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  1. #1
    Legendary Member daBronzeBomma's Avatar
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    Default Why don't Gotham and Metropolis ever have memorable mayors?

    They're the two most famous fictional cities out there. Yet the people officially in charge of running them are mere afterthoughts, if that.

    Why aren't the mayors of Gotham and Metropolis even remotely significant in the 80+ year histories of the Barbers and Superverse, respectively?

    Why is so much more ink always given to a city's police commissioner and a city's newspaper editor than to the individual who should be legally running the whole place?

    I have to struggle to remember even one mayor for either city without looking it up. I wanna say ... Kroll in 1993's KNIGHTFALL and Berkowitz in 1986's MAN OF STEEL. That's it.

    So, if the mayor of either city were to ever gain more importance at this point or in the future, I think I needs to be a misused existing Batverse and Superverse character who get permanent status quo as mayor.

    But who?
    Last edited by daBronzeBomma; 08-21-2019 at 06:10 PM.

  2. #2
    Extraordinary Member Güicho's Avatar
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    Who can forget that the Mayor of Gotham was secretly Batmanuel!

    FYI- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...of_Gotham_City
    Last edited by Güicho; 08-19-2019 at 05:54 PM.

  3. #3

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    Was Cobblepot ever mayor in the comics? In other media he often either becomes mayor or tries to become mayor.

  4. #4
    Astonishing Member Tzigone's Avatar
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    Why aren't the mayors of Gotham and Metropolis even remotely significant in the 80+ year histories of the Barbers and Superverse, respectively?
    Because they aren't the people the main characters interact with. It really is that simple, I think.

  5. #5
    Invincible Member Vordan's Avatar
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    Batman rarely ever interacts with the Mayor and Superman even less so. I’m surprised writers don’t try to establish a mayor character though, seems the easiest way of leaving a mark on the mythos.

  6. #6
    Extraordinary Member Restingvoice's Avatar
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    Both the Commissioners and Newspaper Editor are the first source of information about crimes and cases in those cities that the heroes have to solve starting way back before Superman had super hearing and Batman started tapping police radio.

    So the mayors aren't as important in comparison. They just tend to be high profile villains target.

    From Late Post Crisis to New 52 Gotham's mayor is Hady who became a target to The Court of Owls but usually, he's just in the background

    The most important one I remember is Penguin's ancestor in the 1880s... oh and... Penguin himself in Batman Returns.
    Last edited by Restingvoice; 08-19-2019 at 06:44 AM.

  7. #7
    Boisterously Confused
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    Gotham had a memorable mayor in Hamilton Hill. He was a corrupt scumbag, who pushed Gordon into a heart attack, and was turning the GPD into his own, private SA Brownshirts until his lackey Bullock turned on him.

    Still, he was memorable enough for his name to get coopted as a recurring character in BATS.

  8. #8
    Astonishing Member jetengine's Avatar
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    Because in Gotham their always corrupt and in Metropolis Supermans usually dealing with situations bigger then the mayors office.

  9. #9
    Mighty Member Kai "the spy"'s Avatar
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    Besides Krol, I also remember Gotham mayors Hill and Marion Grange, as well as Borg from the 1989 movie. Batman's got Gordon, but Superman doesn't even interact with Commissionors that much. Henderson was Inspector, Turpin was... Lieutenant, I think, and Sawyer was Captain.

  10. #10
    Boisterously Confused
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    When I think on it, early-mid-1980s Batman was set in a pretty civics-rich Gotham. Arthur Reeves, Grange, Bullock, Hill, plus Vicki Vales magazine. Miller's "Year One" didn't provide anything innovative in its corrupt environment, the dirty officials were just more vivid.

  11. #11
    Ultimate Member Lee Stone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vordan View Post
    Batman rarely ever interacts with the Mayor and Superman even less so. I’m surprised writers don’t try to establish a mayor character though, seems the easiest way of leaving a mark on the mythos.
    They would have to give them powers and costumes before they could even be acknowledged in the comics.
    It's like an unspoken rule or something that normal folks should only be innocent bystanders. Or victims.
    "There's magic in the sound of analog audio." - CNET.

  12. #12
    Boisterously Confused
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Stone View Post
    They would have to give them powers and costumes before they could even be acknowledged in the comics.
    It's like an unspoken rule or something that normal folks should only be innocent bystanders. Or victims.
    You are correct. It wasn't always that way. More's the pity.

  13. #13
    DC/Collected Editions Mod The Darknight Detective's Avatar
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    First mayor I can recall DC-wise was Mayor Linseed on Batman:

    A bat! That's it! It's an omen.. I'll shall become a bat!

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  14. #14
    Incredible Member cgh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrNewGod View Post
    Gotham had a memorable mayor in Hamilton Hill. He was a corrupt scumbag, who pushed Gordon into a heart attack, and was turning the GPD into his own, private SA Brownshirts until his lackey Bullock turned on him.

    Still, he was memorable enough for his name to get coopted as a recurring character in BATS.
    Yes, a good character. And let’s not forget his political opponent Arthur Reeves, whose campaign fell apart after it was discovered that his Batman identity photos were fake. All with great Don Newton art. That whole Conway run is underrated.

    Edit: I see you mentioned Reeves in a later post. Feeling redundant over here.

  15. #15
    Moderator Frontier's Avatar
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    Writers aren't really as focused on the municipal side of comics anymore.
    Quote Originally Posted by OpaqueGiraffe17 View Post
    Was Cobblepot ever mayor in the comics? In other media he often either becomes mayor or tries to become mayor.
    I remember a Catwoman one-shot that had Penguin running, but I don't thin he actually won.

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