I’ve seen plenty of Batman comics and TV shows, played Batman video games, and I’ve watched all the Batman movies. In my favorite Batman stories (like Batman: The Animated Series) it just goes without saying that Batman, if he killed, would be as bad as the guys he brings in. Flimsier plot ideas (like the one I’m arbitrarily referencing in this picture, and “The Dark Knight” (2008) pervert Batman’s No-Kill Code into a kind of substantive plot idea (like that Batman is somehow stupid or evil for refusing to kill villains). One day I’ll write more about Batman and add a link here.
In an older art-style Batman comic, Robin says “Let him die! He’s a killer! You’d only be saving him for the electric chair anyways! Why give him the chance to reveal your identity?” Looking away, Batman stoically replies “Robin, we’ve always followed a moral code… We must keep him alive… Even though it will mean the finish of Batman!”