Where is Metropolis as opposed to Gotham?

[Green Lantern wannabe]

Superman I (with Christopher Reeve) was made way back in the 1970's ... before personal computers ... and it was shot in New York City, so I've always thought Metropolis was New York City. But Gotham, with its crime and corruption, could just as easily be in NYC too.

I now think that, if Metropolis was the home to the greatest superhero of all, then it must be New York city, and so Gotham must be definition be "second city". And second city, is, of course, Chicago - which is where Batman Begins was shot.

[Retro315]

It's been wishy-washy over the years.

Like, at one point in time Metropolis and Gotham were across the bay from one another. But really, if that was the case, Superman could pretty much do the work for both cities, couldn't he?

From what several different mediums have imprinted in my mind ... Gotham is situated something like midway between New York City and Philly ... something like a glorified Atlantic City, which sprawls beyond just a seaside town, out onto some fictional islands. But the Chicago and Detroit parallels are there, sure ... Gordon being transferred from Chicago, for instance. I'm sure police officers have transferred from all sorts of places to other places, near and far ... but being near Chicago does lend credibility ... and so imagining Gotham as Great Lakes based rather than East Coast can work ... there are probably more patches along the Great Lakes that could support a transplanted fake city. Still, situating it somewhere mid-Jersey is not a bad way to go.

Metropolis on the other hand almost has to be East Coast. And while it's analogous to New York City, NYC is so all-purpose and useful, and "usable", and is home to a handful of DC books ...

I tend to think Metropolis might be in Maryland or Virginia, on the Chesapeake. Something about being "near to the Capitol" works for me, and the people of Metropolis while very classy, upscale, cosmopolitan, strike me as a little less stubborn and territorial than a traditional "East Coast City" would. Take no offense East Coasters ... I am a New Yorker, and enjoy being stubborn and territorial.

Anyway, Maryland seems to fit because it kind of borders the northeast and the southeast, neighbors both the Capitol and the former Confederate Capitol, and so forth ... just seems in my mind to fit the bill for the Man of Steel's personality.

Really, while their "real life locations" are best left to the imagination of the reader ... it's hard to deny Gotham feels like an old-school Northeast city (to me it feels a lot like a taller, more dense Utica, actually ... well-known prohibition era mob town, home of a famous insane asylum, town has seen better days ... but that's just hometown love), and Metropolis feels not necessarily "Northeast" but definitely "East Coast".

It seems like the other major DC cities have more clear-cut "these would be HERE" locations corresponding to the real world, but Gotham and Metropolis are harder to pin down.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

I don't see Metropolis as being anything other than New York. Why? Because Metropolis is the most important city on Earth, harboring the most important superhero in ANY planet in ANY universe.

[dreyga2000]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/7/72/180px-Gothamlicencesmall.jpg

I always thought Gotham was in New Jersey....
It rolls of the tounge Gotham City, New Jersey... Right there on the Coast close enough to New York for Dick to makes trips over to Gotham and back over the years....

[K-DoG7p7]

Gotham in in southern New Jersey
Metropolis is in Delaware

[K-DoG7p7]

Gotham in in southern New Jersey (Bludhaven is ca located around Atlantic City)
Metropolis is in Delaware

double post and stuff!

[carabas]

Like, at one point in time Metropolis and Gotham were across the bay from one another. But really, if that was the case, Superman could pretty much do the work for both cities, couldn't he?He still could do that easily if the cities were on different continents.

[Xistel]

Metropolis is NYC

Gotham is Chicago

[K-DoG7p7]

Metropolis is NYC

Gotham is Chicago

yes.. because NYC does not exsist in the DCU and Chicago is on the east coast

[Paul Newell]

This is from the Atlas that was released in the 90's:

http://www.sparehed.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/newengland.jpg
http://www.sparehed.com/2008/01/26/oooh-yet-another-earth/

And, of course, we have this site:

http://www.karridian.net/dcatlas.html

[Libaax]

I don't see Metropolis as being anything other than New York. Why? Because Metropolis is the most important city on Earth, harboring the most important superhero in ANY planet in ANY universe.

