Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a

fictional city This is a list of fictional settlements, including fictional towns, villages, and cities, organized by each city's medium. This list should include only well-referenced, notable examples of fictional towns, cities, settlements and villages that a ...

in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

that serves as the primary city appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. It is best known as the home of the superhero

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

and his

allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

and foes. Created by writer

Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – ) was an American comic book writer who co-created the DC Comics character Batman with Bob Kane. Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world ...

and artist

Bob Kane Robert Kane ( Kahn ; October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book writer, animator, and artist who created Batman and many early related characters for DC Comics. He was inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby ...

, the city was first identified as Batman's place of residence in ''

'' #4 (December 1940) and has since been the primary setting for stories featuring the character. In most of its incarnations, Gotham is depicted as one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world. Gotham City is traditionally depicted as being located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

.''Amazing World of DC Comics'' #14, March 1977. DC Comics.''World's Finest Comics'' #259, October–November 1979. DC Comics.''Detective Comics'' #503 June 1983. DC Comics.''Atlas of the DC Universe'', 1990. DC Comics.''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' Annual #1, June 1993. DC Comics.Montgomery, Paul (May 18, 2011)
"The Secret Geography of the DC Universe: A Really Big Map"
iFanboy''Batman: The Cult'' #4, November 1988. DC Comics. Gotham's look and atmosphere were primarily influenced by

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, but over the years have also drawn inspiration from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Architect

Hugh Ferriss Hugh Macomber Ferriss (July 12, 1889 – January 28, 1962) was an American architect, illustrator, and poet. He was associated with exploring the psychological condition of modern urban life, a common cultural enquiry of the first decades of ...

' designs also influenced the look and emotional feel of Gotham City, particularly in its later depictions. Bill Finger said that he chose the name "Gotham", and not New York, so that all readers in any city could identify with it. Locations used as inspiration or filming locations for Gotham City in the live-action ''Batman'' films and television series have included

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Newark,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, and

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Origin of name

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comics artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, Illusionist, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with th ...

's ''History of the Comics'', writer

, on the naming of the city, said, "Originally I was going to call Gotham City ' Civic City.' Then I tried 'Capital City,' then '

Coast City This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...

.' Then I flipped through the New York City phone book and spotted the name 'Gotham Jewelers' and said, 'That's it,' Gotham City. We didn't call it New York because we wanted anybody in any city to identify with it." "Gotham" has been a nickname for New York City that first became popular in the 19th century;

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

had first attached it to New York in the November 11, 1807, edition of his ''

Salmagundi Salmagundi (alternatively salmagundy or sallid magundi) is a cold dish or salad made from different ingredients which may include meat, seafood, Egg as food, eggs, cooked and raw vegetables, fruits, or Pickling, pickles. In English culture, the ...

'',Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace. ''Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898''. (Oxford University Press, 1999), 417. a periodical which lampooned New York culture and politics. Irving took the name from the English village of

Gotham, Nottinghamshire Gotham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, measured at 1,563 in the 2011 census, and marginally increasing to 1,567 at the 2021 census. It is in the borough of Rushcliffe, and has a parish council. The name Goth ...

, which was known for the

Wise Men of Gotham Wise Men of Gotham is the early name given to the people of the village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, in allusion to an incident where they supposedly feigned idiocy to avoid a Royal visit. Legend The story goes that John of England, King John int ...

story, a legendary incident where the village's residents feigned idiocy to prevent a royal visit from

John, King of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

Geography

Gotham City, like other cities in the DC Universe, has varied in its portrayals over the decades, but the city's location is traditionally depicted as being in the state of

. Gotham and Metropolis are sometimes portrayed as

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

on opposite sides of the

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltw ...

, with Gotham in New Jersey and Metropolis in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

History

Gotham City was founded in 1635 by Jon Logerquist, a Norwegian mercenary, before subsequently being taken over by the English; this parallels the

history of New York City The written history of New York City began with the first European explorer, the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1528. European settlement began with the Dutch in 1608 and New Amsterdam was founded in 1624. The " Sons of Liberty" campaigned ...

, which was founded by the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

before being conquered by

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and renamed

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, Gotham City was the site of a major battle between

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

forces (paralleling the real-life

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at and near the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn ...

). This was detailed in

Rick Veitch Richard Veitch (; born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground comics, underground, and alternative comics. Biography Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One ...

's ''Swamp Thing'' #85 featuring

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...

