Will Batman break his cardinal rule in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Batman's refusal to kill is one aspect which makes the hero the man he is, but has the caped crusader become so jaded in BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE that he's tossed his once cardinal rule out the door? BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE producer Charles Roven spoke with Empire Magazine recently and hinted that Ben Affleck's Batman will go further than any of the previous cinematic iterations of the character.

[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.

While Batman's past isn't without the odd murder or two, I doubt that Batman is actually going to straight up kill the bad guys in BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, but we're definitely going to be presented with a Batman who has seen more horrors in his life than the average vigilante. Roven claims that Batman's grim aspect on life comes from seeing "the worst of what man can do. He’s been darkened by it, he’s tougher, he’s angrier, I guess. He’s still lost those that are near and dear to him, and not necessarily from old age or disease.” I suspect we're not going to see too many Bat-Smiles from Bruce Wayne this time around.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE will hit theaters on March 25, 2016.