Ben Affleck's BATMAN And 10 Other Big Screen Superheroes Who Have Killed In Their Movies

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding the fact that Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader kills in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he's far from the first iconic superhero to take a life on the big screen.

By JoshWilding - Apr 01, 2016 09:04 AM EST

Filed Under: Batman vs. Superman

In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman kills. Like, a lot. Needless to say, the sight of the Dark Knight taking out crooks in such a brutal manner has caused quite a stir, and not even a very sensible explanation from director Zack Snyder has managed to calm some comic book fans down. The fact is, killer or not, Ben Affleck's Batman is the most comic book faithful take on the iconic DC Comics character to date, but him having blood on his hands is something which just isn't acceptable to some.

I get it though. Both the "Knightmare" and regular Gotham City sequences featuring Batman doling out such violent punishments to those who crossed his path made me feel more than a little uncomfortable, but based on the way Snyder is being berated, you'd think he was the first filmmaker to give the lead in a superhero movie a habit of going a little too far. Marvel and DC characters have been killing for years in their movies, and while some have also done so in the comics, many haven't.

Here, you will find a look at the ten biggest killers in comic book movies. Honestly, if you thought Batman was bad, the handful of crooks he sent to the grave actually pales in comparison to this lot.

10. Iron Man

Tony Stark has doled out some lethal justice with the use of his suit many times since 2008, and while enemies like Iron Monger and Whiplash brought their repsective demises on themselves, many others have been taken out directly at the hands of the Armoured Avenger.

He killed plenty of terrorists in Iron Man and blasted Savin right through his chest at close range in Iron Man 3. Hours later, he tried to blow up Killian, only to have Pepper Potts step in to do the deed when he failed. Iron Man clearly isn't a big believer in prisons then, something which makes it all the more surprising that the Captain America: Civil War trailer indicated that he's built one for the government.

While you can appreciate that the Fantastic Four (not that they were ever called that) were out for blood after Doctor Doom murdered Franklin Storm in this 2015 reboot, the team never really stopped to take into account just how traumatised Victor must have been after spending a year trapped in another dimension.

Instead, they beat the ever living sh*t out of the guy in a battle which culminated in The Thing punching the villain into a portal, instantly disintegrating him as a result. A massive waste of a great bad guy, this made the surprisingly unsympathetic Thing even harder to root for and was ultimately an unnecessarily brutal way to wrap up an underwhelming showdown.

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8. Ant-Man

I think most parents would probably kill to protect their children if push comes to shove, and that's exactly what Scott Lang does in Ant-Man, even though his actions could very well result in his own death too.

By shrinking down to a molecular level in order to destroy Yellowjacket's suit from within, Darren Cross is subjected to a horrific fate which seemingly includes having every bone is his body broken before he shrinks into nothing and pretty much explodes.

It's a brutal way to go for a guy who Hope Van Dyne earlier pointed out was likely suffering from mental issues because of exposure to Pym Particles, though it's also arguably a fate he deserved after threatening Cassie.

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7. The Dark Knight

Every big screen Batman has killed, but not the version from Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Trilogy, right? Wrong. He left Ra's al Ghul to die in Batman Begins, threw Two-Face off a ledge in The Dark Knight, and forced Talia al Ghul off the road and to her demise in The Dark Knight Rises.

Several other goons also found themselves in situations in which they would have been killed by this Batman, especially during scenes involving the Tumbler. Christian Bale's Dark Knight was every bit as bad as Ben Affleck's then, so it's actually pretty bizarre that the latter is coming under fire for taking out crooks in such a violent way in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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6. Captain America

Captain America is a soldier, so it really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that he's killed many men over the years. The first official images of Steve Rogers holding a gun were still a little controversial back in 2010 though, as was the fact that the Star Spangled Avenger gunned down bad guys not only in World War II, but also when he returned in the present day in The Avengers.

While there's no denying that Captain America is a good man, that doesn't stop him from killing when the need arises, so is he really all that different to Batman? With a brutal fight on the cards against Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War, it will be very interesting to see how far he goes there.

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5. Superman

Man of Steel was a very controversial movie, partly because of all that epic destruction, but mostly due to the fact that Superman broke General Zod's neck to end their battle. Fans were outraged and even comic book creators like Mark Waid went off on a tangent, but is Superman killing one of his foes that big of a deal?

After all, Superman II concluded with the hero crushing the hand of his powerless enemy before throwing him into a bottomless pit, so it wasn't as if this was the first time he'd murdered someone on the big screen! Predictably, the fact that Superman seemingly kills a warlord at the start of Batman v Superman has generated even more controversy this past week.

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4. Wolverine

One of the most popular big screen superheroes also happens to be a mass murderer, but it's not as if that's a drastic departure from the source material to be fair! Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has been skewering bad guys on his claws since X-Men way back in 2000, and now things look set to take an even more violent turn as the character makes the jump from the PG-13 arena to an R-Rating next year.

The question is, will people make as big a fuss about being unable to take their kids to Wolverine 3 as some have done with Batman v Superman? Time will tell, but with the movie rumoured to be an adaptation of Old Man Logan, expect Wolverine to find even more victims come 2017.