If its so important why its so unfamous compared to Gotham City :P


Gotham City is prolly DC's NYC. Lets face it the crime side and the police are very NYC.

Metropolis is way too tame and safe to be an analog to the real New York City.

[K-DoG7p7]

If its so important why its so unfamous compared to Gotham City :P


Gotham City is prolly DC's NYC. Lets face it the crime side and the police are very NYC.

Metropolis is way too tame and safe to be an analog to the real New York City.

New york is not a dangerous city (well there was the 80's .. but lets not go there)

its one of the largest and post populated cities in the world and its crime level reflects that.. but percentage wise.. its no more dangerous then any other US city..

[VincentD]

I knew Gotham was in NJ, roughly analogous to Camden, but Metropolis being in Delaware surprised me. I always thought it was in the mid-west somewhere. It just doesn't "feel" like an east coast city to me.

[K-DoG7p7]

I knew Gotham was in NJ, roughly analogous to Camden, but Metropolis being in Delaware surprised me. I always thought it was in the mid-west somewhere. It just doesn't "feel" like an east coast city to me.

I believe originally was supposed to be Cleveland.. but it was move to be an analog of New york in the 50's
Also in the 40's cartoon Superman lived in new york

[Libaax]

New york is not a dangerous city (well there was the 80's .. but lets not go there)

its one of the largest and post populated cities in the world and its crime level reflects that.. but percentage wise.. its no more dangerous then any other US city..

Of course i was talking about the mainstream picture of NYC. Mob,corupt police etc

Thats what they are going for in Gotham. If they do a remake of NYC,Chicago they will make it like the movies and not the real world.

Still even in real world, its hugeness means more crime. Precent wise doesnt mean much when its almost as big as country.

[DonC]

Metropolis was based on Cleveland, which, during the 1930s, was the fifth largest city in the United States. (Man, have things changed.) Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived there, too. That helps.

Gotham City, I think, was always based on the nastier parts of New York City. That's where Bob Kane and Bill Finger lived and Gotham is a nickname for New York City.

[Batgirl]

According to this site (http://www.karridian.net/dcusa_ne.html), Gotham City is in good old New Jersey(Home to my crush...I love New Jersey.), and Metropolis is located in Delaware. I find that(Metropolis in Delaware)a little odd for some reason...

[celticguy]

Metropolis is basically Manhattan and Gotham is The Bronx but since they incorporated the real world I believe Gotham is usually in NJ.

I had not heard about Delaware but that sounds reasonable.

[Michael P]

Metropolis is basically Manhattan and Gotham is The Bronx but since they incorporated the real world I believe Gotham is usually in NJ.


Denny O'Neill once said Metropolis is Manhattan above 14th Street, and Gotham is Manhattan below 14th Street.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

I can't see why Gotham would be in NJ. Isn't it supposed to be the second most important city, after Metropolis? And, if so, wouldn't that by definition make it Chicago?

I have to say that, in the DCU, Metropolis MUST be the most important city in America, or Clark Kent would never have gone there.

[Retro315]

I gotta say, that what real-world places they are based on, and where they were located, can and must be separate things.

Gotham's design elements and population clearly take influence from seedier parts of NYC and Chicago ... Metropolis clean lines clearly take influence from nice clean downtown parts of NYC, and yes, quite likely Cleveland - also, possibly there was a pretty clearcut view of a "future metropolis" in the early 20th century, as seen in ... well, the movie "Metropolis" for one. Each city is also based a whole lot on writer's imaginations, as you'll almost never find such a gothic, gargoyle-filled, film noir city as Gotham in the real world. Nor would you ever find such a clean, pristine, avant garde styled, shining beacon of a city like Metropolis.

But based on some iconic elements or not ... in the DCU there's a New York City, a Chicago, and so forth ... so having these two iconic cities (and some of the other DC cities) be either overlapping them, really close to them, or being "different names" or "representations" of them doesn't work. First off, it completely would wreck using those real life cities as settings ... and it also would (to a lesser degree) take away from the originality and imagination in creating settings in the DC imaginary cities.

Better to transfix them over areas that have space for them, where there's only say ... a tiny town.

