Yes, this was the point I was trying to make, and thank you for taking it a step forward and pointing out the real problem. Comic books are trying to mature to keep up with their aging audience, but they're still stuck on the old rules. As a result, the villians can get grittier but the superheroes have to stay "pure" and kiddy-friendly. What I mean when I say I like the no-kill policy is that I like it when the heroes aren't forced to kill. There's a big difference between a mad-cap, crazy scheme to steal forty cakes and a serial kller, and there's a different set of rules to deal with each situation. So, in the case of superheroes having to deal with the latter, yes, I argree that the "no-kill" policy is ridiculous. Foolishly noble, but fultile. On the other hand, I personally would rather read a story about tracking down a crazy cake stealer, because comics books to me are suppose to be fun and optimistic.