Warning! Spoilers for Justice League: Last Ride #7

DC Comics has unintentionally revealed that Superman's famous “no kill” rule has a huge loophole. The Man of Steel has a personal code of ethics that keeps him from crossing the line, but he hasn’t fully thought it through.

Similar to Batman, Superman has always embraced life in all its forms, regardless of someone’s allegiance to good or evil. Since he chooses to see the good in others, he has a “no killing” policy, challenging him to not use his powers so violently. Unlike the Dark Knight, his ethics don’t come from a place of fear that crossing a moral line would make him no different from his rogues. Instead, Superman is motivated by compassion. However, his demonstrated mercy encounters an issue in Justice League: Last Ride #7, written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Miguel Mendonca and colorist Enrica Angiolini.

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Although Superman is firmly against killing and doesn’t allow his peers to kill either, he instantly forgives his fellow heroes when they take a life. It’s the same part of his personality that causes him to not hold anything against other Justice League members. In the past, he’s forgiven Wonder Woman, who is used to killing in war as she was raised among warriors. When Green Lantern murders Darkseid, Superman is practically ambivalent, and has no hesitation about working with him again in the future. 

Recently, in Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1, Superman even instructed his team to spare the Al Ghuls, who are an army of undead ninjas. While the Avengers wouldn’t have shared his philosophy, the Authority weren’t permitted to kill the zombies. However, it’s likely Superman wouldn’t have minded so much after all. As a result of his compassion, Superman is prone to forgive and forget, without implementing any consequences. In theory, he should be more understanding of the Authority than the Justice League, as DC’s greatest protectors tend to know what he expects from them.

With these two back-to-back displays of Superman’s “no killing” rule in action, his philosophy is depicted as more of a preference than a personal code. In contrast, Batman seems to be stricter on his bat family of crimefighters than Superman is with those he fights alongside. This juxtaposition makes sense, as Bruce tends to feel a greater weight of responsibility on those around him. However, Superman is overly understanding when he is let down by other heroes’ conflicting styles of pursuing justice.

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