10 Most Brutal Deaths In Batman Live-Action Movies & Shows

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Throughout the live-action history of Batman in movies and TV shows, there have been several memorably brutal deaths worthy of note. As one of DC’s most iconic characters, Batman’s cinematic legacy predates the movies of the DCEU and even the modern superhero genre itself. Batman has graced the big and small screens many times, and though the hero typically applies a strict no-kill rule, there is still often plenty of death on display in his movie and TV appearances.
Nearly every Batman movie or TV show features at least one death, whether at the hands of a villain or as a byproduct of the actions of Batman himself. Some of the deaths in question can be considered particularly brutal, due to either the nature of the character in question’s demise or simply the context surrounding it. With all that in mind, here are the 10 most brutal kills in live-action Batman movies and TV shows.
10 The Riddler Strangles Kristen Kringle Gotham, Season 2, Episode 6, "By Fire" Across the show’s five-season run, Gotham featured many Batman villains, but few were as connected to its central story as Edward Nygma. The man who became the Riddler was shown developing his criminal alter ego, and one of his earliest murders proved to be an especially brutal and pivotal moment in his origin story. After striking up a relationship with his co-worker, Kristen Kringle, Nygma accidentally kills her during an argument.
The altercation stems from Kringle learning of Nygma’s previous murder of her ex-boyfriend, and her fearful response upsets the future Batman villain. He corners her, pinning her to the wall and attempting to rationalize his actions, strangling her in the process. It’s a moment that is every bit as disturbing as it is heartbreaking, and the stark brutality of it in the face of what was only moments before an intimate relationship makes it all the more upsetting.
9 The Penguin Kills Victor Aguilar The Penguin, Season 1, Episode 8, "A Great or Little Thing" The ending of The Penguin episode 8 featured many moments that helped define the future of its eponymous villain, but one particular death in the episode was especially brutal. Throughout the preceding episodes, Penguin’s protégé and driver, Victor “Vic” Aguilar, is his most trusted asset and confidant. Vic serves as a key part of Penguin’s plans to solidify his power in Gotham after the events of The Batman.
Having finally achieved his goal, Penguin announces that he has one last issue to take care of. He then heartlessly strangles Vic, killing the young man in cold blood simply because he found himself growing emotionally attached to him. The heartless nature of the murder, combined with the darkly poetic way Penguin disposes of Vic’s body after his death, makes the character’s demise seem especially brutal, as it was effectively Vic’s reward for helping Penguin rise to the top.
8 Selina Kyle Is Thrown From A Building By Her Boss Batman Returns (1992) Tim Burton’s Batman movies stand out in the character’s cinematic history, both as landmark titles in the superhero genre and for infamously having Batman casually break his no-kill rule on many occasions. However, it’s not just the Dark Knight who plays fast and loose with others’ lives, as his villains do, too. One scene in Batman Returns shows the origins of Catwoman, which comes about as a result of Max Shreck throwing his assistant, Selina Kyle, from a top-floor window.
The tense nature of the scene, with Shreck casually intimidating Selina with his profile and power, builds to a horrifying crescendo. After cruelly pretending his threats were a joke, he lulls Selina into a false sense of security, only to throw her through the glass and hurtling down to the street below. The look of terror on her face and the nonchalant attitude of Shreck make her first death seem memorably brutal.
7 Gil Coulson Gets Blown Up By An Explosive Collar The Batman (2022) Matt Reeves’ first foray into Gotham is filled with death, with many of the characters in The Batman’s cast not surviving the events of the movie. The Riddler’s murderous scheme to uncover the corruption within the very heart of Gotham’s society sees a number of high-profile figures murdered in eye-catchingly unpleasant ways, including DA Gil Coulson. Exposing Coulson for taking bribes, the Riddler fixes a bomb collar to his neck and sends him into the public funeral of one of his previous victims.
Having Coulson abducted and then strapped to an explosive device is a devious way to kill him, especially as the Riddler teases that he can earn his freedom with honesty. He then asks probing questions designed to force Coulson into airing his misdeeds, only for the collar to activate anyway, killing him in a fiery explosion. The graphic nature of the death makes it particularly memorable in its brutality, as does the fear it instills in Coulson in his final moments.
6 Rachel Dawes Is Abducted, Restrained, Then Exploded The Dark Knight (2008) Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy features a considerable number of deaths across its three-film arc, but few are as pivotal in so many characters’ stories as Rachel Dawes’. Rachel was first introduced in Batman Begins as a love interest of sorts for Bruce Wayne, only to become romantically entangled with Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. Rachel’s death comes about as part of the Joker’s plan, when the villain abducts both Rachel and Dent and tasks Batman with saving just one.
