Stephen King Isn’t a Fan of Bloodless Violence in Superhero Movies

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A rain-soaked Heath Ledger with smeared, greasy makeup grabs Michael Jai White by the back of the head and forces a knife in his mouth. After spouting a frightening anecdote about his scarred face, he yanks the knife through White’s cheek, similarly slicing him, and swiftly ending his life in a brutal, bloody fashion. Presumably. We never really see it.

That isn’t the only instance of extreme yet bloodless violence in The Dark Knight . Later on, Ledger’s Joker fires a shotgun directly into a police officer, and the results are similarly bloodless. That’s the case for most superhero movies, but it feels especially notable in a film as grim and gritty as Christophe

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