Wayne Manor is a fictional mansion appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . It is the home of Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises, who is also the superhero Batman .
83-445: The house is depicted as a large mansion on the outskirts of Gotham City and is maintained by the Wayne family's butler, Alfred Pennyworth . While the earliest stories showed Bruce Wayne buying the house himself, by the 1950s at the latest, retroactive continuity established that the manor had belonged to the Wayne family for several generations. Along with serving as a personal residence,
166-701: A "secret New Jersey airfield" to Gotham City and then drive on the "Hudson County Highway", a reference to the real-life Hudson County in New Jersey. Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #1 (June 1993) further establishes that Gotham City is in New Jersey. Sal E. Jordan's driver's license in the comic shows his address as "72 Faxcol Dr Gotham City, NJ 12345", although the ZIP Code is actually in Schenectady, New York . The 2016 film Suicide Squad reveals Gotham City to be in
249-529: A Gotham City in 2039, referred to as "Neo-Gotham". Gotham City was first shown in the Arrowverse as part of " Elseworlds ", a 2018 crossover storyline among the shows, which introduced Batwoman , although it had been referred to several times previously. In The Flash episode "Marathon", a map shows Gotham City in place of Chicago, Illinois. Themed lands meant to represent Gotham City have been physically constructed in several different theme parks around
332-514: 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
415-519: A brownstone in the center of town, Batman residing in a mausoleum in the basement while Alfred prepares his equipment in the main house. Although Alfred and Gordon stake Batman at the conclusion of Batman: Bloodstorm after he succumbs to his vampire instincts and drinks the Joker's blood, he is restored to life after Alfred removes the stake in Crimson Mist , subsequently relocating to the catacombs underneath
498-570: A chance to have a life without Batman. However, Bruce returns to the manor when he realizes who he used to be. In Gotham War , Batman loses most of his money to the Joker . Afterward, Vandal Savage buys Wayne Manor and the Batcave. The manor grounds include the Batcave , an extensive cave system that Bruce Wayne discovered as a boy and uses as his base of operations. Its method of access has varied, though it
581-580: A cross between 1930s Manhattan and the "Neo-Tokyo" of Akira . Ling cited " neon-ridden Tokyo and the Machine Age as her influences, describing her Gotham as "like a World's Fair on 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 ,
664-538: A girl in a burning building but is overwhelmed by Batman's failsafe. Thankfully, Batman and Catwoman save him, and is confronted by Mad Hatter, Firefly, Two-Face, Professor Pyg and Ventriloquist. Tim Drake falls into a trap and is captured by Batman's villains. Batman escapes from the villain and realizes that Vandal Savage is gathering meteor fragments to be immortal again, and Batman asks the Bat Family to help save Tim Drake while he stops Vandal Savage. Batman goes back to
747-706: 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 's 1990 story arc "Dark Knight, Dark City", which reveals that some of
830-507: A man named Atkins. In the wake of Bane's takeover of the city, a man named Dunch served as mayor, and in the aftermath of the Joker War, anti-vigilante mayoral candidate Christopher Nakano wins election in a landslide. In multiple episodes of the 1960s live-action Batman television series , Batman is seen consulting a transparent lucite map of Gotham, which was actually an inverted map of St. Louis . The live-action TV series Gotham
913-440: A meeting with Mad Hatter , Scarecrow , Firefly , Two-Face , Black Mask , and Ventriloquist to hide from Batman. Jason Todd purposely sets off an alarm in a random house to alert Batman so he and Catwoman can ambush him, but Batman attacks Catwoman's forces head-on, knowing it's a trap. Batman easily defeats Catwoman's goons before being attacked by Jason Todd, Nightwing, Tim Drake, Duke Thomas, Spoiler and Cassandra Cain. During
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#1732852761514996-598: A meeting with them. Batman meets Nightwing , Jason Todd , Barbara Gordon , Duke Thomas , Kate Kane , Stephanie Brown , Damian Wayne and Cassandra Cain at the meeting where Catwoman reveals that she wants to make Gotham City a better place. Catwoman explains her idea of training low level goons to just rob from the rich and not from the poor, as long as they donate 15 percent of the money to charities, and no harming innocent people. Catwoman tries convincing Batman to not interfere as violent crime in Gotham has plummeted since he
1079-473: A mental breakdown in front of his parents grave. Catwoman's lieutenant Marquise tells Catwoman what's been going on recently, and Catwoman asks Jason Todd to train her army on how to steal cars. Batman enters a building where he encounters The Riddler giving him a clue that Catwoman plans to target a ballet show. Batman confronts Jason Todd and incapacitates him, while Vandal Savage tries to convince Catwoman to be his lieutenant but she declines his offer. Catwoman
