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In Batman #116, the Dark Knight’s newest nemesis nearly saved the day by doing something the Caped Crusader’s rules would never allow.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #116, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman’s ‘no-kill rule’ has been a subject of debate among fans for years, with many pointing out that his decision to allow some members of his rogues gallery to live allows them to terrorize Gotham City again and again. Over the years, plenty of more trigger-happy characters have sought to challenge the Dark Knight’s moral stance and replace his restrained brand of justice with something more brutal.
In Batman #116 (by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles), Sean Mahoney a.k.a. Peacekeeper-01 is the latest of Gotham’s lethal protectors to challenge Batman’s notion of not killing criminals. Mahoney uses potentially lethal tactics a classic Gotham City villain, and his actions end up proving to be a powerful argument against the way the Caped Crusader wages his war on crime.
In the issue, Mahoney’s actions save Miracle Molly when she is placed in a life-threatening situation by Scarecrow’s Mad Hatter influenced technology. As Batman is left outfoxed by Crane with Miracle Molly’s life hanging in the balance, Mahoney breaks free of the psychosis Scarecrow instilled in him and shoots Crane. Through his brutal means, Mahoney managed to save someone’s life by employing a method that Batman would never use.
Throughout Fear State, Sean Mahoney has been trying to prove to Gotham that he can be the hero that Batman never could be. Batman Secret Files: Peacekeeper-01 (by Ed Brisson, James Tynion IV, Joshua Hixson, Roman Stevens, and Travis Lanham), goes into detail about Mahoney’s past and how he idolized his father and grandfather who were both Gotham City police officers. It was his father, a crooked cop on the payroll of the Falcone crime family, who would instill Mahoney’s warped ideas of justice before he was recruited by Simon Saint to lead the forces of the Magistrate.
During a rampage incited by an injection of Scarecrow’s fear toxin, Mahoney goes to his father’s bar and ends up disowning him and the rest of his family for helping to corrupt the city. Mahoney sees himself and his Peacekeeper persona as the antidote to Gotham City’s sickness, and vows to finally become the hero the city needs.
Mahoney’s shooting of Scarecrow in order to save Miracle Molly sees the character coming close to his dream of being the hero to replace Batman, who he considers outdated and just as bad as the criminals he places in Arkham Asylum. However, it is precisely this tragedy that sees Mahoney once again succumb to his psychosis as he once again turns against the Protector of Gotham.
Mahoney’s actions bring to light many important questions regarding Batman’s no-kill rule. If it weren’t for Peacekeeper’s intervention, Miracle Molly may have been killed by the Scarecrow. This begs the age-old question of whether Batman could save more lives if he was willing to cross that moral line with at least some of his foes, particularly the Joker, who has done copious damage to the citizens of Gotham as well as the Bat-Family. However, Mahoney and the Magistrate’s violent brand of justice has been shown to be a brutal and authoritarian mess that leads to a dystopian Gotham in the future, and alternative universes have demonstrated the detrimental effects of Batman violating his moral code.
The Dark Knight continues to maintain his no-kill rule, despite the likes of Mahoney and others challenging the notion as ‘outdated’. The question as to whether he is wrong or right in his actions is sure to remain a key moral dilemma for the Dark Knight and the future of his war on crime.
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