Now granted ... for the films, this isn't a problem. Metropolis in the films is Hyper-New York City, and Gotham ... in the Schumaker/Burton films was in Jersey. In Nolan's Batman films it's left pretty vague. There's a Gotham Harbor, but whether it's ocean or lake, is unknown. It's likely that Nolan's films have Gotham as Hyper-Chicago, especially given the massive filming in Chicago.

The movies don't have to deal with issues like Batman's old sidekick now picking New York City as his new territory, or Bludhaven being near to Gotham and modeled after Atlantic City, or every other thousand stories taking place in a real life city that's "in-continuity". Better to put a giant city on top of a small town that would be very unlikely to be used as a setting in comics.

I think I can agree with that map putting Metropolis in Delaware, for instance. I would've thought Maryland, but Delaware and Maryland are right on top of each other. It's a lot more sensible to have Metropolis replace real-world Ocean Beach, Delaware, than a place as huge and full of potential stories as NYC.

[[]D[]/\/\[]D @ Nite/So-tite]

I thought Gotham was New York, especially due to the statue and coast line, among other things.

DCAU Metropolis definitely has to be Detroit.

[Batgirl]

I can't see why Gotham would be in NJ. Isn't it supposed to be the second most important city, after Metropolis? And, if so, wouldn't that by definition make it Chicago?

I have to say that, in the DCU, Metropolis MUST be the most important city in America, or Clark Kent would never have gone there.

I don't see how Gotham could be the equivalent of Chicage. I've always thought that they made it seem as though Gotham was fairly close to New York. Chicago is hardly close to New York.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

Good point about Metropolis being clean and Gotham being gungy. But I was thinking of Metropolis as envisioned by the movie, Superman I.

And there can be no idea of Metropolis or Gotham being near Chicago or New York, because Chicago and New York doesn't exist in the DCU.

[yoda510]

I always thought with the Crime Gotham was more Like Washington DC. And if you watch Smallville everyone knows Metropolis is Kansas City.

[Batgirl]

Good point about Metropolis being clean and Gotham being gungy. But I was thinking of Metropolis as envisioned by the movie, Superman I.

And there can be no idea of Metropolis or Gotham being near Chicago or New York, because Chicago and New York doesn't exist in the DCU.

I know, I wasn't talking about New York City; I was talking about the state of New York.

Also, I really don't like to use ANY of the DC movies as references to the DC comic books.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

I know, I wasn't talking about New York City; I was talking about the state of New York.

Also, I really don't like to use ANY of the DC movies as references to the DC comic books.

Good point - I wonder which is canon, the movies, or the comics? I'd have to say comics, in which case I concede to you. But then the question becomes, where is Metropolis, and where is Gotham?

[Inverted]

While I think its kinda lame that people here are saying that NYC is full of crime, it really is understandable due to the stigma surrounding it. But anyway...

I've also read that Gotham City was in NJ, and that Metropolis was in Delaware. Where some people get some of their other ideas is beyond me but then again it's something subjective. The map on top makes alot of sense anyway, and I think since the 90's the locations of the cities have been fairly consistent. Although I personally thought that Metropolis was in Illinois - being in Delaware is not at all surprising.

I personally like the current interpretation of the cities. Not only that but the DCU has referenced actual cities before so given fictional cities locations makes the DCU at least a little more realistic. But being a New Yorker I image Gotham to be similar to downtown, not like the Bronx as someone else said which makes no sense at all. As another post above said Gotham was said to be Manhattan below 14st which would make the 1989 Batman movie's interpretation of the city very accurate.

[DonC]

And there can be no idea of Metropolis or Gotham being near Chicago or New York, because Chicago and New York doesn't exist in the DCU.



Sure they do. Countless comics have been set in New York and John Ostrander's Hawkman series was set in Chicago.

[Inverted]

Good point about Metropolis being clean and Gotham being gungy. But I was thinking of Metropolis as envisioned by the movie, Superman I.

And there can be no idea of Metropolis or Gotham being near Chicago or New York, because Chicago and New York doesn't exist in the DCU.

Yeah they do.

