Superman's No-Kill Rule Is WAY More Extreme Than Batman's

Summary Superman's no-kill rule is mentally and physically enforced.

Batman has exceptions to his no-kill rule, breaking it under extreme circumstances.

Trauma shapes Batman and Superman's approach towards killing.

Batman is famous for his adherence to his no-kill rule. No matter how dire a situation seems, Batman will always try to avoid killing, no matter who the villain is. But there have been some notable exceptions — which proves that Superman's hardcaore version of the no-kill rule is far more extreme.

In Adventures of Superman #642 by Greg Rucka, Karl Kerschl, Derec Aucoin, Cam Smith, Sean Parsons, Tanya Horie, Richard Horie, and Jared K. Fletcher, while under the control of Maxwell Lord, Superman attempts to murder Batman. Thanks to the appearance of Wonder Woman, Superman is apprehended before he gets the chance to end the Dark Knight. After Superman regains his senses, Martian Manhunter attempts to understand what happened to Superman.

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Not only does Martian Manhunter discover that Superman's mind was altered by Maxwell Lord, he also discovers that Superman physically can not kill people. If Superman ever kills someone, even under mind control, his mind will break. Superman was so traumatized after being forced to kill during a previous crisis, his mind put up barriers that physically prevent him from using lethal force.

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Superman's Mind Will Quite Literally Break If He Kills Someone

Superman's No-Kill Rule Is Built into His Consciousness

Because of the death of his parents, Batman took up a no-kill rule to spare anyone else from suffering as he did. Batman has tried his best to stick to this rule and has often gone out of his way to avoid using lethal force, but there have been times when he's snapped. After Lex Luthor seemingly killed Nightwing in Forever Evil by Geoff Johns and David Finch, Bruce immediately tries to kill Lex. During Final Crisis by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones, Batman successfully kills Darkseid. Batman is willing to break his rule under extreme circumstances, but Superman physically can't make the same choice without dire consequences.

During Superman #22 by John Byrne, Superman finds himself in a pocket dimension with an alternate set of people he knowh — such as the iconic Kryptonian villain, Zod. After Zod and his compatriots break out of the Phantom Zone, they go on a killing spree, murdering every single human on Earth. Zod then begins threatening Superman, saying that they will escape this pocket dimension and invade his universe next. With no other choice, and being literally the last force for good on Earth, Superman exposes Zod to Green Kryptonite until he is dead, along with his allies.

Readers can discover what the Zod family is up to in 2024 in the DC series Kneel Before Zod by Joe Casey and Dan McDaid.

Killing Zod and His Allies Traumatized Superman for Life

Panels from Superman #22 by John Byrne, Petra Scotese, and John Costanza

Batman and Superman are both traumatized by death, but not in the same way. Batman was traumatized by seeing death in front of him. His parents were violently taken from him and this has traumatized him into not wanting to cause that same pain. But under specific emotional duress, he will snap and try to kill someone — or if he thinks the good outweighs the bad, as he did with Darkseid. Superman's trauma is much different. Superman is traumatized by causing death, not seeing it, which has resulted in him refusing to ever cause it again by literally altering is own mind in the most extreme version of the no-kill rule in the DC Universe.

Adventures of Superman #642 and Superman #22 are available now from DC Comics!

Batman D.C.'s original son, Superman is a Kryptonian superhero who becomes the defender of Earth after crashlanding their following the destruction of his home world. Raised by two human parents on earth, Kal-El was given the name Clark Kent, which he uses as his alias to hide his identity. Superman has various abilities, including; heat vision, ice breath, super-strength, super speed, and near impervious skin. Superman is frequently seen as the leader of most of D.C.'s superhero teams, including the Justice League.