Batman DOESN'T Kill?

[The Dark Knight]

I think the correct phrase should be "Batman doesn't murder". Death is unavoidable when you engage in vigilante activities, but Batman doesn't leave the Batcave with the mindset of "Who's life shall I take tonight?"

Batman most definitely left the batcave in B89 with a mindset to take down The Joker's crime ring. Blowing up Axis Chemicals - I see this as Axis Chemicals being number one priority. If goons were to be killed it's put down to collateral damage. They shouldn't have been there, and bad in the first place. Now, machine gunning goons with the batwing is straightforward. I agree with your comment that death is unavoidable in vigilante activites. Situations escalate and there is sometimes only one way out - example being the African thug. A funny and true comparison: Keaton's Batman means to kill, Bale's Batman kills but accidently.