[Batgirl]

Good point - I wonder which is canon, the movies, or the comics? I'd have to say comics, in which case I concede to you. But then the question becomes, where is Metropolis, and where is Gotham?

Too bad DC doesn't have some sort of map or something on their site, or in one of the encyclopedias they've publsihed. If they do(I've never read either of the encyclopedias), then someone needs to say something! :tongue:

[Retro315]

I threw this together to help people get an idea. It's just where I've placed the various DC City locations over the years, by all means, if you have a different opinion, don't feel like I'm forcing my thought processes on you ... but if you care to take a look at this continental US map and it helps you, that's cool too.

My thoughts on the DC Cities ...

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Zandar315/?action=view&current=DCU.jpg

[Green Lantern wannabe]

Too bad DC doesn't have some sort of map or something on their site, or in one of the encyclopedias they've publsihed. If they do(I've never read either of the encyclopedias), then someone needs to say something! :tongue:

I've gone through some of the encyclopaedias, way back when, and I don't think there were any maps.

[K-DoG7p7]

http://www.sparehed.com/2008/01/26/oooh-yet-another-earth/
its on the first page

[HaroldAllnut]

This (http://www.karridian.net/dcatlas.html) might help things a little. I always found it to be quite informative.

[celticguy]

I can't see why Gotham would be in NJ. Isn't it supposed to be the second most important city, after Metropolis? And, if so, wouldn't that by definition make it Chicago?

I have to say that, in the DCU, Metropolis MUST be the most important city in America, or Clark Kent would never have gone there.

LA might argue over what is the 2nd most important american City. I think Central City was the Chicago equal until they started to reference the real world.

Metropolis and Gotham = parts of New york
Central City = Chicago
Star City = St louis
Coast City = San Fran or LA depending on how it is written.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

LA might argue over what is the 2nd most important american City. I think Central City was the Chicago equal until they started to reference the real world.

Metropolis and Gotham = parts of New york
Central City = Chicago
Star City = St louis
Coast City = San Fran or LA depending on how it is written.

OK, Central City can be Chicago, which is in the center of the US; Coast City, as you rightly pointed out, can be San Fran or LA, since both are on the coast. But I think Star City would be Houston, home of NASA.

And Metropolis and Gotham would still be different cities, as opposed to say, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

[K-DoG7p7]

Actually Star City was Chicago for a long time until they moved it to the west coast..
but they still used the chicago city maps for Star City.. they just mirrored it :P

[celticguy]

Actually Star City was Chicago for a long time until they moved it to the west coast..
but they still used the chicago city maps for Star City.. they just mirrored it :P


I always saw Star City as St louis given it two sides. St louis and East St Louis are 2 very different places in the same city. I did not realize it was on the coast now. I would never consider it Houston.

I guess nowadays Central city and Keystone city would be the DC twin cities.

Gotham and and Metropolis are two different cities but Manhattan is often spoken about as seperate from the rest of the city. In face someone in Queens might saw I am going into the City even though they are in NYC already.

the Denny O'Neil quote from before sounds right in as much as how the two cities are drawn.

They are definetely two east coast cities no matter where on the coast you see them being.

[Mat001]

The DC Earth is larger than Earth as we know it and in certain fictional Earths in the Multiverse. During the first Crisis, when Superman (Earth-1) went to Earth-Prime, he said that Earth-1 was much larger than Earth-Prime. This allowed for certain cities and subsequently countries, to exist where there would be no room for them. This was brought up again in "JLA/Avengers" by Kurt Buisek. Despite what guide books say, Metropolis and Gotham and Bludhaven are all located in New York state. Which on New Earth is much larger than our Earth. All three cities are based on New York City, specifically Manhatten at different times of the day, in different areas and even different months. Metropolis is Central Park on a warm June day. Gotham is lower Manhatten on a cold November night, at 3:00 in the morning.

And yes, actual cities in our world exist within the DCU Earth. Jim Gordon is from Chicago. Nightwing lives in NYC. So they exist. They weren't mentioned much in the Golden and Silver Age, but as more time passed, they were.

