Fictional cities vs real cities in the DCU.

[mathew101281]

I’ve always thought that Marvel’s characters reflected their city (New York) while In DC the cities reflect the heroes. Superman is the man of tomorrow so he lives in a futuristic city. Batman is the Dark Knight so he lives in a brooding gothic city.

[Güicho]

I always assumed Gotham and Metropolis were both aspects of NY city anyway.
Not so much one being night the other day as I've seen some describe; more like one being the more sleek, modern, bright, hopeful always forward looking, never finished, continually growing towards the future side of NY.
The other more grim, dark, weathered, filled with the spirit of the long gone past of NY.
The City always struck me as containing aspects of both in one. Just depends where you turned to focus. They are always both there.
So I felt that's exactly what the comics was doing. Just pointing their "lens" at one aspect of NY they called Metropolis, the other they called Gotham.

Also I remember looking for the "new" Titan's Tower in the East River, ... and pretending it must be cloaked.

And DC's own Suicide Slum was Lower East Side (where apparently Kirby grew up), and my neighborhood.

Although Marvel U was always a blast for all the landmarks and neighborhoods they would more blatantly directly reference.
I remember trying to pinpoint with my buddy, which the Baxter Building was, Sanctum Sanctorum we were convinced was off a church in the village, obviously Hell's Kitchen, and the thought of Spidey commuting from Queens (and a Met's fan) etc.
There was also an Xavier School in Chelsea we'd joke about the kids coming out of there and what mutant powers they must have.:



As Son's of the Tiger marks, we also placed Lin Sun in China town, Abe Brown in Harlem, Bob Diamond had to be upper West side, and finally when they introduced Héctor Ayala, we thought East Harlem aka Spanish Harlem(El Barrio)/ or Bronx finally represented!

[Agent Z]

With the exception of Gotham and Metropolis* none of DC's fictional American cities have much of an identity to them.

* And even this depends on the writer.

[Flash Gordon]

Atlantis and Opal City or bust.

[Robanker]

DC generally treats their cities as members of the supporting cast that reflect the main hero's thematic in some way, so you're not wrong.

Marvel's cities do indeed influence their heroes in the reverse manner... though how Marvel's New York can still have crime when 95% of their heroes operate there is pretty goddamn crazy.

With the exception of Gotham and Metropolis* none of DC's fictional American cities have much of an identity to them.

* And even this depends on the writer.

Not to the same degree, no, but it's disingenuous to say Atlantis, Opal City, Themyscira and Amnesty Bay haven't had development over time. Each of them has a clear, defined identity.

I wanted to put Bludhaven there because it has some identity to it, but DC keeps changing it so at this point it's multiple choice.

[Frontier]

Not to the same degree, no, but it's disingenuous to say Atlantis, Opal City, Themyscira and Amnesty Bay haven't had development over time. Each of them has a clear, defined identity.

I wanted to put Bludhaven there because it has some identity to it, but DC keeps changing it so at this point it's multiple choice.

Yeah, and Johns did a good job developing Coast City and Keystone.

I think the Arrowverse shows have also done a good job of making each major city feel unique (even if it riffs off other DC cities).

[babyblob]

I really hate the idea of Metropolis, Gotham City and New York City pretty much being so close together in the DCU. Just like 50 million people living in such a close area of each other. Man it just irks me.

[Robanker]

Yeah, and Johns did a good job developing Coast City and Keystone.

I think the Arrowverse shows have also done a good job of making each major city feel unique (even if it riffs off other DC cities).

How could I forget! Damn, it must be time to reread his Flash run (and Waid's while I'm at it).

[Restingvoice]

I really hate the idea of Metropolis, Gotham City and New York City pretty much being so close together in the DCU. Just like 50 million people living in such a close area of each other. Man it just irks me.

They're not close geographically. Bruce still needs to use a plane to go to Metropolis. They're just both based on New York City.

[Gaius]

I really hate the idea of Metropolis, Gotham City and New York City pretty much being so close together in the DCU. Just like 50 million people living in such a close area of each other. Man it just irks me.

Maybe it's because of the Nolan films but I take Gotham as a more a stand-in for Chicago than NYC these days.

[LifeIsILL]

I really hate the idea of Metropolis, Gotham City and New York City pretty much being so close together in the DCU. Just like 50 million people living in such a close area of each other. Man it just irks me.

Metropolis is closer to Smallville back in the pre-Crisis days, which actually makes more sense that Superman would be there.

[Agent Z]

DC generally treats their cities as members of the supporting cast that reflect the main hero's thematic in some way, so you're not wrong.

Marvel's cities do indeed influence their heroes in the reverse manner... though how Marvel's New York can still have crime when 95% of their heroes operate there is pretty goddamn crazy.



Not to the same degree, no, but it's disingenuous to say Atlantis, Opal City, Themyscira and Amnesty Bay haven't had development over time. Each of them has a clear, defined identity.

I wanted to put Bludhaven there because it has some identity to it, but DC keeps changing it so at this point it's multiple choice.

Which is why I specified American cities. I'm not sure what identities Opal City and Amnesty Bay are supposed to have.

[Superfly Frankenstein]

I always hung on the idea that Metropolis was in Delaware and Gotham in Jersey, almost as if they are triopolises with NYC. I get the feeling that they are still a few hours drive from each other.

[Güicho]

They're not close geographically. Bruce still needs to use a plane to go to Metropolis. .

Really depends where and when you look.

...or maybe the DCEU didn't introduce the idea. Looks like the idea dates back to the Bronze Age:

.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I always hung on the idea that Metropolis was in Delaware and Gotham in Jersey, almost as if they are triopolises with NYC. I get the feeling that they are still a few hours drive from each other.

DC at one point was promoting that interpretation ^ - .https://community.cbr.com/showthread...84#post5081884
Not sure it stuck
---

LOL kismet - CBR trots out a piece almost precisely about that - https://www.cbr.com/spider-man-subur...-peter-parker/

..... and the thought of Spidey commuting from Queens (and a Met's fan) etc.
:
: )

[A Small Talent For War]

They're not close geographically. Bruce still needs to use a plane to go to Metropolis. They're just both based on New York City.

Yeah, about the same as Detroit, Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland (where Superman was created). I'd see Gotham about as far from Metropolis as Pittsburgh from New York while Central City is more like Columbus or Cincinnati in terms of distance from the others. Coast City is the only notable Western DC city that I can think of at the moment. Obviously, based on Los Angeles, though it still looks like any Eastern City in the comics. Of course, its location was a necessity as California was the home of the aviation industry for military and civilian and Hal was a test pilot. Martian Manhunter's Middletown seems more generic with no innate personality. Somewhere like St. Louis or Tulsa, maybe. In reality, though, Tulsa is an interesting city.

Can't think of any fictional Southern DC cities that would be stand-ins for places like Atlanta or Nashville, though. Obviously, New Orleans and various parts of Louisiana are actual places in the DCU from Swamp Thing and books connected to it.