In early depictions of Batman, there were times in which he freely killed criminals and times where he was an officially deputized state agent. In contrast, most depictions since at least the late 80s and 90s were much more progressive, with Bruce Wayne being the biggest philanthropist in Gotham, helping to provide low cost housing and healthcare, as well as funding criminal rehabilitation and direct job placement for ex-cons with Wayne Industries. Writers were aware of the other aspects of justice that Batman needed to embody long before it was trendy on the internet to edgily portray Batman as a billionaire who enjoys beating people up for fun.