🃏The Jester🃏

We all know the personal reasons why he doesn't: Doesn't like guns, believes life is precious, trauma could make him used to killing and turn him into a villain, etc.

But to justify why he doesn't let others kill, is worth looking at the general context.

It's quite simple: Gotham adapts.

Keep in mind that the current era of masked criminals is in part a consequence from The Long Halloween. Before the time of freaks and gangs, there was the era of mob bosses and families.

Who was The Holiday Killer, the one that finished the era? Either Gloria Dent or Alberto Falcone, victims directly or indirectly affected by the current status quo, who took letal justice for their personal reasons.

In a way, Red Hood is recreating this scenario. Similarly he is a victim of these current evil forces who wants to take letal justice against them.

You could argue that Holiday did the right thing, killing the people hurting Gotham and changing how things were run. But did Gotham become safer? More peaceful? Not really.

The violence and murder still exists, even without the families running Gotham. But in a new form. The horrors are there now hidden under masks.

If Batman, or Red Hood, started systematically killing the big criminals in gotham, the process would repeat.

Do you really think that the criminals in Gotham wouldn't react if big villains were being killed?

Chances are, they would be killed after the initial killings. because getting to them is way more difficult than with past normal criminals. Remember, some of the Rogues have taken over the city. Do you really want them to unite against one enemy?

A VERY talented vigilante could probably get away with killing one or two villains (Probably the Joker, honestly). But finishing the job? That would require a lot of talent and miracles. A true massacre, with the city as collateral.

And if they miracly finish the job? That wouldn't mean peace. We already seen various villains follow on the step of others. A retired Riddler lead to other three trying to take his place. Punchline is following Joker's steps. There's probably more villains that would rise up after such a massacre.

Just look at Batman beyond, Bruce's enemies might be dead, but Neo Gotham is still full of villains.

Batman's methods current aren't perfect, but it avoids a larger scale of crime. He slowly treats the symptoms, rather than risk bigger damage while trying to forcibly fix the city's issues.

And if you wanted to introduce a trainee.. Why not Frost? She could've fill that role without angering fans.

But then you go to her prior appearences and... they aren't good, either? Like, yes, they are MUCH better than what Morrison did but they fall uncomfortably close to 'Exotic lady tempts the hero' tropes which is just.. yikes.

There's some general hints that she *could* be developed further during that time, with doubts from her father and her own interests but they aren't leaned into because she was still forced into that role of temptress and/or being a 'i can fix her' plot device for Bruce. And later on she simply is 'damian's mom' and not much more.

The story that lead to the misunderstanding that ruined her character, Son of The Demon, ironically happens to be her most solid story, mostly because it puts the lacks of progress on Talia's and Bruce's relationship as tragedy rather than just... what the status quo is.

Because it is written as a relationship doomed to fail -- But also Talia never to be explored outside of it during that time... nor later, really.

Now her legacy is her son Damian Wayne, who's main arc depends on the butchered version of Talia. But while it has been retconned a lot to kinda take her off that characterization.. His arc hasn't changed in return. Damian's development hinges on Talia or Ra's being bad caretakers and him learning from his time at the league thanks to his other family, so you get this off disconnect between how people want them to be written and what the story is.