[Batgirl]

OK, Central City can be Chicago, which is in the center of the US; Coast City, as you rightly pointed out, can be San Fran or LA, since both are on the coast. But I think Star City would be Houston, home of NASA.

And Metropolis and Gotham would still be different cities, as opposed to say, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

No, not really. The Teen Titans operate out of San Francisco, so it's a part of the DCU. And I believe LA has been mentioned before.

I agree with you on Gotham and Metropolis, though. I seriously doubt they would be very close to each other. Otherwise, like someone else here mentioned, Clark could probably just cover both of them.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

I can't see that one Earth would be physically bigger than another - gravity would be different, then, and that's not likely to be so. I think that Superman was speaking metaphorically, as in there are more cities and more people.

[celticguy]

No, not really. The Teen Titans operate out of San Francisco, so it's a part of the DCU. And I believe LA has been mentioned before.

I agree with you on Gotham and Metropolis, though. I seriously doubt they would be very close to each other. Otherwise, like someone else here mentioned, Clark could probably just cover both of them.


I was not saying they replaced the city but they were modeled on them. In the Golden age real location were rarely if ever used so Gotham etc stood in for real cities.

Now they are squeezed in with the real cities.

[celticguy]

The DC Earth is larger than Earth as we know it and in certain fictional Earths in the Multiverse. During the first Crisis, when Superman (Earth-1) went to Earth-Prime, he said that Earth-1 was much larger than Earth-Prime. This allowed for certain cities and subsequently countries, to exist where there would be no room for them. This was brought up again in "JLA/Avengers" by Kurt Buisek. Despite what guide books say, Metropolis and Gotham and Bludhaven are all located in New York state. Which on New Earth is much larger than our Earth. All three cities are based on New York City, specifically Manhatten at different times of the day, in different areas and even different months. Metropolis is Central Park on a warm June day. Gotham is lower Manhatten on a cold November night, at 3:00 in the morning.

And yes, actual cities in our world exist within the DCU Earth. Jim Gordon is from Chicago. Nightwing lives in NYC. So they exist. They weren't mentioned much in the Golden and Silver Age, but as more time passed, they were.

Gotham has been mentioned to be in Jersey repeatedly over the years. I know it is based on parts of NYC but currently it usually placed in Jersey.

[Vidocq]

Good point about Metropolis being clean and Gotham being gungy. But I was thinking of Metropolis as envisioned by the movie, Superman I.

And there can be no idea of Metropolis or Gotham being near Chicago or New York, because Chicago and New York doesn't exist in the DCU.

They do Exist in the DCU. Gordon comes from Chicago and his ex wife and son live there and Nightwing operates in NYC after Bludhaven was destroyed.

I can't see that one Earth would be physically bigger than another - gravity would be different, then, and that's not likely to be so.

You'll be surprised how little thought they put into this kind of stuff. Remember how certain 17 year old was bitten by an radioactive spider and got Superpowers instead of... Cancer? Or how certain Kryptonian can talk, breathe and hear in vacuum?

[GHalecki]

I always pictured Metropolis and Gotham to be close, but not right next to each other.
I have two options on where I think them to be.

Gotham is somewhere like Jersey City or Newark with Metropolis being a big city that takes up a chunk of Westchester County NY, just up the Hudson River from NYC.

or

Gotham is somewhere like Camden NJ (just accross the Delaware River from Philly) with Metropolis somewhere on the lower Deleware River in Pensylvania or Delaware, or even as far south as near Baltimore.

In either case, you could make it from Bloodhaven (Atlantic CIty) to Gotham in a littlf over an hour if you had to (driving Nightwing's souped up bike).

I always thought of Ivytown being Princeton, but there are many northeastern college towns that would work just fine for it.

Keystone/Central City I would place at St Louis or Kansas City, and thought that Chicago was more like Hub City then Central.

Star City should be somewhere on the coast of Washington or Oregon. Like Seatle or Portland.

Coast City could be another city right there wishing they were LA, like Anaheim.

[theNighteye]

Both Chicago and NYC are dangerous cities so they could both be either metropolis or gotham. but due to the architecture in chicago, it being more modern, i would say it looks more like metropolis. NYC on the other hand is darker and not as bright as chicago. but gotham would include new jersey too. I think Wayne manor would be located somewhere in Jersey close to the city but not directly in the city.

