Gotham City = N.Y. ?? Metropolis = L.A.

[Squall]

I've always been under the impression that Gotham City was basically New York City, NY, and that Metropolis was bascially Los Angeles, CA. But, I once saw an episode of Batman/Superman (a Superman episode) where they showed a map of Metropolis on a radar map, and it looked like Metropolis was basically New York, NY!

I've also seen multiple New York, NY/Gotham City tie-ins throughout all five series. So, am I right here, or what? :confused:

I'm not sure, but I think that the Superman episode I'm thinking of is "The Prometheon".

Any thoughts? This has been baffling me and getting on my nerves since the Batman/Superman days...

[MattL.]

You're just gonna give yourself a headache dude.

Look, Metropolis is Metropolis. Gotham City is Gotham City.


In my opinion, they dont really even need an New York or LA in this universe.

Lets take the fictional city conept to the hilt.

Swap out all the major cities that we know for Metropolis, Gotham, Central, Gateway, etc.

[Squall]

Oh, and here's one I forgot...

Wally West's, and thus Flash's, hometown, Central City, appears to be Kansas City, MO/KS!

[metaphysician]

Most of the cities in the DC universe are linked with real-world cities. Gotham, obviously, is New York, though they are a little schizoid in this regard, having a NY as well. I look at it this way: DC-NY is the glitz and glamor, Gotham is the crime and slums.

Metropolis, however, is, and always has been, Chicago.

[Calhoun07]

Why can't we just accept the cities as they are in the comics and cartoons and go on with our happy fanboy lives? :p

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Metropolis is in the state of Dellaware, Gotham City is in the state of New Jersey, Keystone City is in Kansas, Central City is in Missouri, Happy Harbor (Snapper Carr's hometown) is in Rhode Island, and as most people already know, Smallville is in Kansas as well. Anyway...I got this information from a book called "DC Heroes Atlas." It's an ausome book I got at the comic book store.

[Harvey Dent]

And in the animated universe, Gotham replaces New York City entirely. Metropolis is probably somewhere in that area.

[Samhaine]

There's a post over on the Batman, Superman, & Beyond board about this. There's even a link to a website containing maps of the DCU USA. It's inthis thread. (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12235)

This is one of those much debated topics, but the thread (and the atlas site that accompanies it) was very informative. Check it out.

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by Harvey Dent
And in the animated universe, Gotham replaces New York City entirely. Metropolis is probably somewhere in that area.
NYC exists, even in the animated universe.

[Harvey Dent]

Really? Where? I saw an episode of B:TAS when Bruce was travelling to Gibraltar to find Talia, and a map was shown detailing his flight path. In started in Gotham(naturally), but the location of Gotham was right where NYC should be.

[MattL.]

and again,

whats wrong with the being Gotham instead of New York and Metropolis instead of Chicago?

Both enviorments are alive enough and real enough that they dont have to have New York and Chigaco in this world setting to validate them.

[EarthX]

Siegel and Shuster were from Cleveland, so Metropolis was based on that city, originally. Kane was from NYC, so Gotham was based on NYC.

Over the years, the two are usually seen as East Coast towns since DC is in NYC and Batman has to be able to drive to Metropolis quickly in those World's Finest tales.

The DC Universe Atlas put out for the DC Role-Playing game nearly a decade ago put Gotham in New Jersey and Metropolis in Delaware, so both very close to New York.

[superfriend]

I was always under the impression that Gotham and Metropolis were both variations on New York City. Of course NYC also exists as Kyle Rayner GL, the Titans, and several other heroes have been based there over the years.

[The Guard]

The cities in the DCU exist WITH the real ones we know.

Originally, Batman operated in New York, but Kane and Finger didn't want anyone to identify with him in any city...so they created Gotham, which is obviously one of New York's nicknames. But Gotham, Metropolis, Central, Keystone all exist with N.Y, LA, and all the others. Coast City was around for a while too.

[The Green Hornet]

I LOVE the fact that Central City (and thus my favorite non-superman justice leaguer) is in Missouri! =) The Flash as a Missourian-- quite nice! I _THINK_ that he might be one of the only Missourian super-heroes ever (most are NY-- ever notice that? especially in certain other comic companies)

gotta love my state!

[The Guard]

Most Marvel characters are based in New York because there ARE no fictional cities like Gotham and Metropolis...

[Squall]

But, if you've noticed, Metropolis in the Dini/Timm DC Universe is always sunny (a la L.A.), AND they're always shooting movies in Metropolis (again a la L.A.).

Plus, Batman (as Bruce Wayne) had to FLY to Metropolis from Gotham. (That's why he didn't have the Batmobile in "World's Finest", he had to fly his jet, and he flew himself -- remember him meeting Clark Kent and Lois Lane at the Metropolis Airport?)

