History WhatMeasureIsANonHuman / ComicBooks

* An ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' tie-in has a harsh aversion. Comicbook/{{Ultron}}'s drone army is just mechanical drones, but they're considered just alive enough to kick the Ebony Blade's curse (which is fuelled by taking life) into overdrive, leaving the Black Knight out of the action.

* There was a 70's comic in which ComicBook/TheAvengers were blowing up alien ships sent by Comicbook/{{Thanos}}. Presumably, there were aliens inside. This is odd considering the Avengers had a strict no-killing policy at the time. What makes this even odder is that many team members have been androids, aliens, or otherwise non-human.
** Subverted in one of the ''Comicbook/ActsOfVengeance'' tie-ins published in ''Comicbook/WestCoastAvengers''. When one of Mole Man's giant monsters terrorizes California, the right wing Comicbook/USAgent immediately wants to kill it, but Comicbook/IronMan argues against him, reasoning that the creature could just be a confused alien or even a frightened extraterrestrial child of some kind.

* In ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'', Frankie Raye agrees to become the new herald of Comicbook/{{Galactus}} partially so that he'll spare the Earth, but also because she really wants to explore the universe. When Comicbook/MisterFantastic points out that as a herald, Frankie will likely have to let Galactus devour an inhabited planet one day, her response is a cold and blunt "So? A few less bug-eyed monsters?" Notably, it's this exact indifference towards alien life that convinces Galactus to select her for the job, as it was the Comicbook/SilverSurfer's sentimentality and unwillingness to let the Earth be consumed that ultimately led him to rebel during ''Comicbook/TheComingOfGalactus''.
* Comicbook/GhostRider, at least in his 90s incarnation, did not kill even the most inhuman of humans, to the point where his apparent destruction of a ninja in one issue was retconned into that single particular ninja actually being a robot. However, he was quite happy to maim and slaughter demons and other AlwaysChaoticEvil beings, in one instance tying the photosensitive pseudo vampire Blackout to the spire of the Empire State Building and letting him die a horrific burning death as the sun came up. Blackout didn't actually die and popped up on the Raft about fifteen years later, but Ghost Rider had no way of knowing that.

** A major theme in the Creator/DanSlott run, with Jocasta employed by Stark Industries as an AI ethics advisor, and Tony taking her many concerns on board. And then in ''Comicbook/IronMan2020Event'', Arno Stark's whole position is based on an insistance that [=AI=]s aren't people.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', during the ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' {{Crossover}}, the [[CapeBusters Cape Killer unit]] is shown to actively rate an enemy's worth based on [[SlaveToPR how much the news-viewing public might object]]. Minors are treated with non-lethal force, adult humans with moderate force, and with artificial beings like [[spoiler:Victor]], it is permissible to use full lethal force. Aliens have no legal standing in the US and do not generate any sympathy from news-viewing audiences, so it is considered the same as hunting an animal.

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', Richard Madoc justifies his abuse of Calliope to himself because she's not human; however, this is clearly portrayed as absolutely immoral.

* There was a series called ''Sentinel'', which as the name implied, was about a boy named Juston Seyfert and his "pal," a reprogrammed Sentinel. In ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'', Comicbook/EmmaFrost argued that the Sentinel's programming and memories should be wiped to make it less dangerous, which Juston claimed was essentially murder. Then after the Sentinel [[HeroicSacrifice was destroyed while protecting Juston]] during ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'', he fell into a HeroicBSOD moment and stated that he no longer had any reason to live, since his best friend was now dead.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan nearly did this in an issue of ''Comicbook/GhostRider''. He was facing the vampire queen, Lilith, and a host of the undead. He attempted to use Johnny Blaze's gun on them, explaining that "They're already dead". In team-ups with ComicBook/{{Blade}}, he has also not seemed to care much about vampires getting killed. This is the same guy who will box your ears if you try to kill Carnage, a super-powered serial killer.

* In Venom (and all Marvel comics with the symbiote) Where the alien nature of the symbiote is used to justify every atrocity done to any symbiote. Including but not limited to: Brainwashing, drugged into a coma, forced "pregnancy", slavery...

