Why hasn't most of Batman's Rogues Gallery been given the Electric Chair?

[MajorHoy]

First off, I would like to say I'm against capital punishment, and I believe that New Jersey, where Gotham is located . . .

I don't know if that's been confirmed by DC any time since at least the last century, has it?

Besides, Gotham City was originally based on New York City back during the Golden Age. It's exact location has rarely been specified except maybe by particular writers every once in a blue moon.

[byrd156]

I don't know if that's been confirmed by DC any time since at least the last century, has it?

Besides, Gotham City was originally based on New York City back during the Golden Age. It's exact location has rarely been specified except maybe by particular writers every once in a blue moon.

I think it's just generally accepted that Gotham is in the Jersey area. It was shown to be there in Young Justice plus a lot of people reference this map but I doubt it's accuracy. I generally think of this as the Pre-Flashpoint map of the DCU.

[williamtheday]

Doesn't matter: if a popular villain is executed, he (or she) will just come back to live somehow.

[MajorHoy]

Doesn't matter: if a popular villain is executed, he (or she) will just come back to live somehow.

Or maybe a new legacy character will inherit the mantle.

[Caivu]

I don't know if that's been confirmed by DC any time since at least the last century, has it?

Besides, Gotham City was originally based on New York City back during the Golden Age. It's exact location has rarely been specified except maybe by particular writers every once in a blue moon.

Gotham has been depicted as being in New Jersey since at least 1977.

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[frankiedetroit]

Because DC would have to be seriously idiotic to kill off so many popular characters. It drives me crazy when fans keep screaming that Batman should kill his villains or they should be sentenced to death. Is that what the readers really want or are they being purposely difficult just to raise a stink?

Maybe it's better to look the other way for the sake of keeping your favourite rogues around.

There are some villains that were killed off, especially in the early days. In fact, the Joker was supposed to have died in BATMAN No.1, but the editor rightly decided that was a bad idea. Eventually, Joker went to the electric chair and paid for his crimes, but he somehow survived the death sentence. After that he noticeably changed, as he became more of a prankster than a serial killer.

The Batman rogues seem to take a lot of their inspiration from Dick Tracy's rogues--but Chester Gould did have the habit of killing off his villains, which meant he had to keep coming up with a long list of more oddly-named adversaries.

There was a point where I wanted Commissioner Gordon to kill Joker. It was after Joker had killed Sarah Essen. Jim did shoot him, but in the knee. I wanted him to take out Joker, because I really liked Sarah.

Also, it's not Batman, but there was an issue of Incredible Hulk where a super villain named Crazy 8 was executed.

[Killerbee911]

I mean no disrespect to the OP, but we're talking comics here. I think (sometimes) it is pretty useless to look at them in comparison to the real world.

Sure, some/most of them would deserve the death penalty (although I would mostly prefer life in prison), but they keep running around the city time and time again.

Why? Because we're talking comics here.

Why do comics fans like to use "because comics" as an excuse. The comic industry reasoning is because then they can bring villians back to use them again we understand this fans but that doesn't mean that that writers can't tackle it with a logical solution. Gotham whatever state it is doesn't have a death penalty which makes it easy clean logical reasoning. For the out state stuff a lot of Batman villains are seen as mentally ill

[Aahz]

Has any criminal in Gotham City ever gotten the death penalty? I'd figure the concept of the death penalty simply doesn't exist in Gotham. Not sure, though.

There was during the 90s iirc one prisoner in Blackgate who got electrical powers, when they tried to electrocute him. He was iirc usually paralysed unless he got access to electricity that he could use to charge him self.
But I can't find the name of this character.

In the Golden Age also some villains were put on the chair, for example Tony Zucco in Dicks original Origin Story and the Joker in Detective Comics #64.

[Jim Kelly]

I always thought that Gotham City was in Gotham State.

The wheels of justice either run very fast or very slow in comic books. In the real world, it takes a long time to try and convict a criminal and even once he's convicted and sentenced, there are appeals. If the state has the death penalty, prisoners aren't executed without a long prison stay during which lawyers argue for a stay of execution.

[MajorHoy]

Gotham has been depicted as being in New Jersey since at least 1977.

All those examples are from 1977 to 1993, which, if memory serves me correctly, would be considered "at least the last century".
I'm curious as to how often it's been specified as in New Jersey since 2001, or even more appropriate, since the changes to the DC universe post-Flashpoint. (Also depends on where those references are made and by who. Any fan not connected to DC can say anything they want on a web posting, but that doesn't mean that's what DC actually says.)

[MarkRodriguez09]

I always thought that Gotham City was in Gotham State.

The wheels of justice either run very fast or very slow in comic books. In the real world, it takes a long time to try and convict a criminal and even once he's convicted and sentenced, there are appeals. If the state has the death penalty, prisoners aren't executed without a long prison stay during which lawyers argue for a stay of execution.

Obviously because the Joker wouldn't have been as marketable now if he was just that one random guy Batman killed in his first issue 75 years ago. Same with anyone else if they were killed in their first appearance by either Batman, the state, or themselves. They would literally have to make up all new bad guys for the cartoons and movies cause noone would remember that random weirdo in issue 75, that was executed 60 years ago.

Honestly though in 'real life' some of these villains would have either been killed by cops as self defense, rogue cops, civilians in a self defense situation, other villains, or other more kill-happy vigilantes. If it were real, Batman can't be everywhere at once and Jason would have killed the Joker the next time Batman was too busy dealing with Mr. Freeze or on some other continent dealing with Rahs Al Ghul or whoever else.

[williamtheday]

By the way, Luthor and Joker did get the chair in the Golden Age, but they they 'got better'.

[Timothy Hunter]

Obviously because the Joker wouldn't have been as marketable now if he was just that one random guy Batman killed in his first issue 75 years ago. Same with anyone else if they were killed in their first appearance by either Batman, the state, or themselves. They would literally have to make up all new bad guys for the cartoons and movies cause noone would remember that random weirdo in issue 75, that was executed 60 years ago.

Honestly though in 'real life' some of these villains would have either been killed by cops as self defense, rogue cops, civilians in a self defense situation, other villains, or other more kill-happy vigilantes. If it were real, Batman can't be everywhere at once and Jason would have killed the Joker the next time Batman was too busy dealing with Mr. Freeze or on some other continent dealing with Rahs Al Ghul or whoever else.

Interesting.

[kjn]

Would you dare to attempt to put the Joker in the electric chair?

[MarkRodriguez09]

Would you dare to attempt to put the Joker in the electric chair?

Heavy sedation after the last time Batman kicked the crap out of him.