Highlights
- DC villains often have their own moral code and sense of justice, which can lead to redemption.
- Kite Man's heart isn't really in killing, as he is usually depicted as a bad supervillain.
- Captain Cold doesn't kill because he doesn't like it and it brings unwanted attention.
The history of villains within DC Comics is pretty complicated, featuring some incredibly strange characters as well as the recurring ones who have become some of the most famous faces in comic book history. One of the things that makes DC Comics so great is the complexity of their characters, and that includes their villains.
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With the vast array of characters in the DC comics universe, it would be almost impossible for every villain to appear in the films.
While there are a few DC villains who are outright villainous, most of them come with their own moral code and sense of justice or what they believe is right. This often leads to them redeeming themselves at some point over the years, and for many of them, this special moral code includes not killing whenever possible.
7 Kite Man
Doesn’t Kill Because His Sense Of Right And Wrong
- First Appearance: Batman Vol.1 #133
Some villains don’t kill because they have a strict moral code, others are just idiots. Kite Man has become a fan favorite in recent years due to his hilarious nature and the tragic backstory he was given, as well as due to his appearances in the Harley Quinn animated series.
However, Kite Man is usually depicted as being pretty bad at the supervillain gig. The variety of kites which he uses don’t usually work how he expected, or fail pretty quickly after a hero comes into the picture. He started by mostly using kites to commit robberies, and despite always aspiring to more, he’s never been seen as eager to commit murders, showing that his heart can’t really be in the killing.
6 Bizarro
Doesn’t Kill Because He’s Usually Friendly, But Misunderstood
- First Appearance: Superboy Vol.1 #68
Though this is one example of a villain who has killed before, usually just because he was taking orders from someone else, Bizarro has become something of an anti-hero instead of a villain in his recent appearances due to his reluctance to be that villainous or murderous when left to his own devices.
The worst crimes Bizarro has committed throughout his comic book history have usually been because he is easily manipulated. Similarly to his inspiration, Frankenstein’s Monster, Bizarro is a strange experiment, who isn’t as evil as everyone assumes he is, making him a surprisingly tragic character, with some truly bizarre powers.
5 Captain Cold
Doesn’t Kill Because It Brings Unwanted Attention
- First Appearance: Showcase Vol.1 #8
It is difficult to determine for sure why Captain Cold and his team of Flash's Rogues don’t kill. To be sure, he’s given his reasons in the past, saying that his Rogues have a moral code of their own making to live by, or that killing people draws too much heat from cops and heroes. But what it seems to boil down to is that Captain Cold just doesn’t like killing.
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To be sure, this character has appeared so frequently over the years that some iterations have been killers. A long time ago, Cold froze the man who killed his sister to death in a rage, but he has stopped his friends from murdering people much more often than he’s engaged in acts like this himself, and on the occasions when he is involved with murder, he is often shown either to be remorseful of the act or completely incapable of doing it himself.
4 The Riddler
Doesn’t Kill Because He Prefers Riddles
- First Appearance: Detective Comics Vol.1 #140
The Riddler is another odd villain and another insane member of Batman’s huge rogues gallery. The Riddler has many appearances in various media, appearing as very different characters when Jim Carrey and Paul Dano respectively brought him to live-action Batman movies, for example. However, most versions of The Riddler aren’t interested in committing murder, but more so an impulsive obsession with riddles and conundrums.
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On many occasions, Riddler has been more interested in seeing if he can outwit Batman than whether he’s capable of killing the Caped Crusader. Riddler has also on many occasions helped Batman investigate crimes he finds curious, and only once, within the pages of The Question, did Riddler attempt to become a “big-time villain” by murdering a busload of people who answered riddles incorrectly. Generally, most versions of the character have been interested in puzzles, riddles, and outwitting people, as opposed to wantonly committing crimes.
3 Condiment King
Doesn’t Kill Because He’s A Joke
- First Appearance: Batgirl: Year One
Condiment King is one of the most amusing villains who have ever appeared in DC Comics. Interestingly, much like Harley Quinn, he first appeared in the Batman Animated Series and was later brought into comics for a Batgirl origin story. Condiment King, as the name suggests, attempts to commit crimes by using a variety of sauce-based weapons.
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Additionally, the character was even given a pair of henchmen called Salt and Pepper, emphasizing that he was not to be taken seriously. Whether Condiment King wants to kill anyone is hard to tell, simply because he’s so bad at committing any of the crimes he actually attempts that he’s probably too afraid to even try murder, though this could change if he appears in the Matt Reeves' The Batman universe.
1 Catwoman
Doesn’t Kill Because She Has Morals
- First Appearance: Batman Vol.1 #1
There have been many versions of Catwoman over the years, in a lot of different media, but in general, the character has become a lot less villainous over the years, moving like several Batman villains into the realms of anti-hero, even if they still run afoul of him on occasion.
Catwoman has even married Batman, and also given him a lot of difficulties through her various heists. However, there are few versions of Catwoman who have ever killed wantonly or cared for killing at all. Usually, as a villain, she was interested in cat burglary, while as a hero she kept rigidly to a moral code, similar to Batman, that hardly ever leaves her resorting to killing.