* Invoked in an issue of ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' where Colonel Maverick stops fighting Comicbook/{{Deadpool}} because he was speaking English. Deadpool appropriately lampshades this.

** In the ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers Assemble Annual]]'', Vision calls out [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] and [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] for leaving his disassembled body in a warehouse after he was ripped in half by ComicBook/SheHulk. Though they were both preoccupied with various crises (and one of them was a Skrull at the time), that doesn't really change the fact they left one of their teammates ''ripped up in a warehouse''. Even if they thought he was gone forever, didn't he at least warrant a proper burial? What makes this especially odd is that when Jocasta, another android hero, was killed in battle some years earlier, the Avengers at least held a funeral for her.
** This pops up with the Vision fairly often. Even though he has an advanced artificial mind on par with that of a human and a complete set of synthetic organs, other characters sometimes still just treat him like a robot and act like his romantic relationship with Comicbook/ScarletWitch is on par with a woman loving a toaster. During ''Comicbook/AvengersDisassembled'', Spider-Man gets into an argument with Comicbook/TheFalcon after citing Wanda's marriage to Vision as proof of her insanity.

* Something similar has popped up in, of all places, the past few years of ''Comicbook/{{Witchblade}}''; Sara Pezzini has read a monster its rights at least twice. The monster responds by attacking and she gets to kill it anyway.

* The Comicbook/XMen has issues with this. Most of them are reluctant to kill (with Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} the most obvious exception), but will if they think it's the only solution. After they met the Brood, an AlwaysChaoticEvil alien race with a [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong rather unpleasant reproductive cycle]], they rapidly modified their policy.
** Comicbook/JubileeMarvelComics was a particularly extreme example. Normally she's so firmly opposed to killing that she once abandoned an escape attempt -- effectively giving herself up for another round of torture -- in order to perform CPR on a random mook she had injured. Then during Marvel's ComicBook/SecretInvasion crossover, she was killing Skrulls without even blinking.

* In ''ComicBook/DeathstrokeRebirth'' after Slade has a HeelFaceTurn and tries to be a hero, he admits missing being able to grab his sword and kill his opponents and that he considers applying to ComicBook/JusticeLeague to kill some aliens or other monsters during next alien invasion.

* There was a 70's comic in which ComicBook/TheAvengers were blowing up alien ships sent by Thanos. Presumably, there were aliens inside. This is odd considering the Avengers had a strict no-killing policy at the time. What makes this even odder is that many team members have been androids, aliens, or otherwise non-human.

** ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'': Inverted in the first issue, which has the Transformers astonished to discover the existence of ''non-mechanical life'' on Earth and struggling a bit to acknowledge the humans as sentient, living beings. The Decepticons, of course, never do concede the worth of human life.

** In ''Superman Vol 1 #314: ComicBook/ThePlagueOfTheAntibioticMan'' (1977), the Man of Steel is faced with a dangerous alien Jevik, who he intends to destroy. When questioned about how he can kill when he has a [[ThouShaltNotKill code against killing]], he replies that Jevik is not really alive. When Jevik's heart begins to beat, Superman says that somehow he's come alive, and Superman can't kill him. Apparently for Superman, if you don't have a heartbeat he can do anything he wants to you; merely being able to walk, talk, and act on your own doesn't qualify.

** Although that backstory has long been retconned out, "World of Krypton (Volume 2)" established that this sort of thing was the reason for Krypton's cold and sterile world: at one time, Kryptonians grew clones of themselves to extend their lives and, pretty soon, people started to get uppity about it, going into a major war that would lead to the planet's ultimate destruction.

** A particular example of ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} and [[FanNickname Mockingskrull]] stands out among the killed Skrulls. This Skrull is a TomatoInTheMirror who is a perfect copy of Mockingbird (Hawkeye's late wife) in every way, including memories and personality, and very honestly believes it when she professes to be her. At first, Hawkeye believes her, too, since she thinks and acts [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay exactly like her]]. But when he finds out that she is NotEvenHuman, he kills her in a fit of rage -- Even though she had done nothing villainous whatever until then, and did not appear about to. In fact, she died confused and pleading with him, [[KillTheCutie never understanding why her Clint would want to murder her]].

