SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Mister Miracle #8, by Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
When it comes to taking lives, few heroes are as hard and fast with their opposition to this crimefighting tactic as the Dark Knight is. Sure, there were his gun-toting Golden Age gallivants, as well as his epic last stand against Darkseid in Final Crisis, but generally speaking, the death penalty doesn’t exist in the Caped Crusader’s playbook.
Nevertheless, for those who still doubt Bruce Wayne’s morality, especially given his tendency to put his child-sidekicks in situations of unparalleled danger, Mister Miracle #8 finally answers the age-old question: Does Batman kill babies?
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While acclimating to his newfound fatherhood status, Scott Free prepares to put his and Big Barda’s newborn son Jacob down for a nap. However, upon examining the infant’s crib, something catches his eye.
“What is that?” he asks Funky Flashman, who’s been helping out around the house in Barda’s absence. “Why, boss… that’s Batman!” Funky replies, as we see a small plush Batman doll sitting in the middle of the crib.
Scott, as any good parent or pediatrician would, points out that the only thing that belongs in a baby’s crib is the baby, as placing pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. in there with them can result in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Funky, on the other hand, isn’t so easily convinced.
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“What?!” Funky exclaims. “I had a Batman! Everyone has a Batman! Batman doesn’t kill babies!”
“Yes. Absolutely,” Scott replies as he places Jacob down in his crib. “They have studies. Batman kills babies.”
So, there you have it. According to Mister Miracle -- New God and Highfather of New Genesis -- Batman does, in fact, kill babies… well, at least it’s possible in some circumstances.