In my mind, anyway, Metropolis will always be Los Angeles, CA, and Gotham City will always be New York, NY. ;)

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by squall
But, if you've noticed, Metropolis in the Dini/Timm DC Universe is always sunny (a la L.A.), AND they're always shooting movies in Metropolis (again a la L.A.).

Plus, Batman (as Bruce Wayne) had to FLY to Metropolis from Gotham. (That's why he didn't have the Batmobile in "World's Finest", he had to fly his jet, and he flew himself -- remember him meeting Clark Kent and Lois Lane at the Metropolis Airport?)

In my mind, anyway, Metropolis will always be Los Angeles, CA, and Gotham City will always be New York, NY. ;)
Watch the StAS episode Speed Demons. It shows, roughly, where Metropolis is located; and it's not on the west coast. While it was a rough estimate (the map was small, the dot was big), the dot was in the Northeast, proving that Metropolis is also an East Coast city.

Movies are always being filmed there, probably because it's one of the richest cities in the US. It's not called the City of Tomorrow for nothin'.

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by TheFastestManAlive
I LOVE the fact that Central City (and thus my favorite non-superman justice leaguer) is in Missouri! =) The Flash as a Missourian-- quite nice! I _THINK_ that he might be one of the only Missourian super-heroes ever (most are NY-- ever notice that? especially in certain other comic companies)

gotta love my state!
I'm not up on my Missouri/Kansas geography (who long was 4th grade Social Studies?), but in the most recent issue of The Flash it put Central City right across a river from Keystone City (Linda Park goes to med school in Central City). So, is that possible?

[The Green Hornet]

well assuming its kansas city missouri yeah its kind of possible, but a river doenst divide kc,ks and kc,mo

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by TheFastestManAlive
well assuming its kansas city missouri yeah its kind of possible, but a river doenst divide kc,ks and kc,mo
Not the two KS, I'm talking about just the states of Kansas and Missouri.

[The Green Hornet]

yes the missouri flows through the area, at one point almost perfectly along the border

[BeastBoyWonder]

soooo confusing...all I know is that Gotham City is analagous to New York.

[The Guard]

BLOODONE!!!

Where did you get that GHOSTBUSTERS image???

I've been looking for it forever!!!

[Cyclops]

Gotham is in New York, at least in the Animated Universe. If you watch Sub Zero, pause it when Batman is on the Batmobile's computer it says the state is New York.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Originally posted by EarthX
Siegel and Shuster were from Cleveland, so Metropolis was based on that city, originally. Kane was from NYC, so Gotham was based on NYC.

Over the years, the two are usually seen as East Coast towns since DC is in NYC and Batman has to be able to drive to Metropolis quickly in those World's Finest tales.

The DC Universe Atlas put out for the DC Role-Playing game nearly a decade ago put Gotham in New Jersey and Metropolis in Delaware, so both very close to New York.

That's what I said.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Originally posted by TheFastestManAlive
...(most are NY-- ever notice that? especially in certain other comic companies)...

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! That's hilarious...I'm telling the Marvel guys you said that...just kidding.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Originally posted by TheFastestManAlive
well assuming its kansas city missouri yeah its kind of possible, but a river doenst divide kc,ks and kc,mo

Yeah that's right...I noticed that too...it's kind of funny that they used a river as the Kansas/Missouri border.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Originally posted by TheFastestManAlive
yes the missouri flows through the area, at one point almost perfectly along the border

It does?

[Squall]

Yeah, well I can swear that on more than one episode, it was eluded to that Metropolis was basically L.A. I may be wrong, but I can swear that I've seen this.

I usually just think, in my own mind, that the maps showing Metropolis where Gotham City is (or very near it, a la N.Y.), in "Speed Demons" and "The Prometheon" are just errors made when the show was produced.

It's just my opinion, of course... :rolleyes:

[Toddman]

JLL, that's right, if you look to the north and then to the east of your current position in Wichita, the Missouri River runs right into Kansas City, MO. It seperates Kansas from Missouri from that point north. The Missouri continues east from KC all the way to St. Louis. However, I never liked the idea of Central City being in Missouri (just north of KC) and Keystone City across the state line in Kansas. Originally, the comics placed Central in Ohio and Keystone to the east in Pennsylvania (the Keystone State). I liked that better for some reason. After Earth-1 and Earth-2 merged, they still could have been "twin cities" because Ohio and Pennsylvania also boarder one another.

As far as other comic book heroes based in Missouri, Tim Trench and Scalphunter made their homes in St. Louis, and for a short time in the late 80's the Doom Patrol was headquartered in Kansas City. And I think the comic book hero Xero lived in East St. Louis (which is actually in Illinois). It has been speculated that Hub City, the home of the Question, is based on East St. Louis.

And Squall, I think that in the episode "A Fish Story," someone (maybe Lois) mentions that the peculiar behavior of the local sealife is taking place on the eastern seaboard.

Toddman