* In ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', there's an entire test used to determine this, called the Ambus Test. Essentially it tests robots to see if they're actually sentient (in which case they have full rights) or simply highly advanced AI pretending to be sentient (in which case they presumably have no rights). The comic also features an inversion; the Decepticons are shown to have been fairly bigoted during the Great War, believing organic beings like humans to be non-sentient or simply unworthy of life; in other words, robots judged ''humans'' as not being equal.

** [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] at one point during the ''ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy''. Hawkeye has no problem killing several Kree in an ambush, something the Kree [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marh-Vell]] takes personally, even if he's a traitor.

* It's long been assumed that ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} doesn't eat fish or would be offended by others eating fish. As of the DC New 52 relaunch, Aquaman shocks a restaurant full of patrons by ordering fish. As a telepath, he knows the fish he's ordering have very low order intelligence.

** During ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' and many other storylines after it, Superman agonized over the fact that he might have to stoop down to Doomsday's level and personally take the monster's life. In both that story and ''ComicBook/SupermanDoomsdayHunterPrey'', he's actually forced to, but he finds other ways to put him down after that. However, in ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'', Themiscrya is invaded by an army of Doomsday clones and Superman ends the fight by a full force heat vision blast after it is noted that they're much weaker than the normal Doomsday.

* The ComicBook/RedTornado angsts over this constantly, and when the ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' needs a member to sacrifice himself, he's usually at the top of the list.
** In the 1980s, however, he was retconned to contain an alien EnergyBeing called the Tornado Champion.

** Except for Bizarro and ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}, [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] were made of "non-living matter", so having them killed off was often a source for comedy; they even made a meteor plunge into one of their cities and kill a lot of Bizarros, on the grounds that Bizarros do things backward so they want to maximize casualties. This was played as a pure joke.

** In ''Superman Vol 1 #314'' (1977), the Man of Steel is faced with a dangerous alien Jevik, who he intends to destroy. When questioned about how he can kill when he has a [[ThouShaltNotKill code against killing]], he replies that Jevik is not really alive. When Jevik's heart begins to beat, Superman says that somehow he's come alive, and Superman can't kill him. Apparently for Superman, if you don't have a heartbeat he can do anything he wants to you; merely being able to walk, talk, and act on your own doesn't qualify.
** He made a few exceptions for drastically nonhuman things, like [[EldritchAbomination Urko the Terrible]]; and when ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} underwent his first major upgrade (to his SkeleBot form) and became far more ruthless in killing innocents, Supes said he'd be willing to destroy him since he was JustAMachine. On the other hand, the readership revolted when ComicBook/{{Superboy}} destroyed the very first Bizarro, and so the character was recreated by AppliedPhlebotinum not long after.

** Only "Red" thinks of the ''ComicBook/New52'' version of ''ComicBook/{{Superboy|New52}}'' (who is half-alien ''and'' a clone) as a human. (Although Rose may have a soft spot for him, too.)

** Inverted in the first issue of the old [[ComicBook/TheTransformers Marvel Transformers]] title, which has the Transformers astonished to discover the existence of ''non-mechanical life'' on Earth and struggling a bit to acknowledge the humans as sentient, living beings. The Decepticons, of course, never do concede the worth of human life.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel

** [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] at one point during the ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy. Hawkeye has no problem killing several Kree in an ambush, something the Kree [[Comicbook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marh-Vell]] takes personally, even if he's a traitor.
-->'''Hawkeye:''' They die like people.\\

* Discussed in the ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'' one-shot "Trial of the Soul". Vampirella is observed and tested by a divine champion named John to determine if she has a soul and is worth keeping alive. Despite witnessing her vanquish numerous monsters and threats to humanity, John is not sure if she does have a soul and his bosses, the Irin Wi Qadishin, determine her to be soulless by default. Despite this, John refuses to kill her and gives her chance to escape.

