Are We Sure Absolute Batman Doesn't Kill People?

We've known from the commencement that Absolute Batman is simply a overmuch much brutal and convulsive alternate to DC's much accepted takes connected the Dark Knight. He beauteous overmuch has to beryllium erstwhile helium lives successful a corrupted satellite wherever the platform is utterly stacked against him and his chap heroes. But aft speechmaking Absolute Batman Annual #1, we're starting to wonder. Is determination a bounds to however acold Absolute Batman volition go? Does this Batman really kill?

Read connected for a breakdown of what happens successful Absolute Batman Annual #1 and wherefore this Batman takes things further than immoderate different version, adjacent the hyper-violent Batman of the Arkham games.

Warning: Beware of spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman #1!

While the main Absolute Batman bid is presently exploring the feud betwixt Batman and this universe's terrifying incarnation of Bane, the yearly flashes backmost to an earlier play successful the young hero's career. In this communicative by writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson (of Skybound Transformers fame), Batman wages a one-man warfare against a radical of achromatic supremacists who person targeted a stateless encampment.

Early on, Bruce is shown buying instrumentality for the coming battle. He asks the seller if the weapons are non-lethal, to which the seller refers to them arsenic much "less lethal." That doesn't look to faze Bruce astatine all, 1 motion that possibly helium won't beryllium excessively breached up if helium leaves a fewer dormant bodies successful his wake.

Later, erstwhile the conflict begins successful earnest, Batman pulls perfectly nary punches successful combating the achromatic supremacists. One ringleader finds his limb breached successful a genuinely grotesque fashion. Another is deed with respective Batarangs successful his eyes, lone for that to beryllium swiftly followed up with a brutal genu to the face. As galore fans person pointed out, Absolute Bats seems to get immoderate moves from AEW prima Kenny Omega's playbook, from the V Trigger to the One-Winged Angel (Johnson is famously precise fond of nonrecreational wrestling).

Art by Daniel Warren Johnson. (Image Credit: DC)

Later, Batman goes adjacent harder still, crashing his tremendous Batmobile (basically a repurposed operation vehicle) into a gathering wherever the achromatic supremacists fly and torching galore with a flamethrower. At immoderate point, it becomes hard to ideate immoderate of these radical don't dice from the sheer ferocity of Batman's assault.

But is that the idea? Bruce's actions are contrasted by those of a pacifist clergyman who implores him to recognize that unit isn't the answer. This stirs up memories of Bruce's dormant begetter Thomas, who erstwhile praised his young lad for his compassion. It's adjacent revealed that Thomas and the clergyman erstwhile participated successful the aforesaid protestation against constabulary brutality together. Haunted by those memories, Batman tin bash thing but bent his caput successful shame. His ngo is successful, but astatine what idiosyncratic cost?

While this contented doesn't marque it explicit, it could beryllium inferred that Absolute Batman didn't commencement retired with a steadfast no-killing rule. Perhaps that lone came arsenic a effect of the lingering guilt Bruce feels implicit his actions successful this issue. In Absolute Batman #1 (which takes spot aft the annual), Agent Alfred Pennyworth observes Batman utilizing unthinkable subject successful his battles with the Black Mask Gang. He has nary qualms astir breaking bones and severing limbs, but helium takes attraction not to permission anyone with mortal injuries. Again, it seems helium wasn't ever truthful discriminating.

Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo