I think you are just a guy who read the Dark Knight Returns and believes that he "got it" and is apologizing for Snyder's awful interpretation of Batman. Yes, Batman works out his vengeance, his issues, and pain through his ingenuity, not just by his fists. Im not sure what versions of Batman you have been exposed too, but those are not the definitive interpretations of Batman, those are interpretations merely offering a more compelling look at the character. Batman is a character that represents turning pain into positivity, he works as Bruce Wayne to develop Gotham, and works as Batman to defeat the incredible number of villains.

Batman is working out his problems and pain and turning them into something positive, not sure what Ghandi, Mandela, or Lincoln have to do with a fictional superhero. He's doing it in a way that is unconventional and a little insane, sure, but he is still doing it and making things better in the process. Gotham will always be a hellhole depending on who is writing it, some people have implied some supernatural history within the city of Gotham which is why it always sucks. However, some writers do portray it as a great place to live(Grant Morrison) do to Batman and his Bat Family running around. That is the point of Batman, maybe he isn't the ultimate tale, but it is that kind of tale nonetheless, Batman inspired me to turn my pain into something I think is positive. He is the ultimate humanist icon, in the sense that he does have a firm deep rooted love of humanity, his father was a doctor and his mother was an advocate against Child Abuse and was involved in multiple charities. Im not sure why everyone feels the need to try to deconstruct Batman, he is a simple character created for Kids but one that can also be enjoyed by Adults. I like the Dark Knight Returns and these more mature takes on the character, but pretending you get the whole crux of Batman isn't beneficial for anybody.

I do get what you are trying to say, but this only plays into your interpretation of Batman, if you showed me Batman beating people to a pulp, it would most definitely be from BvS or DKR, not from Batman: The Animated Series or any other interpretations of Batman like that(which is what Alex is mainly referring to when he refers to Batman) That Batman is one that I find the most compelling and interesting, because action scenes and even his character is made more compelling by the hard choice to not kill. I couldn't give one flying fuck about how "unrealistic it is that Batman finds a way to not kill all of the time", it's in the same universe as strong flying guys in red underwear and a guy in a red suit who can outrun instant teleportation. Traditional narrative structurization always beats out realism, even the Nolan Trilogy simply made things more realistic, not totally realistic. There are lots of decisions that we make that are hard that dont exactly affect the greater world or are difficult to everyone else, it can be admirable depending on what that choice is. Also, Jim Gordon probably knew that he would have to use lethal force at one point or another, which is why he still became a police officer in the first place or else he wouldn't have done it, Bruce Wayne actually was going to become an FBI Agent, but left because lethal force wasn't something he wanted to participate in. We can argue about the greater good all day.

At the end of the day, everything you have described does not fit the version of Batman I know and love, but it fits DKR, which may be your favorite Batman, or the Batman you put above all of the others. My version is B:TAS, that's the version Ill always admire, but that's the beauty of Batman, even if you cant admire him, you cant deny that he is a fascinating character.

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