DC sees its new version of Batman kill in the hero’s first movie. In the comics, the Dark Knight is one of the heroes known for his strict no-kill rule. However, DC has played loose with that rule when it comes to Batman’s movie history, with several adaptations seeing the Dark Knight kill villains and henchmen directly or indirectly.

Recently, DC’s latest live-action Batman movie, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, did not feature the hero directly killing anyone. While there is a chance that could change in The Batman 2 or a future DC movie, like the planned trilogy finale, he stays true to the no-kill rule for now. However, Batman’s 2025 movie sees DC’s new Dark Knight kill in his debut.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires Confirms Its Dark Knight Kills In A Major Moment

While the next live-action Batman movie will be The Batman 2 on October 1, 2027, DC has recently released a new Batman film. Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is now available in the US on digital after a release on September 19. The film changes classic DC characters to make their suits and backstories connect with Aztec culture.

Among those are Batman himself — named Yohualli Coatl, not Bruce Wayne — and DC fan-favorites like the Joker, Two-Face, Catwoman, and more. The movie is quite violent, as it shows the young Aztec boy training to become Batman and protect the Aztec Empire from Hernán Cortés, who becomes Two-Face, and his army of conquistadors. Many die on both sides.

Batman directly kills several conquistadors towards the end of the DC movie. After using the enemies’ plans and equipment to build a glider for himself, Batman throws multiple bombs at the conquistadors’ ships as he flies above them. This leads to giant explosions that take out the ships and kill most of the men in them.

Why Batman Killing In His New DC Movie Makes Sense & Is Better Than Past Adaptations

As a fan of Batman’s no-kill rule in the comics, I’ve had issues with past Batman movies, particularly live-action entries, that have had the Dark Knight kill. However, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires doing so is different due to a few reasons. Firstly, the animated film is rated R. As such, bloody violence and deaths are to be expected.

Having Batman, a darker hero, kill in an R-rated setting makes more sense than in his live-action PG-13 fare. Additionally, Aztec Batman is an Elseworlds movie. Bruce Wayne is not Batman, the action does not take place in Gotham City, and it is not tied to an existing universe like the old DCEU or James Gunn’s DC Universe.

With a fresh set of characters inspired by the Batman mythos, I feel it is fine to make changes to the hero’s lore, including his no-kill rule. Finally, the story also calls for it, as Batman does not have many options for taking out the conquistador army, other than killing the villains. That’s why DC’s new Batman killing is not an issue.