1162-568: A periodical which lampooned New York culture and politics. Irving took the name from the English village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire , which was known for the Wise Men of Gotham story, a legendary incident where the village's residents feigned idiocy to prevent a royal visit from John, King of England . Gotham City, like other cities in the DC Universe, has varied in its portrayals over the decades, but
1245-657: 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 . DC characters as they appear in both the attractions themselves as well as through live performers feature costumes based on The New 52 comic book relaunch from 2011. The Gotham City section neighbors another section themed after Metropolis , home of Superman . Batman (1989) director Tim Burton wanted
1328-451: 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 City has a population of approximately 10 million people. This figure was also given in the 1960s Batman TV series episode Egg Grows in Gotham, the thirteenth episode of the second season. Batman Beyond (1999–2001) envisions
1411-465: 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 's photographs of 1940s New York. Furst's draftsman Nigel Phelps created numerous charcoal drawings of
1494-468: 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 [Third Reich] art 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 took over directing
1577-632: Is also Catwoman , Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) , Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) , Signal , Batwing , Batwoman , and Huntress . Other DC characters have also been depicted to be living in Gotham, such as mercenary Tommy Monaghan and renowned demonologist Jason Blood . Within modern DC Universe continuity, Batman is not the first hero in Gotham. Stories featuring Alan Scott , the Golden Age Green Lantern , set before and during World War II depict Scott living in Gotham, and later depictions show him running his Gotham Broadcasting Corporation. Also,
1660-467: Is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes . Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane , the city was first identified as Batman's place of residence in Batman #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
1743-422: Is destroyed as part of a plan to destroy Dracula's vampire family, bombs exposing the interior of the Batcave to sunlight after Batman lured the vampires into the cave following a chase through Gotham's sewers that ended in the Batcave just as the sun rose. Although the manor collapses into the cavern system after a second series of bombs are set off, thus concealing Bruce Wayne's secret, Batman and Alfred relocate to
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#17328527615141826-407: Is effective. During this adventure, Batman reawakens his Zur-En-Arrh personality and temporarily loses his hand, but gets an artificial hand after defeating an alternate version of The Joker . Batman's mental struggle with Zur-En-Arrh continues into the events of Gotham War. Throughout the event, Bruce's mind is torn between himself and Zur-En-Arrh, losing control of himself in the process. During
1909-521: Is home to Superman , and the two heroes often work together in both cities. In comic book depictions, the exact distance between Gotham and Metropolis has varied over the years, with the cities usually being within driving distance of each other. The two cities are sometimes portrayed as twin cities on opposite sides of the Delaware Bay , with Gotham in New Jersey and Metropolis in Delaware. The Atlas of
1992-493: Is in New Jersey. The New Adventures of Superboy #22 (October 1981) and the 1990 Atlas of the DC Universe both show maps of Gotham City in New Jersey and Metropolis in the state of Delaware . Detective Comics #503 (June 1983) includes several references suggesting Gotham City is in New Jersey. A location on the Jersey Shore is described as "20 miles north of Gotham". Within the same issue, Robin and Batgirl drive from
2075-471: Is repossessed by the city and turned into the new Arkham Asylum following the destruction of the original, but Bruce decides to accept this new status quo, reasoning that he can at least make sure that his enemies remain contained in the new manor given his intimate knowledge of its entrances and exits. The manor is eventually reclaimed by Bruce's lawyers, but it is temporarily left empty due to Bruce's death and amnesic resurrection as Alfred wanted to give Bruce
2158-590: Is set in Gotham City, was filmed in Chicago . The 2024 series The Penguin is set in Gotham City. Gotham City is featured heavily in Batman: The Animated Series . When describing Gotham City Paul Dini , 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
2241-548: Is traditionally depicted as being located in the U.S. state of New Jersey . Gotham's look and atmosphere were primarily influenced by New York City , but also drew inspiration from Chicago and London . Architect Hugh Ferriss ' 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
