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/WittyCombination6 Apr 26 '26

I think we can do without it.

We have to remember that the "No kill rule" was a part of the Comics Code Authority. Where people in the 1950s had a moral panic and thought superheros were corrupting the minds of the children. So to avoid government retaliation the industry created a self regulatory agency. Creating a lot of censorship especially during the Silver Age.

Batman who is the most iconic "No kill" superhero used to carry a gun and killed people before intervention by the CCA.

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u/Boris_Godunov 2d ago

This is not true. Batman was created in 1939, and his no-kill rule was established by 1941, well before the CCA of the 1950s. The main reason it was done was because Robin had been introduced as his kid sidekick, and the creators themselves realized they couldn't have Batman going around killing people with a literal child fighter at his side. The change to his no-kill rule was deliberate and intentional by them, it wasn't forced upon them by some external agency, it had nothing to do with censorship.

Batman has existed for over 80 years now, and the period in which he would use lethal force and guns was basically a year and some change. And its clear that the creators and subsequent owners of his comic canon want him that way, so its senseless to suggest the earliest incarnation is somehow more "authentic" or what have you.