. Rumors held it to be the site of various

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

rites. The 2011 comic book series '' Batman: Gates of Gotham'' details a history of Gotham City in which Alan Wayne (Bruce Wayne's ancestor), Theodore Cobblepot ( Oswald Cobblepot's ancestor), and Edward Elliot ( Thomas Elliot's ancestor), are considered as the founding fathers of Gotham. In 1881, they constructed three bridges called the Gates of Gotham, each bearing one of their last names. Edward Elliot became increasingly jealous of the Wayne family's popularity and wealth during this period, jealousy that would spread to his great-great-grandson, Thomas Elliot or Hush. The occult origins of Gotham are further delved into by

Peter Milligan Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revol ...

's 1990 story arc "Dark Knight, Dark City", which reveals that some of the

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

are involved in summoning a bat-demon which becomes trapped beneath old "Gotham Town", its dark influence spreading as Gotham City evolves. A similar trend is followed in 2005's ''

Shadowpact The Shadowpact is a fictional group of magic-based heroes who fought against the Spectre in the 2005 limited series '' Day of Vengeance'', published by DC Comics. Their self-titled series ended in May 2008, after 25 issues and a two-year run, b ...

'' #5 by

Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series '' Elementals'' and ''Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During his father's military career the fam ...

, which expands upon Gotham's occult heritage by revealing a being who has slept for 40,000 years beneath the land upon which Gotham City was built. Strega, the being's servant, says that the "dark and often cursed character" of the city was influenced by the being who now uses the name "Doctor Gotham". In ''

Gotham Underground ''Gotham Underground'' is a nine-issue limited series from DC Comics, written by Frank Tieri, with art by Jim Califiore. The series looked at the repercussions of ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' and focuses on the Batman Family banding together to ...

'' #2 by Frank Tieri,

Tobias Whale Tobias Whale is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Black Lightning. Whale appears in the live-action Arrowverse series ''Black Lightning'', portrayed by Marvin "Krondon" Jones III. Pub ...

claims that 19th century Gotham was run by five rival gangs, until the first "masks" appeared, eventually forming a gang of their own. It is not clear whether these were vigilantes or costumed criminals. Many storylines have added more events to Gotham's history, at the same time greatly affecting the city and its people. Perhaps the greatest in effect was a long set of serial storylines, which started with

Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O'Neil, and artist Neal Adams, the character first appeared ...

releasing a debilitating virus called the "Clench" during the " Contagion" storyline. As that arc concluded, the city was beginning to recover, only to suffer an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the

Richter Scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

in the 1998 " Cataclysm" storyline. This resulted in the federal government cutting Gotham off from the rest of the United States in the 1999 storyline " No Man's Land", the city's remaining residents forced to engage in gang warfare, either as active participants or paying for protection from groups ranging from the GCPD to the Penguin, just to stay alive. Eventually, Gotham was rebuilt and returned to the U.S. as part of a campaign mounted by

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

, who used the positive publicity of his role to make a successful bid for the position of President of the United States. Suggestions of other Gotham City histories include a founding date of 1820 seen in a city seal in '' Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders''.

Culture

''Batman'' writer and editor

Dennis O'Neil Dennis "Denny" Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until h ...

has said that, figuratively, Batman's Gotham City is akin to "Manhattan below 14th Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November". Batman artist

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

has long believed that Chicago has been the basis for Gotham, stating "one of the things about Chicago is Chicago has alleys (which are virtually nonexistent in New York). Back alleys, that's where Batman fights all the bad guys." The statement "Metropolis is New York by day; Gotham City is New York by night" has been variously attributed to comics creators

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

and John Byrne. In designing '' Batman: The Animated Series'', creators

Bruce Timm Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961) is an American artist, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for contributing to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably as the head producer behind '' Batman: ...

and

Eric Radomski Eric Radomski is a producer best known as a co-creator of '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (as well as the co-director of the series' theatrical film '' Batman: Mask of the Phantasm''). He has also acted as producer for '' Spawn: The Animated S ...

emulated the

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

films' "otherworldly timelessness", incorporating period features such as black-and-white

title card In films and videos, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (hence, ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred ...

s, police

airship An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the ...

s (although no such thing existed, Timm has stated that he found it to fit the show's style), and a "vintage" color scheme with

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

flourishes.Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, audio commentary for "On Leather Wings", ''Batman: The Animated Series'', Warner Bros, Volume One box set DVD. Police airships have since been incorporated into Batman comic books and are a recurring element in Gotham City. Concerning the evolution of Gotham throughout the years, former ''Batman'' editor

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

has stated, "Each guy adds their own vision. That's the fun of comics, rebuilding a city each time".