* In ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'', Frankie Raye agrees to become the new herald of Comicbook/{{Galactus}} partially so that he'll spare the Earth, but also because she really wants to explore the universe. When Comicbook/MisterFantastic points out that as a herald, Frankie will likely have to let Galactus devour an inhabited planet one day, her response is a cold and blunt "So? A few less bug-eyed monsters?" Notably, it's this exact indifference towards alien life that convinces Galactus to select her for the job, as it was the Comicbook/SilverSurfer's sentimentality and unwillingness to let the Earth be consumed that ultimately led him to rebel during ''Comicbook/TheGalactusTrilogy''.

** The X-Men deal with this after founding their country, Krakoa. There are protocols in place that allow for the resurrection of any mutant who dies. However, one of their laws prevents cloning or the resurrection of clones. For this reason, mutants who are straight-up clones of other mutants are not allowed to be resurrected if they die. So, while Laura Kinney is allowed because she is an altered clone of Wolverine, ''her'' clone, Gabby Kinney, wrestles with what would happen if she were to die. Genesis and Madelyne Pryor, indistinguishable clones of Apocalypse and Jean Grey, respectively, are outright denied resurrection. [[spoiler:When Gabby is killed by the Shadow King, a group of mutants decide to revive her without the Five knowing. As it turns out, that definition was never intended ''at all'' -- the Five had been lead to believe the resurrection of clones meant the accidental resurrection of someone already active, but someone setting up the laws made it extremely narrow to prevent actual individual people like the aforementioned three clones from being resurrected and demand the laws be changed.]]

** The X-Men deal with this after founding their country, Krakoa. There are protocols in place that allow for the resurrection of any mutant who dies. However, one of their laws prevents cloning or the resurrection of clones. For this reason, mutants who are straight-up clones of other mutants are not allowed to be resurrected if they die. So, while Laura Kinney is allowed because she is an altered clone of Wolverine, ''her'' clone, Gabby Kinney, wrestles with what would happen if she were to die. Genesis and Madelyne Pryor, indistinguishable clones of Apocalypse and Jean Grey, respectively, are outright denied resurrection.

* In ''ComicBook/ShamansTears'', Pending and Patoff are able to justify their actions by claiming that the Blood is not human--merely a higher form of animal--and therefore do not have human rights. This forces Joshua to come up with a JusticeByOtherLegalMeans solution.

** Except for SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}}and ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}, [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] were made of "non-living matter", so having them killed off was often a source for comedy; they even made a meteor plunge into one of their cities and kill a lot of Bizarros, on the grounds that Bizarros do things backward so they want to maximize casualties. This was played as a pure joke.

* Subverted in the original Fawcett and [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]] pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|on Infinite Earths}} ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel stories. One of the odder characters is Mr. Talky Tawny, a [[TalkingAnimal talking tiger]] who is taught English and chooses to live with Humanity. He's well dressed and has excellent manners. Captain Marvel made sure that Mr. Tawny is treated as nothing less than a full citizen of the society he chooses to live in, which comes into play when Tawny is on trial for... mauling someone. (Incidentally, the pre-''Flashpoint'' version of Mr. Tawny in the regular continuity is a magic stuffed toy brought to life and the ''Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil'' version is a shapeshifter whose favorite form is a tiger.)

** The Bizarros in [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] stories were another example. Made of "non-living matter", having them killed off was often a source for comedy; they even made a meteor plunge into one of their cities and kill a lot of Bizarros, on the grounds that Bizarros do things backward so they want to maximize casualties. This was played as a pure joke.

** He made a few exceptions for drastically nonhuman things, like the EldritchAbomination Urko the Terrible; and when ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} underwent his first major upgrade (to his SkeleBot form) and became far more ruthless in killing innocents, Supes said he'd be willing to destroy him since he was JustAMachine. On the other hand, the readership revolted when ComicBook/{{Superboy}} destroyed the very first Bizarro, and so the character was recreated by AppliedPhlebotinum not long after.

