How long before you become a lethal enforcer?

I would not kill. If I was a superhero, I would honor the justice system of that particular country that I was in. It is not up to any one person to be the judge, jury, and executioner. That is taking the law into your own hands, and deciding that you are the supreme authority. It isn’t right for any one person to get to decide anyone’s fate. But, if it was in the defense of the innocent, a hero should not hesitate. Now, if it is a cruel and unusual “K.O.” then that person should no longer be deemed a hero.

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Sorry, I meant crowbars, not crowns

I think a fair question is would you want Batman protecting your city or The Punisher?

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I would never become a lethal enforcer.

Taking a life, unless you cannot avoid it, is wrong.

For me, that is a full stop.

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If a being kills unless in the defense of themselves or others, unless it is absolutely necessary, they are wrong.

If a hero kills, they become a villain.

It is a slippery slope.

First you kill the Joker. He’s insane and a madman. He’s a threat to everyone. It’s understandable.

Then you kill the Ventriloquist and Scarface. They’re crazy. They’ll murder and kill. It’s understandable.

Next you kill the Penguin. He’s a mob boss. Sure he’s not overtly violent, but he kills people. He’s a dangerous man. Too powerful to be touched.

Then there is Johnny. He’s a violent thug. He killed once, he’ll kill again. You’re doing the world a favor.

Of course, anyone who doesn’t see that is blind. Killing these monsters is common sense. Now these so-called officials want to stop you? They’re stopping you from protecting people.

How long will it be before you have to start killing them too?

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That's why you, if you want to be a hero, can never open that door.

Once you justify your actions once, it becomes easier and easier to justify them again and again.

A hero must hold themselves to a higher standard.

Must.

The line between hero and villain must never become blurred.

Any hero who does blur that line needs to be taken in. They're not fit to wear the mask or don the cape.
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Dang, Henry, that was good.

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It’s not a slippery slope at all, the law is pretty clear on it. As @Henrywalsh stated, taking a life without a direct, tangible threat to another’s life is murder and therefore, wrong. I can agree with the full stop there, sir.

However, I dont see the slippery slope arguement at all because again, situational context will always be important. “First you kill Joker to prevent him from killing others” and that would be an unjustified reason to take a life, he would start out in the wrong in this situation. All these scenarios are unquestionably murder.

Batman killing KGBeast in BvS? Totally justified, direct threat to someone’s life.
The idea that he has essentially “broke the seal” and will now murder everything in sight is ridiculous. Situational context would still be taken into consideration

Now, two words that have nothing to do with anything in the real world are “hero” and “villain”. These are literary terms for a protagonist and antagonist with specific sets or characteristics, none of which have anything to do with taking life. Heroes are selfless, courageous, possess strength and wisdom, they defend the weak and those who cant defend themselves. They key ingredient is “self-sacrifice” if Batman has a no kill rule, he will eventually have to sacrifice it if he is guided by the virtue of temperance, as situationally it could very well lead to innocent people dying as a result of his inaction. Choosing not to kill can be situationally selfish.

Zombedy, I disagree.

It isn’t selfish not to kill. Killing is easy, very easy. It takes no Courage to do it, it is simple really. Humans have mastered the art to the point that it is just pushing a button.

As to heroes being literary only… I disagree again.

I’ve met a handful in my life. Truly good, selfless, and altruistic people.

@TheBackbreaker
I kind of wish it was crowns. I’m just imagining a person with a bag full of crowns throwing them at people.