Architecture

In '' Batman: Gothic'', Gotham Cathedral plays a central role in the story since it is built by Mr. Whisper, the story's antagonist. In a 1992 storyline, a man obsessed with Pinkney's architecture destroys several Gotham buildings to reveal the Pinkney structures they had hidden; the editorial purpose behind this was to make Gotham resemble its depiction in the 1989 ''Batman'' film. ''Batman Begins'' features a CGI-augmented version of Chicago while ''The Dark Knight'' more directly features Chicago infrastructure and architecture such as

Navy Pier Navy Pier is a pier on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side, Chicago, Near North Side community area in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Navy Pier encompasses over of shops, restaura ...

. ''The Dark Knight Rises'' forgoes Chicago, instead shooting in Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; New York City; Newark, New Jersey; London; and Glasgow.

Notable residents

Over the years, in various Batman-related titles in the chronological

continuity, the Caped Crusader enlists the help of numerous characters, the first being his trusty sidekick, Robin. Although a singular title, many have donned the mantle over the years. The first being

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

, then came

Red Hood Ra's al Ghul Nyssa Raatko Rag Doll Rag Doll is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. The first, Peter Merkel, is a villain of the Flash (Jay Garrick), original Flash, ...

Red Robin Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised R ...

Spoiler Spoiler or Spoilers may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Spoiler (media), something that reveals significant plot elements * The Spoiler, DC Comics superheroine Stephanie Brown Film and television * ''Spoiler'' (film), 1998 American ...

and finally Batman's son

Damian Wayne Damian Thomas Wayne is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. He was created by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. Damian Wayne is the biological son of Bruce Wayne/Batman. His mo ...

. In addition to the Robins or former Robins, there is also

Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...

, Batgirl (Barbara Gordon),

Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) Cassandra Cain (also known as Cassandra Wayne and Cassandra Wu-San) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Cassandr ...

Signal A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology. In ...

, Batwing,

Batwoman Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given t ...

, and Huntress. Other DC characters have also been depicted to be living in Gotham, including the hitman

Tommy Monaghan Hitman (Tommy Monaghan) is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Garth Ennis and John McCrea and first appeared in '' The Demon Annual'' #2 before receiving his own series by Ennis an ...

; Jason Blood, the host of the demon

Etrigan Etrigan the Demon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...

; the

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

Alan Scott Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...

; the original

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...

(

Jim Corrigan James Brendan "Jim" Corrigan is a fictional character that have appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The first Corrigan initially appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #52 (February 1940), a deceased cop acting as host to the cosm ...

);

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

;''Secret Origins'' #50. DC Comics. Starman; and the Grey Ghost. DC's 2011 reboot of ''

All Star Western ''All-Star Western'' is the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to ...

'' takes place in an Old West-styled Gotham.

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

and Amadeus Arkham are among this version of Gotham's inhabitants. Apart from Gotham's

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

residents, the residents of the city feature in a back-up series in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' called ''Tales of Gotham City'' and in two

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

called ''Gotham Nights''. Additionally, the Gotham City Police Department is the focus of the series ''

Gotham Central ''Gotham Central'' is a police procedural comic-book series that was published by DC Comics. It was written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, with pencils initially by Michael Lark. The story focused on the Gotham City Police Department and the dif ...

'', as well as the mini-series ''Gordon's Law'', ''Bullock's Law'', and '' Batman: GCPD''.

Mayors

The first Gotham mayor depicted in comics was in ''Detective Comics'' #68 (October 1942). Theodore Cobblepot, great-grandfather of the

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

, was mayor in the late 19th century. An unnamed mayor encountered the

Court of Owls The Court of Owls is a criminal organization and secret society appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They appear as adversaries of the superhero Batman. Created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, the Court is desc ...

in 1914 and was killed by them. Archibald Brewster was mayor during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Mayor Thorndike was killed by the Made of Wood killer in 1948. Mayor

Aubrey James J.A.K.E. 1 J.A.K.E. 2 J'onn J'onzz M'yrnn J'onzz M'yrnn J'onzz is the father of the twin brothers J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter and Ma'alefa'ak. His first appearance was in ''Martian Manhunter'' (vol. 2) #3 (August 2001). M'yrnn J'onzz i ...