The dark reality of Rachel’s death makes it all the more brutal. She’s kidnapped, restrained, and then wakes in an abandoned warehouse filled with barrels of flammable liquid. She’s able to share a final farewell with Harvey Dent via a radio, with both fearing for their lives. She’s then forced to acknowledge her own death just moments before the explosion that ultimately claims her life, making it a tragic and violent end to her story.
5 Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. Is Bludgeoned With A Carpet Tool The Batman (2022) 2022’s The Batman opens with a scene that sets the tone for the entire gritty epic, introducing its villain in the most brutal way imaginable. The film’s opening sequence sees the Riddler stalking Mayor Don Mitchell Jr., watching from a distance before breaking into his home. Without any real context, The Batman then shows Mitchell’s violent demise at the hands of the film’s reimagined take on the iconic Batman villain.
Not only does the Riddler silently infiltrate the Mayor’s home, but he then watches from the shadows, carefully choosing his moment to strike. When he does, he tackles the Mayor from behind, then brutally beats him with a metal carpet tool. After bludgeoning the Mayor to death, the Riddler begins to use duct tape, all without speaking a word. It perfectly sets up the horrifying villain, introducing him with a brutal scene that feels lifted from a horror movie.
4 Grace Van Dahl Is Fed Her Own Children Before Being Stabbed Gotham, Season 2, Episode 15, "Into the Woods" Gotham is far from the most gritty or grounded take on the characters of the Batman mythos, but its exploration of many of the Dark Knight’s supporting characters and their origins gives way to many dark moments. The second season of the show focused specifically on villains, with Penguin earning particular interest as he slowly transitions from a low-level crook to a full-scale scheming antagonist. One particularly dark scene sees Penguin murder his stepmother Grace Van Dahl in a singularly twisted and brutal manner.
After being brainwashed to obey, Penguin is effectively enslaved by his stepmother and step-siblings. Breaking free from his conditioning, Penguin then sets about cooking his stepmother a meal, just as she requested. Upon complaining about its quality, Penguin reveals that he has regained control of himself, and that he had killed and cooked Grace’s children, then fed them to her. He then stabs her repeatedly, savagely killing her.
3 Commissioner Savage Is Filled With Poison And Eaten Alive By Rats The Batman (2022) The Batman turned a once wacky villain into a terrifying serial killer, with the Riddler’s cryptic scheme serving as the movie’s main narrative. Of the multiple murders and attempted murders the villain carries out over the course of the movie, one in particular stands out as the most brutal. The Riddler’s crusade to expose corruption sees him target the police commissioner, Pete Savage, and the antagonist kills him in a sickeningly creative fashion.
After trapping Savage in a hand-made contraption, the Riddler injects the commissioner with rat poison. He then sets rats loose inside the box around Savage’s head, with the rodents desperately seeking the sweet-smelling poison in his veins. In a frenzy, the rats then burrow into his face, killing him in an incredibly painful manner. What’s worse, the Riddler also live-streams the murder, sharing it with the public and making Savage’s death seem even more brutal as a result.
2 Batman Brutally Kills An Unnamed Henchman Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Of all the actors to play Batman in live-action, it’s no secret that Ben Affleck’s is the most violent and the most willing to kill. It’s also no secret that the warehouse scene in Batman v Superman is one of the most brutal in the entire DCEU, and has earned a reputation as a point of particular note for its short-lived Batman story. Though the scene in question sees many henchmen killed or severely wounded, it’s the last henchman standing that gets the worst of all.
After casually defeating a horde of enemies with relative ease, Batman stabs the final henchman in the chest. Then, he approaches the man, who cowers away, unarmed and begging for mercy. Not only does Batman ignore his pleas, but he punches the man hard enough that the resulting crunching sound makes it clear that he’s thoroughly dead. The needless brutality of the moment is notable, as it marks Ben Affleck’s Batman as a much darker take on the character.
1 Joker Performs A Magic Pencil Trick On Gambol’s Henchman The Dark Knight (2008) The Dark Knight has gone down in history as one of the greatest movies ever made, earning particular plaudits for its reimagining of the superhero genre. The film’s standout star is its villain, the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. Ledger’s performance is legendary, blending hypnotic charisma with thoroughly terrifying attributes that make him one of the greatest movie villains of all time. The Joker kills many people in The Dark Knight, but one kill is renowned for being especially brutal.
After introducing himself to Gotham’s most hardened criminals, the Joker endears himself with a magic trick. Placing a pencil upright on a table, the Joker unexpectedly slams an approaching henchman into it head-first, making it “disappear”. The Joker’s pencil trick is as iconic as it is abrupt, and its brutal violence makes for the most brutal death in all of Batman’s live-action movies and TV shows.
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