Batman Murderer!

While Batman is widely recognized for his strict moral code against killing, this principle was not part of his original characterization. Early on, he often used lethal force, and despite the later establishment of his no-kill rule, there have been notable exceptions where his actions still resulted in death. Not included in this list are the killings of undead characters like vampires and zombies. TAP COVER AND SWIPE TO VIEW IMAGES TO DECIDE FOR YOURSELF IF BATMAN IS ON THE HOOK FOR THESE DEATHS

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1st appearance of Batman
1st appearance of Commissioner Gordon
💰 Detective Comics #27 has sold for over one million dollars 9x with a record high sale in grade 7.0 for $2.31 million (February 2026)

Batman punches a man which causes him to fall into an acid tank

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$14.5K
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$45K
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$145K
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3rd appearance of Batman
2nd cover appearance of Batman
1st appearance of Doctor Death, the first Batman villain
Debut of Batman's utility belt

Instead of using a fire extinguisher to rescue and apprehend two enemies from a burning room, Batman uses it to spill an accelerant onto the blaze which kills one

In the next issue, it is revealed that Doctor Death had survived but was horribly burned

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$2K
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$8K
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$20K
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4th appearance of Batman
2nd appearance of Dr. Death

Batman drops from a rooftop and kicks a gun-wielding man who is leaning out of a window, breaking the man's neck

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$22K
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7th appearance and origin of Batman
1st appearance of Joe Chill, a street thug who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne
1st appearance and death of Thomas and Martha Wayne
Cover art depicts Batman with a gun

Using a gas pellet, Batman incapacitates an enemy pilot, causing the plane to crash into the water

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$1.1K
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8th appearance of Batman

Batman chokes the driver of a car careening toward a cliff, then leaps free just before it plunges over the edge, leaving the man inside

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$16K
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$56K
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$160K
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Hypodermic needle cover
9th appearance of Batman

Batman bashes a ruby artifact into an enemy’s face, sending him crashing backward through a window and onto the sidewalk below

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$4.8K
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Final solo adventure of Batman in the Golden Age as Robin debuts in Detective Comics #38

Batman punches a man, sending him backward into a sword

DC Apr 1940

Batman #1

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1st appearance of the Joker
1st appearance of the Cat, Selina Kyle, later becomes Catwoman
Debut of the first Batplane which has multiple designs from one issue to the next including Batman #3 and Batman #4
💰 Batman #1 sold for over one million dollars 4x with a record-high in 9.4 for $6,000,000

Batman expresses remorse as he kills two thugs with the Batplane's gatling gun

Batman hangs one Monster Man from a rope tied to the Batplane and gasses another, causing him to fall off a skyscraper

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3rd appearance of Robin

Batman topples a massive statue onto a group of men from the Horde of the Green Dragon, crushing them beneath its weight

DC Jul 1940

Batman #2

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2nd appearance of the Joker
2nd appearance of Catwoman, Selina Kyle and first time she is referred to as Cat Woman, used interchangeably with The Cat

Batman sends a deranged man down a flight of stairs, snapping his neck which results in his death soon after

Batman yanks a baby-like giant off a high beam, sending him plummeting to his death

DC Aug 1940

Batman #3

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$2K
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$8K
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Debut of the first Catwoman costume, a mask resembling an actual cat
1st appearance of Puppet Master

Batman kick-flips a thug off of a tall building

DC Dec 1940

Batman #4

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Batman's code of ethics to not kill is established
First mention of Gotham City
1st appearance of Jack of Diamonds aka Dr. Deegan
1st appearance of Jimmy McCoy, a gangster
[August 2025 - Jimmy McCoy is seen on a newspaper prop used in the Clayface movie]

This is the moment in Batman's timeline when the concept of preserving human life was established

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$25
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$85
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$265
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First collaboration between Neal Adams and Dennis O'Neil on the Detective Comics title

Batman destroys a garden of mystical flowers responsible for granting immortality to a couple, causing them to rapidly age and die

DC Dec 1975

Batman #270

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Batman quips after knocking an attacker into a statue, which topples onto him and breaks his neck

DC Aug 1977

Batman #290

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Batman hurls a crazed inventor into an electrical box, which, based on a later conversation with Commissioner Gordon, can be assumed to have killed him

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Batman flips an attacker into another, sending him crashing through a window and impaling him on the spiked security wall below

Later, Batman crashes a car into a group of terrorists, triggering an explosion that incinerates them

Softcover
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$2
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$8
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$25
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1st appearance of Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, as a baby
Initially an alternate reality story that was retconned into continuity by Grant Morrison
The softcover edition was preceded by the December 1987 hardcover edition

Batman’s actions leave a trail of bodies from gunfire crossfire, a flesh-eating acid incident and a helicopter crash

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