2324-511: Is trying to find where Jason Todd is, while it's revealed that Marquise is actually Vandal Savage's daughter Scandal Savage . Vandal Savage explains that he is dying and needs the Lazarus Pits to prolong his life, but Ra's al Ghul does not allow him to use the Lazarus Pits. While waiting to die Scandal Savage finds Vandal Savage and tells him that Ra's Al Ghul died , and takes control of
2407-529: Is typically accessible from a hidden door behind a grandfather clock. While these grounds are the regular home of Bruce Wayne, he temporarily vacated it in the stories from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, preferring to live in a penthouse apartment on top of the Wayne Foundation building in the city, which also included a secret sub-basement acting as a Batcave. Wayne came to this decision when Dick Grayson went off to college, which led him to decide that
2490-670: Is using the Riddler to find Catwoman's thieves and used mind control on Jason Todd, but Tim Drake stops Nightwing. Batman captures them in a net and leaves Damian Wayne, Nightwing and Tim Drake to be caught by the cops, but they escape. Catwoman decides to meet up with Batman to persuade him to stop attacking her group. Catwoman consoles Batman on what happened, but an explosion knocks them back. Batman escapes, while Catwoman finds out Vandal Savage secretly training her army under his new League of Shadows. Catwoman confronts Vandal Savage who wants to use Catwoman's army to steal items that happen to have
2573-528: The Batman film series from Tim Burton, Barbara Ling handled the production design for both of Schumacher's films, Batman Forever (1995) and 1997's Batman & Robin . Ling's vision of Gotham City was a luminous and outlandish evocation of modern Expressionism and Constructivism . Its futuristic design, which Washington Post critic Desson Howe felt evoked the 1982 film Blade Runner , were described by Ling in her book, Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin as
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2656-637: The Dutch as New Amsterdam before being conquered by England and renamed New York . During the American Revolutionary War , Gotham City was the site of a major battle between American and British forces (paralleling the real-life Battle of Long Island ). This was detailed in Rick Veitch 's Swamp Thing #85 featuring Tomahawk . Rumors held it to be the site of various occult rites. The 2011 comic book series Batman: Gates of Gotham details
2739-530: The Founding Fathers of the United States 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 #5 by Bill Willingham , 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,
2822-620: The League of Shadows to find more of the Lazarus Pits after the Lazarus Volcano exploded . Batman kidnaps Jason Todd and uses mind control to implant a failsafe in Jason Todd's mind to make him more fearful. Nightwing tries to go to Batman's base to cut Batman off his technology, but Damian Wayne attacks him. Tim Drake arrives to fend off Damian Wayne, but Batman arrives and a fight breaks out. Nightwing savagely beats up Batman when he finds out Batman
2905-469: The Tim Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness," incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards , police airships (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 flourishes. Police airships have since been incorporated into Batman comic books and are a recurring element in Gotham City. Concerning
2988-582: The Tri-state Area alongside Blüdhaven . Within the DC Extended Universe, the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice depicts Gotham City as being located across a bay from Metropolis. Gotham City was founded in 1635 by Captain Jon Logerquist, a Norwegian mercenary, before subsequently being taken over by the English; this parallels the history of New York City , which was founded by
3071-464: The roaring 20s , and then there's this other really kind of heavy Blade Runner 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." In
3154-591: The " Knight Terrors " event, Batman's body is possessed by Deadman in order to defeat the main villain Insomnia , and Batman collapses due to too much stress on his body and falls into a coma. Batman wakes up from his coma after eight weeks and learns from Barbara Gordon that the Bat-Family has been taking care of him. Batman goes out to fight crime but finds it too peaceful which he deems suspicious. Batman meets with Tim Drake who tells him that Catwoman wants to hold
3237-539: The 1960s Batman television series and in films Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), in the DC Extended Universe (2016–2023) and The Batman (2022). Wayne Manor is depicted in earlier comics as being on the outskirts of Gotham City in the state of New Jersey . Comic book portrayals place
3320-553: The Batcave below, although the Bat-family were able to relocate all of Batman's equipment before official rescue came to the manor so that nobody would learn Bruce Wayne's secrets. The original Manor was damaged beyond repair, forcing Bruce Wayne to redesign the Manor along with the Batcave. The new Manor is a veritable fortress, a pastiche of Gothic architecture combined with features of castellated architecture . Solar panels are installed in