** Comicbook/{{Jubilee}} was a particularly extreme example. Normally she's so firmly opposed to killing that she once abandoned an escape attempt -- effectively giving herself up for another round of torture -- in order to perform CPR on a random mook she had injured. Then during Marvel's ComicBook/SecretInvasion crossover, she was killing Skrulls without even blinking.

** The Amazons [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 started out]] with a strict no-killing code, but made exceptions for gods, monsters and the undead. They were also fine with brainwashing villains into being better people, though not executing them. [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Post-Crisis]] this code was essentially thrown out the window, though killing is still a last resort.
** This double standard was lampshaded when Franchise/WonderWoman killed Maxwell Lord. As stated by Julian, a Checkmate spy who was working undercover in Diana's embassy, people were fine with Diana decapitating Medusa on live television because she had snakes for her but Max "looked like everyone else", so Diana actually had to ''prove'' she was justified in killing him. Indeed, Diana had killed numerous people before in front of witnesses, with Superman and Batman being among such witnesses, with no complaint.

** Comicbook/{{Jubilee}} was a particularly extreme example. Normally she's so firmly opposed to killing that she once abandoned an escape attempt -- effectively giving herself up for another round of torture -- in order to perform CPR on a random mook, she had injured. Then during Marvel's ComicBook/SecretInvasion crossover, she was killing Skrulls without even blinking.

** The X-Men has also been on the ''receiving'' end of this. Since they belong to the [[ArtisticLicenseBiology mutant]] species ''Homo superior'', they are technically nonhuman (though closely related) hominids... And many of the [[FantasticRacism anti-mutant villains]] in the setting consider them exactly that, treating them about as considerately as they would human-like but evil and dangerous aliens or vampires.

** A major theme in the Creator/DanSlott run, with Jocasta employed by Stark Industries as an AI ethics advisor, and Tony taking her many concerns on board. And then in ''Comicbook/IronMan2020'', Arno Stark's whole position is based on an insistance that [=AI=]s aren't people.

* The Comicbook/XMen has issues with this. Most of them are reluctant to kill (with Wolverine the most obvious exception), but will if they think it's the only solution. After they met the Brood, an AlwaysChaoticEvil alien race with a [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong rather unpleasant reproductive cycle]], they rapidly modified their policy.
** Jubilee was a particularly extreme example. Normally she's so firmly opposed to killing that she once abandoned an escape attempt -- effectively giving herself up for another round of torture -- in order to perform CPR on a random mook, she had injured. Then during Marvel's ComicBook/SecretInvasion crossover, she was killing Skrulls without even blinking.

* Invoked in an issue of ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' where Colonel Maverick stops fighting Deadpool because he was speaking English. Deadpool appropriately lampshades this.

** [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] at one point during the ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy. Hawkeye has no problem killing several Kree in an ambush, something the Kree Captain Marh-Vell takes personally, even if he's a traitor.

* There was a series called ''Sentinel'', which as the name implied, was about a boy named Juston Seyfert and his "pal," a reprogrammed Sentinel. In ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'', Emma Frost argued that the Sentinel's programming and memories should be wiped to make it less dangerous, which Juston claimed was essentially murder. Then after the Sentinel [[HeroicSacrifice was destroyed while protecting Juston]] during ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'', he fell into a HeroicBSOD moment and stated that he no longer had any reason to live, since his best friend was now dead.

* An ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' tie-in has a harsh aversion. Ultron's drone army is just mechanical drones, but they're considered just alive enough to kick the Ebony Blade's curse (which is fuelled by taking life) into overdrive, leaving the Black Knight out of the action.

* In the ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers Assemble Annual]]'', ComicBook/TheVision calls out [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] and [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] for leaving his disassembled body in a warehouse after he was ripped in half by ComicBook/SheHulk. Though they were both preoccupied with various crises (and one of them was a Skrull at the time), that doesn't really change the fact they left one of their teammates ''ripped up in a warehouse''. Even if they thought he was gone forever, didn't he at least warrant a proper burial?