So, there is one thing about the show, that is never explicitly stated, but is canon, and that turns the show much darker, imho.
And this is, that most of the Gargoyle characters actually had killed. When asked, Greg Weisman confirmed :
EXALT writes...
I've recently rewatched Awakening, and the scene where Goliath tells Demona that she can't kill an enemy unless it is "in the heat of battle " sparked a question in me: as of Phoenix, which members of the Manhattan Clan have actually killed someone?
Greg responds...
Most have, in battle , in the tenth century. Angela hasn't. Egwardo hasn't. Nashville hasn't. Maybe Lex & Broadway haven't. But that seems unlikely/unrealistic.
Oh, and if you're counting her, Elisa hasn't.
Source: https://s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=22935
So, as a kid I always assumed that they kind of were like Batman, mainly scaring their enemies away or handing them over to Elisa without actually harming them.
but then again, with this background information, this particularly scene in Awakening part 5, when Goliath is about to drop Xanatos and Elisa stops him becomes *so* much more meaningful:
Goliath: "give me one good reason not to drop him"
Elisa: "If you kill him, you are the same as him"
So, If you just watch it, without that knowledge, this seems like a nothing burger, because you'd assume that Goliath first and foremost wants to show Xanatos not to fuck with him but ultimately spare his life, because he is the good guy, right? but If you know, that he had a body count, this changes the scene. With this in mind, Elisa telling him to spare Xanatos' life she might have fundamentally changed his way to deal with his enemies and how crucial Elisa 's role is in helping the Gargoyles to become the actual good guys, because otherwise, they would just be vigilantes who kill people they deem to dangerous to be left alive