3403-543: The Batcave where he tracks down Vandal Savage is going to the Gotham City Observatory. Catwoman manages to convince some of her henchmen to join her side again, while the Bat-Family frees Tim Drake and fights the Gotham City villains. Catwoman meets up with Batman in the Gotham City Observatory where Batman realizes the meteor fragments are a homing beacon for another huge meteor, and they confront Vandal Savage. During
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3486-509: 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. , 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
3569-588: The DC Universe from the 1990s places Metropolis in Delaware and Gotham City in New Jersey. New York has also garnered the nickname Metropolis to describe the city in the daytime in popular culture, contrasting with Gotham , sometimes used to describe New York City at night. During the Bronze Age of Comic Books , the Metro-Narrows Bridge was depicted as the main route connecting the twin cities of Metropolis and Gotham City. It has been described as being
3652-515: The GCPD to turn a blind eye to Batman's activities after Batman saved his daughter. Mayor 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
3735-635: The Gotham City Police Department is the focus of the series Gotham Central , as well as the mini-series Gordon's Law , Bullock's Law , and Batman: GCPD . The first Gotham mayor depicted in comics was in Detective Comics #68 (October 1942). Theodore Cobblepot, great grandfather of the Penguin , was mayor in the late 19th century. An unnamed mayor ran afoul of the Court of Owls in 1914 and
3818-525: The Lazarus Pit in them. Vandal Savage decapitates Catwoman, but its revealed that "Catwoman" was actually Lady Clayface who escapes to tell Catwoman what's happening. Vandal Savage meets with Professor Pig and the rest of the villains to convince them to join his side in order to kill Batman and Catwoman, and regain their henchmen. Catwoman briefly fights against Scandal Savage, and convinces Batman to team up to find Jason Todd. Meanwhile, Jason Todd tries to save
3901-508: 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 had first attached it to New York in the November 11, 1807, edition of his Salmagundi ,
3984-630: The Pinkney structures they had hidden; the editorial purpose behind this was to transform the city depicted in the comics to resemble the designs created by Anton Furst for 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 . The Dark Knight Rises forgoes Chicago, instead shooting in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, London, and Glasgow. Over
4067-502: The TV series Smallville , Gotham City is mentioned by the character Linda Lake in the episode "Hydro", who jokes she can see Gotham from her view. In "Reunion", one of Oliver Queen's friends mentions having to get back to Gotham. The fifth episode of Young Justice , entitled "Schooled", indicates that Gotham is located in Connecticut , near Bridgeport . The 2019 series Batwoman , which
4150-411: The additional gardens that existed at the time the manor was built add on to this symbol to create the image of a bat. During the events of Batman: Cataclysm a massive earthquake struck Gotham City, the epicenter of which was less than a mile from Wayne Manor. The mansion was seriously damaged, as was the cave network beneath. The ground beneath the mansion shifted significantly, and actually revealed
4233-478: 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 #2 by Frank Tieri , Tobias Whale 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
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#17328527615144316-558: The buildings and interior sets for the production. Following the death of Furst, Burton tapped Bo Welch to oversee production design for Batman Returns (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 / world's fair elements. When asked what inspired his interpretation of Gotham, Welch stated "[H]ow can I create
4399-573: The chaos, Jason Todd use the Batwing to blow up the meteor, and it causes Gotham City Observatory to collapse. Vandal Savage tries to touch the remaining fragments of the meteor, but he seemingly perishes alongside Catwoman who saves Scandal Savage. Two weeks later, Dick Grayson meets up with Bruce Wayne to see how he's been doing, and Bruce announces that he needs time to be by himself due to his recent actions. While patrolling in Gotham City, Batman sees Catwoman's silhouette and realizes she's still alive, while
4482-541: The city's location is traditionally depicted as being in the state of New Jersey . In Amazing World of DC Comics #14 (March 1977), writer Mark Gruenwald discusses the history of the Justice League and indicates that Gotham City is located in New Jersey. In The World's Greatest Super Heroes (August 13, 1978) comic strip, a map is shown placing Gotham City in New Jersey and Metropolis in Delaware. World's Finest Comics #259 (November 1979) also confirms that Gotham
4565-604: The coldest night in November". Batman artist Neal Adams 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 and John Byrne . In designing Batman: The Animated Series , creators Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski emulated
