Should a hero kill to save someone's life or their own, or even kill a villain who is a monster and keeps on getting free, and the government does not

[Dachi]

We all know that in fiction, prisons are easily breached, and villains often escape, go on raids, and kill many people. Our hero then arrests them, and this cycle repeats itself. We know that heroes should not kill, but if the villain can't be punished and the government does nothing against them and normal people can't stop the villain, should the hero deal with them?

 

[Bea]

I think batman should kiss the Joker actually. Healing power of love, baby.

He can Fix Him.

 

[Jenny]

We all know that in fiction, prisons are easily breached, and villains often escape, go on raids, and kill many people. Our hero then arrests them, and this cycle repeats itself. We know that heroes should not kill, but if the villain can't be punished and the government does nothing against them and normal people can't stop the villain, should the hero deal with them?

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The hero should fight the real villain: the writers.

 

[Sandy River DL]

Well clearly to keep things kid-friendly, fates worse than death are required! Just like how the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh was always sending people to the Shadow Realm. Because obviously planes of torment are better...

 

[Bea]

Well clearly to keep things kid-friendly, fates worse than death are required! Just like how the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh was always sending people to the Shadow Realm. Because obviously planes of torment are better...

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The Arkana duel was so funny- oh no, those blades aren't blades that will cut their legs off? THEY ARE DISCS MADE OF EVIL ENERGY THAT WILL SEND THEIR SOULS STRAIGHT TO HELL

 

[DanZapman]

It's not as though killing people is reliable in these settings, either. They come back within months or years, and have a 50/50 chance of being hopped up on demonic superpowers now. If we acknowledge prisons being a revolving door, we also need to acknowledge the same of the afterlife. Therefore, the only option is to destroy the concept of money and eradicate poverty with my new Mega Ultra Death Ray 9001--why are you guys looking at me like that?

 

[Sandy River DL]

It's not as though killing people is reliable in these settings, either. They come back within months or years, and have a 50/50 chance of being hopped up on demonic superpowers now. If we acknowledge prisons being a revolving door, we also need to acknowledge the same of the afterlife.

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If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that death isn't any better at holding the villains. Hell, after all, is just a very secure prison for souls. So if imprisoning the likes of the Joker doesn't work, why would Dead People Prison work any better?

 

[Kuja]

It's why I think comics should keep death to a rarity. Even villains should rarely kill. The constant cycle of "do crimes, go to jail for six months, repeat" would be a lot less dumb if the Joker were going in for 12 counts of grand larceny, grand theft auto, breaking & entering, and one moving violation, instead of a fresh slate of 37 corpses.

 

[Frumple]

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that death isn't any better at holding the villains. Hell, after all, is just a very secure prison for souls. So if imprisoning the likes of the Joker doesn't work, why would Dead People Prison work any better?

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I'd actually kind of love it for a warden or something in one of these settings to respond to that.

"Why don't we just kill them? We have. Sixteen goddamn times. Every method we could convince the government to let us try. Another dozen times by unaffiliated vigilantes. You're asking why we don't 'just put down' someone that got literally thrown into the sun at one point, burnt down to less than ash. We tried that. It didn't stick.

This prison might not keep them indefinitely, but you know what the eggheads crunching numbers found out? Nothing keeps that bastard off the streets longer than these cells. Not death, not being teleported to the other end of the galaxy, not being locked into an inescapable alternate dimension, nothing.

These walls have a better track record with that scumbag than literal Gods."

'Course, then it turns out it's because the entire place is basically the blighter's vacation home and that's why they spend so much time there, 'cause, y'know, prisons suck on every level