sam_r6_v9g_150715_09rl_g_r709f.521703.tif

Most of the time when people think of Batman, they don’t think of a stone cold killer. Known as the World’s Greatest Detective, the vigilante is known to use alternative methods to catching the bad guys. Sure, when the character was first created he was known to murder villains pretty ruthlessly, but the general rule is that Batman doesn’t use guns and he doesn’t kill people. I mean, he hasn’t even killed the Joker! However, all of that will apparently change when it comes to Ben Affleck’s version of the Caped Crusader in Zack Snyder’s ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’.

While speaking to Empire Magazine recently, producer Charles Roevn explained that the new Batman isn’t pulling anymore punches. In fact, he’s basically taking a page from Judge Dread’s book and has become a one stop shop for swift and violent justice:

“[Batman] is not giving people a chance. He is more than a vigilante. He has become not only the cop, if you will, he has also become the jury and executioner. He’s older [and] he’s seen the worst of what man can do. He’s been darkened by it, he’s tougher, he’s angrier, I guess. [And] he’s still lost those that are near and dear to him, and not necessarily from old age or disease.”

Regardless of how old he has gotten, that doesn’t sound like Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting alter ego at all. His vow to protect all life is the reason why incorrigible persons such as Joker, Ra’s Al Ghul, or the Court of Owls aren’t just nuked to all hell. This unwillingness to kill (in addition to not having any actual superpowers) is what humanizes Batman and makes him relatable to his fans. By eliminating that from the equation, are we really getting the hero that we’ve come to know and love? After all, ’Batman Beyond’ saw the Dark Knight grow older and he still carried his morality with him after everything he went through. Just saying.

Are you surprised by this description of the new Batman featured in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’? Do you think that being judge, jury, and executioner will be detrimental to the character as the DC Cinematic Universe progresses? And is a fundamental change such as this even necessary just to differentiate this version from what came before it? Sound off in the comments. 

‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Jesse Eisenberg hits theaters on March 25, 2016.