was a contemporary of

Thomas Wayne Dr. Thomas Wayne, Doctor of Medicine, M.D. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the father of Bruce Wayne (Batman), and husband of Martha Wayne as well as the paternal grandfather of Damian Wayn ...

who was stabbed to death. Mayor Jessop was in office shortly after the Wayne murders. A man named Falcone was purportedly mayor during the earliest days of Batman's career. Shortly after, Mayor Wilson Klass directed the GCPD to turn a blind eye to Batman's activities after Batman saved his daughter. Hamilton Hill was in office when the Joker debuted, and a man named Gill was mayor early in Batman's career, as was former police commissioner Grogan. An unnamed bald mayor was killed by a villain known as Midnight. Men named Carfax, Bradley Stokes, Sheppard, Taylor, and Hayes all served as mayor. Mayor Charles Chesterfield was killed by a sentient fat-eating blob of grease. Hamilton Hill became mayor through the backing of crime boss

Rupert Thorne Rupert Thorne is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character is a crime boss and enemy of Batman. Thorne has made several appearances in animated DC media, such as '' Batman: The Animated Series'', in whic ...

but was ultimately ousted from office and replaced by George P. Skowcroft. An unnamed mayor is killed by Deacon Blackfire's followers and replaced by Donald Webster. Mayor Julius Lieberman is killed by a

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

. Mayor Goode served briefly before being replaced by an African American man. Armand Krol became mayor and died of the Clench virus after leaving office. A woman, Marion Grange, became mayor with the backing of Bruce Wayne but was assassinated in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, while trying to secure federal aid for Gotham after an earthquake. In the wake of No Man's Land, Daniel Danforth Dickerson III served as mayor only to be killed by a sniper, after which he was replaced by David Hull. Seamus McGreevy served as mayor in the midst of a criminal conspiracy known as "The Body". An unnamed woman was mayor when Batman returned to Gotham a year after ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

''. Sebastian Hady was a corrupt mayor who was eventually killed by the League of Shadows. Councilwoman Muir served as interim mayor when the city was in the grip of a virus that only affected men. Michael Akins, former commissioner of police, was appointed mayor, and later replaced by a man named Atkins. In the wake of

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gua ...

's takeover of the city, a man named Dunch served as mayor, and in the aftermath of the

Joker War "The Joker War" is a comic book crossover storyline published by the comic book publishing company DC Comics in late 2020, featuring Batman and his allies. Primarily written by James Tynion IV, the arc is his first major arc on ''Batman'' in '' ...

, anti-vigilante mayoral candidate Christopher Nakano wins election in a landslide.

In other media

Television

In multiple episodes of the 1960s live-action ''Batman'' television series, Batman is seen consulting a transparent map of Gotham, which is an inverted map of

. The live-action TV series '' Gotham'' was filmed in New York City and was an important requirement of the show's creative team. According to executive producer

Danny Cannon Daniel John Cannon (born 5 October 1968) is a British film and television producer, director and writer, known for executive producing the 15-season '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' series franchise (and directed multiple episodes including ...

, its atmosphere was inspired by the look of New York in the 1970s films of

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

and

William Friedkin William David Friedkin (; August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in doc ...

. Clues to this include and signs showing phone numbers bearing the

area code 212 Area is the Measure (mathematics), measure of a Domain (mathematical analysis), region's size on a surface (mathematics), surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface are ...

."''Gotham: The Legend Reborn'' Preview Special: Behind The Shadows (Part 3)"
.

Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...

. Retrieved August 30, 2014.

Donal Logue Donal Francis Logue (born February 27, 1966) is a Canadian-American film and television actor. He played the starring role of Sean Finnerty on the sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005), and Detective Harvey Bullock on the DC Comics adapta ...

, who portrayed Harvey Bullock, described different aspects of that series' design of Gotham City as exhibiting different sensibilities, explaining, "for me, you can step into things that almost feel like the roaring 20s, and then there's this other really kind of heavy ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...

'' vibe floating around. There are elements of it that are completely contemporary and there are pieces of it that are very old-fashioned ... There were a couple of examples of modern technology, but maybe an antiquated version of it, that gave me a little bit of sense that it's certainly not the 50s and the 60s ... But it's not high tech and it's not futuristic, by any means." The fifth episode of ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'', entitled "Schooled", indicates that Gotham is located in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, near

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

. The 2019 series ''

'', which is set in Gotham City, was filmed in

. The 2024 series ''

The Penguin The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character made his first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #5 ...

