What are the goals of superheroes and costumed vigilantes? They want to put an end to crime and protect the innocent. Many will go to extreme means and have no problem breaking basic laws in order to carry out their mission. Because villains often are able to enlist lowlifes to assist them in their evil deeds, the heroes have to face higher odds when trying to put a stop to the bad guys.

We've looked at the question of where villains get their henchmen from and with the rate they go through them, it's no surprise that the standards are low. If the costumed vigilante can get a bead on one of these stooges, it's only a matter of what it will take to make them talk.

It's a simple idea. Nab a henchmen, put some pressure on them, get them to talk and catch the villain. We've seen scenes where the cowardly goons plead with the hero that their boss will do bad things to them if it's discovered they talked. The hero ignores this and pushes harder to get them to talk. Once they do, the hero will either allow them to scurry away or leave them in the custody of the police. Even if the villain is caught, what happens when they seek revenge against their employee that spilled the beans? If the villain goes after the snitch or their family, is the hero in any way responsible?

This is something that Darwyn Cooke touched on in Batman: Ego. Batman came across a man on top of a bridge, ready to jump and saved his life. The man was surprised and outraged as this was his second run-in with Batman in two days. The man, Buster, was working for the Joker. After Buster pulls a gun on him, Batman informs him that he's safe because Joker has been arrested. Buster knows this is ridiculous. He received word that Joker knows he was the one that ratted him out. Being in custody is meaningless as Joker always manages to escape. Appalled at the idea of Joker getting his hands on his wife and daughter, Buster made the choice of killing them himself and proceeded to end his own life as well. This was a shock to Batman and he didn't take it easily.

Surely Batman wasn't responsible for the death of Buster and his wife and daughter. But how many times has a hero pushed a villain's flunky for information? With all the deadly and insane ones out there, it's a safe bet that they have enacted some sort of deadly revenge against them. These crimes most likely would go unnoticed by the heroes who usually have their sights set on the bigger fish.

For a person to seek out and become a henchmen to a crazed villain, they have to know what they're getting into. If the villain is willing to harm or kill at the drop of a hat, they should know the risks. If the hero is concerned with saving lives, those of the snitches, and their families, should be a concern as well. Police will try to use the witness protection program. Heroes don't have that option to give. If the hero is not capable of tracking down the villain on their own and needs a snitch to assist them, they have a responsibility to anyone that gives them information and puts their lives on the line by doing so.

For someone like Batman, the world's greatest detective, the use of snitches shouldn't be necessary. Other vigilantes like the Punisher will use anyone available and throw them away like a used tissue. Frank Castle can be a cold-hearted killer when it comes to criminal scum. But even he should have the compassion to be concerned about any family members that have the misfortune in being related to a thug.

If a hero is going to put away a villain by using a snitch, they owe it to them, regardless of how shaddy or slimy they may be, to protect them and their families. If they can use any information obtained, they should make sure it can't be traced back to the source. Thugs may be in control of the career path they choose but too often there are other family members that don't have a say in it. For a hero to simply use the snitch and not have any concern over repercussions, it's an insult to the concept of being a superhero. If all life is to be cherished, the hero needs to make sure their pressure on the flunky does not result in any harm or death to anyone.

You know I never thought of this. That batman scan was crazy good. I dont think anyone thinks about the guy who squealed where in reality the authorities take extreme caution to place them in witness protection. Though I cant really feel for anyone who decides to team up with Lunatics like the Joker and so forth. great article btw.

STOP SNITCHIN'

STOP SNITCHIN'

Even The Punisher has snitches he relies on. They live unless they get back into their old ways. Batman I imagine he would feel responsible and should protect them.  
 
To answer the question " Are heroes responsible for their snitches?", well are policeman responsible for their's?

Want snitching? Just pick up any of Brubaker's Daredevil work. So many backstabbing thugs it's actually amusing. And Murdock totally encourages it.

I think the smart villain (if they're REALLY smart) doesn't inform henchmen of snit.

They're motivation is money and it's easier using that than their own personal diabolical scheme to get the minions moving.

As for the ones who do skate that 'gray' line and wonder if they can trust either side, I guess it depends on if some crazy white faced dude just paid your rent or some equally crazy bat shaped dude just kicked your ass inside out.

Which way would you go in that pinch?

The bat shaped dude is known to crack some bones, but the white faced dude is known for even worse.

Just use them for the information and kill the snitches afterwards I believe is the best course of action the one the Punisher usually takes.

Hmmmmmm good topic just one of those ones I have always thought about myself.

This one hell of a question!

I think heroes like batman with so much wealth to back them, or guys with connections to a wealthy team like avengers and so on should have their own snitch protection program of some sort.

Superheroes/heroes aren't and should not be repsonsible for the safety of snitches.

They knew the risks and consequences of their lifestyle.

Chalk all that up to occupational hazzards, but don't put the responsibility on the heroes.

The question is how realistic should your comic writers' writing be?   Lets take a step back and consider the differences between crime busting in comics and reality.   
 
In comics, there's virtually no stigma against snitchers.   You don't hear about gruesome revenge murders against snitchers and it's probably because getting caught by a hero is a fact of life. Heroes have no interest in reforming the criminals so they snitch a bit to make the revolving prison door go faster and then they go back to their old ways with only a bit of lost time.
 