4648-412: The end of the graphic novel, the Manor has been rebuilt as a hospital/hospice for Gulag battle victims. Outside of the bustling metropolis of New York City, and on the outskirts of the sleepy town of Brewster, NY, boasts an active ‘Wayne Manor’ on a private residence. Known for elaborately themed parties and functions, W.M. northeast includes custom stonework, multiple fireplaces, a standing tiki bar and
4731-436: The evolution of Gotham throughout the years, former Batman editor Paul Levitz has stated, "Each guy adds their own vision. That's the fun of comics, rebuilding a city each time". 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 blew up several Gotham buildings in order to reveal
4814-469: 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 , who used
4897-440: The fight, Damian Wayne saves Batman and helps him escape, while Catwoman is angered that Batman destroyed her home base. Batman learns that someone bought Wayne Manor from him, and is nearly overwhelmed with his Zurr-En-Arrh personality wanting to take over. Batman calms himself down, but is shocked to find Vandal Savage in the Batcave . Vandal Savage explains he bought Wayne Manor, which causes Batman to be distraught and have
4980-399: The inconsistent art, story, and writing for Catwoman. In May 2023, DC Comics announced "Gotham War" to bridge the gap between the Batman and Catwoman series. The events in this story also take place after " Knight Terrors ". After Failsafe transports Batman to an alternate universe, he meets an alternate version of Catwoman who questions whether Batman's method of fighting crime
5063-503: The live-action Batman films and television series have included St. Louis , Chicago , Pittsburgh , Los Angeles , New York City , Newark , London , Glasgow , Hong Kong , Detroit , and Liverpool . In Jim Steranko 's History of the Comics , writer Bill Finger , 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 .' Then I flipped through
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#17328527615145146-557: The longest suspension bridge in the world. A map appeared in The New Adventures of Superboy #22 (October 1981), that showed Smallville within driving distance of both Metropolis and Gotham City; Smallville was relocated to Kansas in post-Crisis continuity. A map of the United States in The Secret Files & Origins Guide to the DC Universe 2000 #1 (March 2000) depicts Metropolis and Gotham City as being somewhere in
5229-698: The mansion sits above the Batcave , which Batman uses as his secret headquarters. The vast majority of DC Comics references place Wayne Manor just outside of Gotham City in the state of New Jersey . The manor, indicative of Wayne's ancestral wealth, is designed in a Gothic Revival architectural style, matching the Gothic architecture present in Gotham. For live-action films, English country house locations in Nottinghamshire , Hertfordshire , and Buckinghamshire , as well as Stevenson Taylor Hall in New York, have been used to depict Wayne Manor. Wayne Manor appears in
5312-480: The mansion was now impractical with only one resident and one servant. Furthermore, Wayne decided he wanted to be closer to his main field of operations in Gotham City than a home situated outside the main urban area would allow. However, by the early 1980s, Wayne came to reconsider that purpose and decided that being less accessible to the public was more advantageous for his Batman activities and returned to Wayne Manor. In Batman & Dracula: Red Rain , Wayne Manor
5395-456: The mansion within driving distance of Gotham City, close enough that the Bat-Signal can be seen from Wayne Manor alerting Batman of distress in the city. Wayne Manor's grounds include a surrounding gate around the perimeter with a larger front gate at the main entrance. Batman's subterranean headquarters, the Batcave , is located beneath the mansion. The grounds also includes a large hill that
5478-545: The midst of a criminal conspiracy known as "The Body". An unnamed woman was mayor when Batman returned to Gotham a year after the Infinite Crisis . 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
5561-475: The new Manor, providing sustainable and environmentally-friendly electricity generation for the complex. It also includes a heliport for commercial helicopters. During Batman Eternal , Hush's machinations result in Wayne Enterprises being ruined and Bruce Wayne essentially bankrupt after the villain detonates various weapons caches Batman had concealed around Gotham. As part of this bankruptcy, Wayne Manor
5644-584: The occasional overhead fireworks display. While private, all guests are welcome. The lyrics to the song "She Looks Like Fun" on the album Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys mention Wayne Manor. Gotham City Gotham City ( / ˈ ɡ ɒ θ əm / GOTH -əm ), or simply Gotham , is a fictional city in the Eastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . It
5727-640: The original Golden Age Spectre and his sidekick, Percival Popp, live in Gotham City as does Black Canary , Starman, and the Grey Ghost. DC's 2011 reboot of All Star Western takes place in an Old West-styled Gotham. Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham are among this version of Gotham's inhabitants. Apart from Gotham's superhero residents, the residents of the city feature in a back-up series in Detective Comics called Tales of Gotham City and in two limited series called Gotham Nights . Additionally,