'' is set in Gotham City.

DC Animated Universe

Gotham City is featured heavily in '' Batman: The Animated Series''. When describing Gotham City

Paul Dini Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American writer, animator, and comic book artist. He has served as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably ''Batman: The Animated Series' ...

, a writer and director of the show, stated "In my mind, it was sort of like what if the 1939 World's Fair had gone on another 60 years or so". In the episode " Joker's Favor", a driver's license lists a Gotham area resident's hometown as "Gotham Estates, NY". In the episode "Avatar", when Bruce Wayne leaves for England, a map shows Gotham City, at the joining of Long Island and the Hudson River. The episode "Fire from Olympus" shows a character's address in a police file indicating that Gotham City is located in New York state. The episode "The Mechanic", however, implies that Gotham resides in a state of the same name; a prison workshop is shown stamping license plates that read "Gotham: The Dark Deco State" (as a reference to the artistic style of the series). The episode "Harlequinade" states that Gotham has a population of approximately 10 million. ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...

'' (1999–2001) envisions a Gotham City in 2039, referred to as "Neo-Gotham".

Arrowverse

Gotham City was first shown in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

as part of "

Elseworlds Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...

", a 2018

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

storyline among the shows, which introduced

, although it had been referred to several times previously. In ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' episode "Marathon", a map shows Gotham City in place of Chicago, Illinois.

Theme parks

Themed lands meant to represent Gotham City have been physically constructed in several different theme parks around the world. WB Movie World in Germany featured a Gotham City section that housed

Batman Adventure – The Ride ''Batman Adventure: The Ride'' is the name for a series of ''Batman''-themed motion simulator rides installed at various Warner Bros.-branded parks around the world. The ride was first installed at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Au ...

, and

Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in Valencia, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newha ...

opened a section called the "Gotham City Backlot" that featured Batman: The Ride. The section featured at Magic Mountain was designed by park designer Kevin Barbee, and alongside the opening of Batman: The Ride coincided with the largest expansion the park had ever undergone in 23 years, with the theming elements primarily having been inspired by the ''Batman'' films directed by Tim Burton. Both the ride and the Gotham City Backlot opened on March 26, 1994. The Magic Mountain section closed at the end of the park's 2010 season and was later rethemed and rebranded as the "DC Universe", featuring characters and attractions other than just Batman. It reopened in 2011. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi features a section themed after Gotham City, including rides based on Batman, the Riddler and the Scarecrow as well as a walk-through attraction called "The Joker's Funhouse". The park and its Gotham City section were designed by

Thinkwell Group Thinkwell Group is an American experience design and production agency that was founded in 2001 with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. In 2022, TAIT acquired Thinkwell Group. Since 2006, the firm has gone from approximately 35 employees ...

. DC characters as they appear in both the attractions themselves as well as through live performers feature costumes based on

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

comic book relaunch from 2011. The Gotham City section neighbors another section themed after

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

, home of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Films

1989 Batman series

'' (1989) director

wanted a timeless alternative to New York and described it as "hell burst through the pavement and grew". The look of Gotham was overseen by production designer Anton Furst, who won an Oscar for supervising the art department. Furst stated ''Batman'' was "definitely based in many ways on the worst aspects of New York City" and was inspired by

Andreas Feininger Andreas Bernhard Lyonel Feininger (December 27, 1906 – February 18, 1999) was an American photographer and a writer on photographic technique. He was noted for his dynamic black-and-white scenes of Manhattan and for studies of the structures ...

's photographs of 1940s New York. Furst's draftsman Nigel Phelps created numerous charcoal drawings of the buildings and interior sets for the production. Following the death of Furst, Burton tapped

Bo Welch Robert W. "Bo" Welch III is an American production designer, art director, film and television director and occasional actor. He is best known for his collaborations with directors such as Tim Burton and Barry Sonnenfeld. Early life Welch was b ...

to oversee production design for ''

Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters (screenwriter), Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman (1989 film), Batman'' (1989) and th ...

