Zack Snyder’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice generated a lot of negative buzz from critics and audiences alike during its underwhelming, 12-week run in theaters, and some of that criticism was lobbed at the body count piled up by Ben Affleck’s Batman in the film.
With Dawn of Justice now available in the home entertainment market, it’s easier to get a more precise count on the number of dead bodies Batman leaves in his wake over the course of the film — and that’s exactly what one person did. Not only does a new, fan-made video tally up the Dark Knight’s death toll in Dawn of Justice, but it makes a strong case for regarding Affleck’s version of the character as the most murderous Batman in Hollywood history.
Created by YouTube user Mr Sunday Movies, the video runs through all of the scenes in which Batman killed — or in some cases, is assumed to have killed — other characters in the film.
The final count? 21 bad guys dead in the film’s established continuity, and 11 more dead in the movie’s “dream sequence” that features Batman gunning down a group of soldiers.
Still, it’s worth noting that most of the deaths are assumed rather than confirmed, but it seems pretty safe to say that the characters who were inside vehicles that Batman exploded with rocket fire or crushed by causing other vehicles to roll over them are probably (with about 99.99 percent certainty) dead.
So, how does Affleck’s Batman body count stack up against previous big-screen versions of Batman? Well, back in August 2015, the same YouTube user tallied up Batman’s body count in all of the live-action films prior to Dawn of Justice.
Surprisingly, Tim Burton’s very first Batman had the highest death toll of the entire series — and that includes Christopher Nolan’s trilogy — with 17 dead victims of the Dark Knight, leaving Affleck’s Batman in the top spot. But that’s not the only thing to consider when pondering this new Batman’s propensity for killing criminals.
Over the course of all seven Batman solo movies prior to Batman V. Superman, the DC Comics superhero racked up just 45 deaths by his hands — meaning that Affleck’s Batman has killed nearly half as many people in one movie as all of the prior versions of Batman collectively killed in seven movies.
So what does this mean for The Dark Knight? Well, if you’re one of the people who’s always wanted to see a Batman who takes criminals off the streets permanently, you’re in luck. And with Justice League and a solo Batman movie still on the way, there’s likely quite a bit more murder to come.