[theNighteye]

http://www.marchofdimes.com/images/EmpireState.JPGhttp://images.elfwood.com/art/a/v/aviv/gotham_mural.jpg.rZd.84883.jpg

[theNighteye]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Metrosmallville.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Downtown_Chicago_Illinois_Nov05_img_2459.jpg/800px-Downtown_Chicago_Illinois_Nov05_img_2459.jpg

[Green Lantern wannabe]

Wonderful pics! Thanks for the treat, bud. :smile:

[Mat001]

You'll be surprised how little thought they put into this kind of stuff. Remember how certain 17 year old was bitten by an radioactive spider and got Superpowers instead of... Cancer? Or how certain Kryptonian can talk, breathe and hear in vacuum?

Exactly. It's science fiction, not real life. And no, Superman wasn't speaking metaphorically in DC Comics Presents #87.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/thumb/6/64/DC_Comics_Presents_-87.jpg/300px-DC_Comics_Presents_-87.jpg

Below Superman is Earth-1 and below Superboy-Prime is Earth-Prime.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

Hmm, I'm wondering if Earth Prime - our Earth - looks smaller because it's further away from the viewer.

[IvCNuB4]

Both Chicago and NYC are dangerous cities so they could both be either metropolis or gotham. .

Chicago dangerous ? Really ? I feel safer here at night than I do in the suburbs. Try spending a few nights in Detroit sometime ....

[celticguy]

I always pictured Metropolis and Gotham to be close, but not right next to each other.
I have two options on where I think them to be.

Gotham is somewhere like Jersey City or Newark with Metropolis being a big city that takes up a chunk of Westchester County NY, just up the Hudson River from NYC.

or

Gotham is somewhere like Camden NJ (just accross the Delaware River from Philly) with Metropolis somewhere on the lower Deleware River in Pensylvania or Delaware, or even as far south as near Baltimore.

In either case, you could make it from Bloodhaven (Atlantic CIty) to Gotham in a littlf over an hour if you had to (driving Nightwing's souped up bike).

I always thought of Ivytown being Princeton, but there are many northeastern college towns that would work just fine for it.

Keystone/Central City I would place at St Louis or Kansas City, and thought that Chicago was more like Hub City then Central.

Star City should be somewhere on the coast of Washington or Oregon. Like Seatle or Portland.

Coast City could be another city right there wishing they were LA, like Anaheim.


Hub city came with the Charton characters, it was the home of the Question and it is not as old in the DC verse as the others, so it could be considered Chicago similar to Central City.

Although the Hub is a nickname for Boston so maybe it is there I never really thought about it.

Central nad Keystone are twin cities now so they could be like Minn and St Paul in the real world.

I am still shocked to learn Star City has moved to the west coast. That means Birds of Prey have gone cross country.


and any city has it's dangerous spots.

[K-DoG7p7]

Star City has been on the west coast since atleast the 80's

and yes.. BOP has gone cross country, it was big then they moved from gotham to metropolis but a whimper when they changed coasts :P


Its located inbetween San Fran and Coast City

[celticguy]

Star City has been on the west coast since atleast the 80's

and yes.. BOP has gone cross country, it was big then they moved from gotham to metropolis but a whimper when they changed coasts :P



Its located inbetween San Fran and Coast City

It does make sense given the GL/GA team ups through the years. It makes the GA move to Seattle from years back kind of less dramatic.

[K-DoG7p7]

the move was noit dramatic... but what happened there was :P

[vitruvian]

Superman I (with Christopher Reeve) was made way back in the 1970's ... before personal computers ... and it was shot in New York City, so I've always thought Metropolis was New York City. But Gotham, with its crime and corruption, could just as easily be in NYC too.

I now think that, if Metropolis was the home to the greatest superhero of all, then it must be New York city, and so Gotham must be definition be "second city". And second city, is, of course, Chicago - which is where Batman Begins was shot.

Actually, most of it was shot in Toronto, if I'm not mistaken, although the Statue of Liberty cameo certainly suggests NYC.