'' (1992). Burton wanted Welch to re-imagine Gotham, stating "''Batman'' didn't feel big to me – it didn't have the power an old American city has". Welch wanted to expand on the same basic concept for the sequel but moved away from European influences to show more American

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

elements. When asked what inspired his interpretation of Gotham, Welch stated " w can I create a visual expression of corruption and greed? That got me thinking about the fascistic architecture employed at world's fairs ... That feels corrupt because it's evocative of oppressive bureaucracies and dictatorships ... So I looked at a lot of hird Reichart and images from world's fairs". To physically make the city seem darker, he designed tall "oppressively overbuilt" cityscape that physically blocked out light. When

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designe ...

took over directing the ''Batman'' film series from Tim Burton, Barbara Ling handled the production design for both of Schumacher's films, ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' is a 1995 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the third installment of the ''Batman'' film series, acting as a standalone sequel to ''Batman Returns''. Directe ...

'' (1995) and 1997's '' Batman & Robin''. Ling's vision of Gotham City was a luminous and outlandish evocation of modern Expressionist architecture, Expressionism and Constructivist architecture, Constructivism. Its Futurist architecture, futuristic design, which ''Washington Post'' critic Desson Howe felt evoked the 1982 film ''

'', were described by Ling in her book, ''Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin'' as a cross between 1930s Manhattan and the "Neo-Tokyo" of ''Akira (1988 film), Akira''. Ling cited "neon sign, neon-ridden" Tokyo and the Machine Age as her influences, describing her Gotham as "like a World's fair, World's Fair on Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy". When Batman is pursuing Two-Face in ''Batman Forever'', the chase ends at Lady Gotham, the fictional equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. During Mr. Freeze's attempt to freeze Gotham in the film '' Batman & Robin'', the targeting screen for his giant laser locates it somewhere on the New England shoreline, possibly as far north as Maine. The soundtrack for ''Batman & Robin'' features Gotham City (song), a song named after the city and sung by R. Kelly, later included on international editions of his 1998 double album ''R. (R. Kelly album), R.''

The ''Dark Knight'' trilogy

Director Christopher Nolan has stated that

inspired his portrayal of Gotham, and the majority of both ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and ''The Dark Knight'' (2008) were filmed there. However, Nolan's Gotham City was deliberately set in New Jersey to honor Gotham's location in the comic books. For ''Batman Begins'', Nolan desired that Gotham appear as a large, modern city that nonetheless reflects a variety of architectural styles and periods, as well as different socioeconomic strata. The production's approach depicted Gotham as an exaggeration of New York City, with elements taken from Chicago, the elevated freeways and monorails of Tokyo, and the "Kowloon Walled City, walled city of Kalhoon" in

, which was the basis for the slum in the film known as The Narrows. In ''The Dark Knight'', more Chicago and New York influences were observed. On filming in Chicago, James McAllister, key location manager stated, "visually it's that look like you would see in the comic books". Nolan also stated "there's all these different boroughs, with rivers to interconnect. I think it's hard to get away from that, because Gotham is based on New York." For ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012), the production utilized

;

; Newark, New Jersey;

;

; and Toronto for shots of Gotham City.

DC Extended Universe

Within the DC Extended Universe, Gotham City is located in Gotham County,

. In ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', paperwork mentions that the city is in "Gotham County", and Amanda Waller's files on Deadshot and Harley Quinn in ''Suicide Squad (2016 film), Suicide Squad'' reveal Gotham City to be located in the state of New Jersey. Zack Snyder confirmed that

and Gotham City are in close geographical proximity to each other. The ''Boston Globe'' compared the close proximity of Gotham City and Metropolis to Jersey City and Manhattan. A television ad for Turkish Airlines that premiered during Super Bowl 50, the 2016 Super Bowl featured Bruce Wayne (DC Extended Universe), Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) promoting Gotham as a tourist destination. To create Gotham in ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the creative team "decided to recreate and combine large sections of existing selected city sections and adapt the architecture and layout to fit Gotham's. Thousands of photographs were put through MPC's photogrammetry pipeline to create geometry and textures for each city section." In ''Birds of Prey (2020 film), Birds of Prey'', which takes place in Gotham, the entire shoot took place in Los Angeles. It was originally expected to be filmed in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, but the production received a tax credit from California, incentivizing the location change.

''The Batman''

The 2022 Matt Reeves film ''The Batman (film), The Batman'' delves into the criminal underbelly of Gotham City through noir-style storytelling and highlights themes of corruption rampant within the city's government and police department. The film used

, and Chicago as filming locations for Gotham City, although it was modeled on New York City. A towering skyscraper similar to the Empire State Building looms over Gotham City with an emblazoned sign that reads "Gotham Empire". A busy, commercial intersection called "Gotham Square" is seen in several shots and resembles Times Square with its bright signs and giant digital screens. The film's concluding sequence, while filmed at London's The O2 Arena, O2 Arena, is called "Gotham Square Garden", taking its naming convention from New York's Madison Square Garden.