5810-536: 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 . Batman writer and editor Dennis O'Neil has said that, figuratively, Batman's Gotham City is akin to "Manhattan below 14th Street at eleven minutes past midnight on
5893-439: The remains of Wayne Manor. The manor's remains are finally destroyed for good when Gordon, Alfred, Two-Face , Killer Croc , and Two-Face's gang plant bombs on the cave roof, exposing the interior to sunlight and ending Batman's reign of terror once and for all. In Kingdom Come , the Manor was mostly destroyed by Two-Face and Bane after Batman's true identity was exposed; the Batcave, however, remained relatively untouched. By
5976-478: 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 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 in the 1998 " Cataclysm " storyline. This resulted in
6059-408: The state of New Jersey within the DC Extended Universe . Both 2021's The Batman , and its 2024 TV spinoff The Penguin have Gotham City in New Jersey as can be seen with in-universe drivers licenses. However, 2024's Joker: Folie à Deux places Gotham City in New York as Joker's trial is titled The State of New York vs. Arthur Fleck . Gotham City is the home of Batman , just as Metropolis
6142-589: 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 a song named after the city and sung by R. Kelly , later included on international editions of his 1998 double album R. Director Christopher Nolan has stated that Chicago inspired his portrayal of Gotham, and the majority of both Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) were filmed there. However, Christopher Nolan's Gotham City
6225-532: 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 outside of just Batman. It reopened in 2011. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi features
6308-536: The world. WB Movie World in Germany featured a Gotham City section that housed Batman Adventure – The Ride , and Six Flags Magic Mountain 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
6391-536: The years, in various Batman-related titles in the chronological DC Comics 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 , then came Red Hood , Red Robin , Spoiler and finally Batman's son Damian Wayne . In addition to the Robins or former Robins, there
6474-674: Was asleep, but Batman argues saying her method will not really get rid of crime, and angrily leaves the meeting. Jason Todd decides to team up with Catwoman to help her against Batman. After meeting with Renee Montoya who belittles his method, Batman sees a robber named Roland Garner who was killed in self-defense after breaking into someone's home, and decides to fight Catwoman. Batman takes down Catwoman's henchmen all across Gotham City which causes Catwoman to be nervous and call in Jason Todd. Tim Drake tries to calm down Batman to no avail, and Nightwing meets up with Barbara, Tim, Jason, and Stephanie to discuss Batman's behavior. Professor Pyg holds
6557-559: Was deliberately set in New Jersey to honor Gotham's location in the comic books. Gotham War "Gotham War" is an eight-issue comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics in late 2023, featuring Batman and his family dealing with Catwoman's new idea in taking down crime. Primarily written by Chip Zdarsky and Tini Howard , the arc is their first major arc on Batman and Catwoman in Dawn of DC . The main story received poor reviews from critics, with critics criticizing
6640-587: Was filmed in New York City and was an important requirement of the show's creative team. According to executive producer Danny Cannon , its atmosphere was inspired by the look of the city itself in the 1970s films of Sidney Lumet and William Friedkin . Clues to this include and signs showing phone numbers bearing the area code 212 . Donal Logue , who portrayed Harvey Bullock in the series Gotham , 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
6723-470: Was killed by a sentient fat-eating blob of grease. Hamilton Hill became mayor through the backing of crime boss Rupert Thorne 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 . Mayor Goode served briefly before being replaced by an African American man. Armand Krol became mayor and died of
6806-527: Was killed by them. Archibald Brewster was mayor during the Great Depression . Mayor Thorndike was killed by the Made of Wood killer in 1948. Mayor Aubrey James was a contemporary of Thomas Wayne 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
6889-463: Was partially hollowed out for Batman's aerial vehicles, with the most prominent being the batcave, and there is also an underground river system that is large enough to accommodate docking space for the Batboat and has a large opening for said vehicle. In Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne , it is revealed that Wayne Manor was designed by Nathan Van Derm for Darius Wayne, forming a stylized "W", although
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