[celticguy]

the move was noit dramatic... but what happened there was :P

well dramatic in I think he was the first solo hero to go to a real city in the DC verse. When he went to Seattle he was restarting his career no more trick arrows. If the move was just a few miles up the coast then not a big a move as moving halfway accross the country.

[Mat001]

Actually, most of it was shot in Toronto, if I'm not mistaken, although the Statue of Liberty cameo certainly suggests NYC.

The first and second Superman films were shot on location in New York for the sequences that required all the usual landmarks. Alberta, Canada was used for certain location sequences for both films when Donner was shooting it or about to shoot. It served as Smallville, Kansas. A few exterior locations aside from that were probably used, but not a whole lot I don't think. The rest was shot in Pinewood studios in London. For the third film, the exteriors were shot in Toronto and in studios and other locations such as Italy. In the two Batman films by Nolan, portions of Chicago were used with London with CGI enhancing the rest. Chicago was used, in part, because of the elevated trains which were seen in "Year One".

[Alex Smith]

So which city is Detroit? haha. Nothing in the DC universe quite that dark? :tongue:

[Xybernauts]

So which city is Detroit? haha. Nothing in the DC universe quite that dark? :tongue:
Maybe Midway City, Mi. - original home of the Doom Patrol http://www.karridian.net/dcusa_gl.html

In terms of canon Metropolis and Gotham have no fixed location. Instead the locale's are variable. It's almost like the cities move around from place to place. Maybe there is some superpowered being who is teleporting the cities from place to place without people's knowledge. So many of the suggestions as to where the cities are located are opinions.

In my opinion, Metropolis probably is located near the boarder between Canada and the US. i say this because of the large waterfalls that surround Metropolis. It could be located in upstate New York. I should note though that the Daily Planet was modeled after the New York Daily Post so does that mean Metropolis is New York? I think Gotham on the other hand is either New Jersey or New York city. I think this mainly because of how dirty the city is and i believe New jersey used to have a real bad pollution problem. Who knows, maybe they still do.

[Crisis]

I would say take for granted the dc universe map as cannon until something in the books itself says different after all we know they do get their inspiration from real cities but aren't real so let's take that approach...and besides...Metropolis will take up all of the east coast up by the time the 31st century comes around. So lol all if it's metropolis eventually.:biggrin:

[Kuma]

And, of course, we have this site:

http://www.karridian.net/dcatlas.html

According to this, I live in Empire City

[Herr Mike]

Seems lazy to just plop it wherever. They should have substituted it in for Chicago, with Gotham as New York.

Freaking Delaware?

[Mat001]

Metropolis, Gotham and Bludhaven have been portrayed as being on the east coast for many long years and there are no plans to change that now.

So which city is Detroit? haha. Nothing in the DC universe quite that dark?

I think I recall Geoff Johns saying that part of Keystone City is based off of Detroit. But, Detroit exists within the DCU as evidenced by the Detroit era JLA.

[STC]

I remember hearing O'Neil saying something about Metropolis is NY above 14th, and Gotham is below 14th.

I also read or heard somewhere that Metropolis is NY in the day time, and Gotham is NY at night.

[Verdammt]

I also read or heard somewhere that Metropolis is NY in the day time, and Gotham is NY at night.

So Superman and Batman patrol in shifts?

[Green Lantern wannabe]

So Superman and Batman patrol in shifts?

Definitely not. These are two different cities. I can see Metropolis being Manhattan and Gotham being the Bronx, but Superman and Batman never lived near each other.

[celticguy]

metroplolis and gotham are modeled on NYC it does not mean they are in the location NYC is in.

[Verdammt]

Definitely not. These are two different cities. I can see Metropolis being Manhattan and Gotham being the Bronx, but Superman and Batman never lived near each other.

I was actually being sarcastic. I know, it's hard to portray sarcasm in the written word.

[Inverted]

Definitely not. These are two different cities. I can see Metropolis being Manhattan and Gotham being the Bronx, but Superman and Batman never lived near each other.

Gotham is the Bronx? Your not from NY are you?