''Joker'' (2019) and ''Joker: Folie à Deux'' (2024)

''Joker (2019 film), Joker'' director and producer Todd Phillips imagined Gotham as a "version of Gotham was the pre-'80s boom New York, or urban northeastern center, but not the iconic New York". When asked how he re-imagined the city, production designer Mark Friedberg stated "our version of Gotham was what groomed him. It was both an appreciation for how severe things got in the city, but also for the world of possibility that lived in the version of that city." The film shot on location and used landmarks in New York City; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Newark, New Jersey. In ''Joker: Folie à Deux'', Gotham is explicitly stated to be in New York State.

Animated films

During the events of the direct-to-video film ''Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero'' (1998), a computer screen displaying Barbara Gordon's personal information refers to her location as "Gotham City, NY", and also displays her area code as being 212 – a Manhattan area code. The 2008 direct-to-DVD film ''Batman: Gotham Knight'' shows Gotham as a large city with many skyscrapers and a bustling population.

Video games

Gotham City appears in several video games, including ''Batman Begins (video game), Batman Begins'', ''DC Universe Online'', Gotham Knights (video game), ''Gotham Knights'' and ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''. The city makes another appearance in a video game with ''Injustice: Gods Among Us'', where the player can fight outside or inside Wayne Manor, on top of a building and in an alley. Other games that feature the city include ''Lego Dimensions'' and Rocksteady's ''Arkham'' franchise. Gotham City appears as a location in the 2017 video game ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' as part of a Crossover (fiction), crossover in commemoration of Batman's 80th anniversary. It was the fourth incarnation of the game's iconic Tilted Towers area. Players are able to use the Batglider after falling from a great height, as long as they remain in the confines of Gotham City. The location was removed on October 13, 2019, during the game's Fortnite seasonal events #Chapter 1, "The End" live event, in which it was sucked into a Black Hole along with the rest of the ''Fortnite'' Chapter 1 Island. The assets used for Gotham City, devoid of any Batman branding, are featured in ''Fortnite Creative'' under the name "Dark Tilted".

Batman: Arkham

''Batman: Arkham Asylum'' (2009) opens with Batman driving Joker from Gotham City to Arkham Asylum. Joker also threatens to detonate bombs across Gotham. In ''Batman: Arkham City'' (2011), the slums of Old Gotham City (the northern island) were converted into Arkham City. Inside the prison walls, this part of Gotham contains various landmarks throughout the story, like Penguin (comics), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, the Ace Chemical Plant, the Black Mask (comics), Sionis Steel Mill, the Old Gotham City Police Department building, and the Monarch Theatre with the Wayne murder scene in Crime Alley. Most of these locations have major events in the story. In ''Batman: Arkham Origins'' (2013), an earlier, younger version of the city can be seen than that of other games in the ''Batman: Arkham'' series. In addition to the northern island, this installment in the series lets players explore a new southern island, connected to the former by the Pioneer's Bridge. The setting of ''Batman: Arkham Knight'' (2015), Central Gotham City, is five times larger than Old Gotham. In the novelization for ''Batman: Arkham Knight'', it is revealed that Crime Alley was later renamed Wayne Way months after the 'death' of Batman.

References

General references

* Brady, Matthew and Williams, Dwight. ''Daily Planet Guide to Gotham City''. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: West End Games under license from

, 2000. * Brown, Eliot. "''Gotham City Skyline''". ''Secret Files & Origins Guide to the DC Universe 2000''. New York: DC Comics, 2000. * Alan Grant (writer), Grant, Alan. "''The Last Arkham''". ''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #1. New York: DC Comics, 1992. * Jeph Loeb, Loeb, Jeph. ''Batman: The Long Halloween''. New York: DC Comics, 1997. * Miller, Frank. ''Batman: Year One''. New York: DC Comics, 1988. * Grant Morrison, Morrison, Grant. ''Arkham Asylum''. New York: DC Comics, 1990. * Dennis O'Neil, O'Neil, Dennis. "''Destroyer''". ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #27. New York: DC Comics, 1992.

Inline citations

{{DC Comics populated places DC Comics islands DC Comics populated places Fictional elements introduced in 1940 Fictional populated places in New Jersey Gotham City,