The Batman's Robert Pattinson just made the character's no-killing rule even better. The rule is a defining aspect of the character. In a recent interview leading up to The Batman's (tentative) March release, Pattinson offered his take on the rule, and it's quite perfect for the version he's portraying.
The debate on whether Batman should kill or not has raged on for years, and there is no easy answer. There's a constant back and forth between iterations portraying a Batman that kills and one who sticks to the rule. Notably, Ben Affleck's DCEU iteration is controversially well-known for being one who does away with the no-killing rule in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Even when he's inspired by Superman to go back to his old ways, this still doesn't stop Batman's no-killing rule from being rather flexible, as his iconic warehouse fight proves.
Ahead of his own interpretation of the iconic comic book character, Robert Pattinson sat down for an interview with the French magazine, Premiere, discussing the psychology of this version of Batman and how his no-killing rule factors into it. As Pattinson explained, "It can be interpreted in two ways. Either he only wants to inflict the appropriate punishment, or he wants to kill and his self-control prevents him from doing so." The performer went on to add, "I'm sure in this first fight, he manages to convince himself that every guy in front of him is the one who killed his mother. And so that allows him to vent all his rage." This provides arguably the most complex psychological analysis yet of Batman's moral code – he knows that progressing to murder would be wrong, but still takes undeniable cathartic pleasure from punishing the guilty. This duality at the core of the no-kill principle makes it even more intriguing than other, less-layered representations.
With The Batman, Matt Reeves seems intent on using the rule to provide an emotionally complex arc for Bruce Wayne. As Pattinson's words put it, this version has a compulsive urge to break his one rule (which he likens to imagining every criminal he faces being Batman's Joe Chill) and it's only through sheer willpower that he eventually relents. This is a unique approach to the rule, as it proves Bruce Wayne's greatest enemy in The Batman will not be Penguin, Catwoman, or even the Riddler. It will be himself, and the evergrowing desire within him to pursue vengeance over justice. Since Reeves seems so focused on exploring the duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman, this is exactly the kind of interpersonal conflict the film needs for that to succeed.
The Batman has been heavily anticipated ever since the project was initially announced, with its many delays only serving to enhance that anticipation. The discussion shared by Robert Pattinson about how Batman's no-kill rule factors into the film will now surely contribute more in that regard. However, whatever the end result, there's no doubt that putting the no-kill rule under the microscope makes The Batman a much more intriguing prospect as a psychological study.