In real life, criminals deal with more terrifying things then beatings.   Breaking a drug ring or a racket is extremely hard because every criminal involved takes betrayal seriously and it's really easy to make a hit on loved ones.   If you snitch and go to prison, your pals in jail will find out that you're the snitch and teach you a lesson.   In short, criminals have no incentive to snitch unless they're already in trouble with their gang/cartel/boss.   This is partly why the Witness Protection Program was established.
 
So should heroes worry about their snitches?   It doesn't matter with DC and Marvel's main lineup considering how far removed from real life the stories are.   More grounded stories like Ed Brubaker's Sleeper and Incognito should care about snitching because that's where a lot of plot momentum will be developed.

everyone knows....snitches get stitches

I admire Rorschach's approach to henchmen. Breaking fingres until they start talking.
Witness protection for snitches? They should choose their bosses more carefully.

Sadly I don't think superheroes should be responsible for the safety of 'rats'.  Mostly it is from the fact that its more of a courtesy to protect such people given their situation than an actual duty.  If the snitch provided good info for the hero to lay the crack down to the villain, well alright that's great.  Is that superhero responsible to protect that snitch?  Not at all.  In a way its a forked road...just why did that snitch become a rat in the first place? To do the right thing or to have an opportunity?  Until we know the ulterior motives of why criminal snitches did what they did, then I do not think superheroes need to be honor bound to do anything for them unless the information they have is vital.

When a hero starts second guessing his actions thinking he could have averted some tragedy that really isn't his fault, he will usually end up in worse trouble because his head isn't in the game.
 
Snitches will always be useful, available, and necessary because of human nature. Partners in crime can be turned against one another, and police can take advantage of a suspect's fear to get information. Of course Batman is going to do the same thing. Isn't that the whole reason he dresses up like a bat? To intimidate criminals?
 
There won't always be enough clues to solve a crime, or enough time to find those clues when a suspect needs to be apprehended or citizens protected.
 
Criminals who become snitches are already in danger just being involved with a lunatic like the Joker. Their destructive life choices inevitably result in negative consequences for them and their families.

Stop working with the bad guys to begin with lol

Awesome Article!

Nobody likes a snitch. lol

Because the henchman choosed the wrong road in his life a hero should forget about their family and ignore the fact they will propably be killed or hurt? That would truly be heroic......

If a snitch has no family and they're just taking the opportunity to further their own motives, screw them.  If a snitch wants to reform, was pressured into illegal activity or has a family, than its the hero's responsibility to protect them.  Batman wouldn't tell the world he was bruce wayne; if any criminal orchestrated an attack on a member of his family he would feel responsible for the event.  It would be hypocritical to ignore the safety of a snitch as they too are a human being (though i doubt Punisher thinks so). Intriguing article.

If a snitch has no family and they're just taking the opportunity to further their own motives, screw them.  If a snitch wants to reform, was pressured into illegal activity or has a family, than its the hero's responsibility to protect them.  Batman wouldn't tell the world he was bruce wayne; if any criminal orchestrated an attack on a member of his family he would feel responsible for the event.  It would be hypocritical to ignore the safety of a snitch as they too are a human being (though i doubt Punisher thinks so). Intriguing article.

I dont think superheroes should be responsible because snitches get caught whether there's a hero around to save them or not. i think it should be the police's job to serve and protect. 

I would say they are. Especially for masks suck as Batman who has a no-kill rule. If you're willing to put in the effort and self-control NOT to kill the criminal you just to a bloody pulp, why allow them to be killed after they've given you the necessary information? Unless it's a super-criminal. In which case a lot them need to be killed off anyways because they're getting pretty boring and tiresome. 

SNITCH GOT SNITCHED.

Why is this even a question?  Most superheroes are cops in suits, when you get right down to it.  Cops look out for the well being of their snitches, so it's safe to assume that superheroes do, too.

Its a good question actually for those who join the joker u must be insane but wat about peoples like the Black mask's Henchmen they probably get killed right after they snitch, its kinda sad to   get killed because you fell for batman's bluff so i think heros should be responsible. but be that in mind the Punisher isn't really a hero he's really just an avenger and the thugs are just as likely to be killed by him as their boss, and also Castle kills his targets anyways so that problems handled. as far as the batman goes i guess life just sucks for you if he catches you and you happen to know to much. 

Yeah Punisher doesn't care for a snitch.  Your already dead to him.

Why should the hero care so much about someone willing to work for a CRIME BOSS?

great article. Snitches are key in comics, without them things would be pretty boring.

@VaizD said:

SNITCHES GET STITCHES

HELL YEAH

Some people are seriously effed up in this thread.
 
Personally, I think there can be instances where the safety of a "snitch" can be held responsible to the hero, if the latter doesn't offer some sort of protection then it is manipulation of the worst kind.

No, the POLICE are solely responsible for the Snitches safety; the Superheroes are responsible for the Supervillain in their entirety.

Snitches have superpowers of their own: 
That uncanny ability to survive after the conflict is settled. LOL