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3. Spider-Man

Spider-Man is a superhero very much against the idea of killing, but the big screen versions of the character still have blood on their hands.

He inadvertently pushes Uncle Ben's murderer to his death in Spider-Man, makes very little effort to save enemies like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, and Electro, and leaves his best friend brain damaged after executing a move which by rights really should have left Harry Osborn's brains splattered all over the pavement (and that was before Peter threw a bomb in his face).

So, Spidey isn't quite the goody two shoes you may have thought, even if some of those deaths weren't entirely all his fault. He's definitely still a killer though.

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2. Deadpool

Well, duh. This R-Rated superhero sliced, diced, and shot his way through countless goons in Deadpool, but was still embraced by moviegoers who helped make the Merc with the Mouth a mind-blowing $750 million worldwide.

The movie ends with him shooting his foe in the head at point blank range, and the fact that we haven't seen almost countless think pieces about that and his other violent outburts could be an indication that it's ok to kill if you're a superhero in an R-Rated movie. Perhaps Batman v Superman's Ultimate Cut will be better received then, though this could ultimately come down to Deadpool being a less iconic character than the Caped Crusader and Man of Steel.

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1. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is the complete opposite of Batman v Superman. Packed full of jokes and featuring a much lighter tone, this unexpected hit (and all round brilliant movie) was embraced by critics in a way which that DC Comics adaptation simply hasn't been.

That's despite pretty much the entire team being killers; Gamora used to be an assassin, Drax kills anyone in his way, Rocket carries around a massive f***ing gun, and even the loveable Groot is ok with impaling bad guys when the time comes. Hell, the team even bands together to wipe Ronan out of existence at the end of the movie because, hey, that's definitely way easier than handing him over to the Nova Corps, right?

Do you have an issue with superheroes killing in their movies? Did Batman v Superman's killer Dark Knight bother you? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the usual place.

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298 Comments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

McGee - 3/29/2016, 2:06 PM

AsgardianHobo - 4/1/2016, 9:10 AM

Damage Control!

crawley - 4/1/2016, 11:06 AM

There is a pretty big difference between gleeful serial murder and the bad guy dying inadvertently at the end of a fight.

Raffmarchetta - 4/1/2016, 11:12 AM

@crawley - yes you're right wolverine stabs a bunch of bad guys inadvertently

crawley - 4/1/2016, 11:29 AM

@Raffmarchetta - But that's not mischaracterization. That's exactly how he acts in all media he's portrayed in.

Papermage - 4/1/2016, 8:49 PM

@crawley - And Batman kills in almost every media he's portrayed in. Matter of fact, the only two Batman movies in which he doesn't either kill or seriously maim the villains are "Batman & Robin" and the '66 Batman movie. And that's to say nothing of the countless mooks who have suffered his final sanction. RIP, Johnny Gobs.

Papermage - 4/1/2016, 8:52 PM

@Papermage - Also, Sam Raimi is a jerk. He wanted the villains dead at the end of his movies, but he didn't want Spider-Man to kill them, so he devised a way for the villains to kill themselves...three times in a row! Say what you want about Marc Webb's Spider-Man, at least he brought the bad guys in alive. Well, except Electro.

AsgardianHobo - 4/1/2016, 9:11 AM

Is there a scene in the comics EVER where he machine guns down people from his car? No? So comic-faithful

KikinGonzalez - 4/1/2016, 9:30 AM

@AsgardianHobo - you should ask @Nomis, he is our resident expert guru in ancient comic books! (not trying to be disrespectful to you Nomis, just stating you are our expert)

McGee - 4/1/2016, 9:37 AM

With his car? No. Not technically.

DarthNihilus - 4/1/2016, 9:12 AM

Everyone but Batman/Superman got a free pass to kill ppl lol

DarthNihilus - 4/1/2016, 9:15 AM

01928401 - 4/1/2016, 9:13 AM

Grow the [frick] up @JoshWilding

If people are getting their comments deleted for inciting shit, your idiot flame articles should be, too.

JacobKarr - 4/1/2016, 10:46 AM

@PietroMaximoff - [frick]ing. Word.

dragonator29 - 4/1/2016, 9:13 AM

Captain America should've been at the top.

TheBatlist - 4/1/2016, 11:01 AM

@dragonator29 - The downing of the Hellicarriers in Winter Soldier always got me. I know they were mostly filled with Hydra, but damn...dozens of the innocent Shield guys must have been on board those as well before he sent them crashing into Washington D.C. They had plenty of time to warn the President, military, and general public -- or even come up with a less murder-y plan.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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Ben Affleck's BATMAN And 10 Other Big Screen Superheroes Who Have Killed In Their Movies

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding the fact that Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader kills in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he's far from the first iconic superhero to take a life on the big screen.

10. Iron Man

9. The Thing

8. Ant-Man

7. The Dark Knight

6. Captain America

5. Superman

4. Wolverine

3. Spider-Man

2. Deadpool

1. Guardians Of The Galaxy

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