiz debate about Spidey, this was post-Maximu Carnage, and it was the same topic, should Spidey kill or if my memory works good, should Spidey leave Firestar to cook Carnage, that way they will be free of a mega-killer, and it could be, the "lesser (sp?) of two evils" ?

 

In my book the answer for both is NO.

 

That the difference between a hero and an anti-hero or even a Villian.

 

If Bats just kill the Joker, yeah, maybe Essen could be alive or if Superman kills Lex, that way USA could avoid all the shit that I think will live under Double L run. But, both heroes will be forever changed, an, again if my memory is 100%, Batman's motto is Every life counts, Not a single life is worthless.

 

Going back to early on my post, this guys, AND WIZARD TOO praised The authority and their way to kill and maim some Avebgers wannabes.

 

I know there are momments when, you have to do what you have to do. But takin a Human life...? I remember once Capt America took a vampire's life, in my book, it was ok, it was the only way and well, if we are honest, a vampire is not alive, is mostly an Undead. Batman took several vampires lives in an early post crisis story with Superman.

 

Again, I can understand Spawn taking an Angel's life because, 1st, he is not a 100% hero, 2nd) his battles are mostly superbeing vs super being or unnatural being, almost never a human being.

 

Oh, well, what do you think?

[Guest Vyce]

I think that yes, it is okay for heros / heroines to kill, so long as two conditions are met:

 

1.) The killing is VERY rare, and

2.) If it's not in the character for the hero to kill, it should NOT be done.

 

Take Batman. He should NEVER kill, because it defeats the whole purpose of the character. He's a man walking a very thin line between crimefighter and those who he fights. If he kills, that line may begin to blur.

 

I know there are momments when, you have to do what you have to do. But takin a Human life...? I remember once Capt America took a vampire's life, in my book, it was ok, it was the only way and well, if we are honest, a vampire is not alive, is mostly an Undead.

 

Cap killed Baron Blood, and was STILL torn up about taking a life, undead as it was.

 

That's how I think death & heros should be played. There may come a time when a hero - an actual hero, not an anti-hero like the Punisher - must be faced with a choice where he MUST use lethal force against another. But I feel that this should be done sparingly, and - like Cap - I think that the repercussions of the act (especially upon the hero's psyche) should be explored.

[Guest starvenger]

You can look at this in two ways:

 

- in the comics universe, a lot of things are very colourful, very black and white, so good guys don't kill and have ethics, bad guys kill and have no morals.

 

- in the real world, we have war heroes that either killed, or sent many people to kill or be killed. The newer comics try to retain this kind of realism.

 

Look at the differences between Cap and Ultimate Cap and you'll see what I mean.

 

Anyways, I'm sitting firmly on the fence (so hard that it hurts) on this one. Frankly, I can take it or leave it, as long as it stays consistent throughout the comic.

[Guest red_file]

I'd have to agree about the internally consistent thing. If it's in the hero's character to kill, I don't have a problem with it.

 

It reminded me of that scene in The Dark Knight Returns where Batman says something about all of the people's he's killed by letting the Joker live. If he'd merely killed the Joker a long time ago when he first had the chance, there'd be many more people alive, but it's not in the character.

[Guest bob_barron]

I think it's okay for a hero to kill as long as he has just cause and the person he is killing is like mega evil

[Guest starvenger]

I think it's okay for a hero to kill as long as he has just cause and the person he is killing is like mega evil

What if he's only hella-evil?

[Guest J*ingus]

Depends on the hero. The Punisher kills so damn many people that it's dark comedy. Spider-Man has had a lot of villains die on him, but mostly by accident. And then Bats never kills, despite being such a "dark" and "vengeful" character.

[Guest cynicalprofit]

I think Bat-Man and Joker summed it up best in the "killing joke" book, either im going to kill you, or you're going to kill me, we're running out of options.

 

At some point, someone has to die, if not the story becomes boring, and the stories never really seem to end. Death is apart of life, even in the comic universe. At some point someone needs to die.