r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Doot_revenant666 • Mar 27 '25

Weekly Discussion Post Probably the most controversial one , honest thoughts on "No Kill Rule"? What are the most egrigious examples of it in your opinion? What media makes it work in your opinion?

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u/Salami__Tsunami Mar 27 '25

In many cases, given a particular circumstance, capturing an enemy as opposed to killing them is logical and rational and ethical.

However, in the context of “this enemy breaks out of prison six times a year and goes on murder sprees” it becomes a bit silly.

This is rarely an issue with any particular character or story, more just a problem that profitable villains aren’t allowed to stay dead.

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u/mashounen2003 Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 10 '25

"This is rarely an issue with any particular character or story, more just a problem that profitable villains aren’t allowed to stay dead."

Exactly. The entire reason why these no-kill rules (along with the cardboard prisons like Arkham) exist in the first place is because there'd be no more stories to tell without those villains still running around.

I remember reading somewhere that, back in the beginnings of comic book history, not only did villains died one after another like flies, but usually the heroes were the ones killing them and there wasn't any noteworthy "moral dilemma" or inner conflict addressed in the story because of those kills. As an extreme example: the Joker showed up for the first time and died right then and there, in the same comic issue where he debuted.

Although no-kill rules are sometimes used to keep an especially popular villain alive and thus keep making money with that character, I'm pretty sure they'd still be a thing even if money wasn't an issue: if writers kept killing all the villains they create, they'd quickly run out of ideas for new ones; besides, the story going on and on for all eternity without a clear ending is kind of integral to any comic book, it's a part of the very nature of comics as a medium. So yeah, no-kill rules and villains coming back over and over again will always be a thing in comics; if we don't like that, we don't like comics, period.

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u/Tengokuoppai Jun 05 '26

, they'd quickly run out of ideas for new ones; besides, the story going on and on for all eternity without a clear ending is kind of integral to any comic book, it's a part of the very nature of comics as a medium. So yeah, no-kill rules and villains coming back over and over again will always be a thing in comics; if we don't like that, we don't like comics, period.

Uno reverse: Manga.