The Batman’s Gotham Compared To Nolan’s & Burton’s Versions

When it comes to depicting Gotham City, Matt Reeves’ new take with his The Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson differs from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and Tim Burton’s Batman, both famous depictions in and of themselves. Every adaptation of Batman features a different vision of the classic DC Comic character, some more stylized and others more realistic. With every new version comes a new take on Batman’s home city of Gotham, whose realism, artistic style, or comic accuracy reflects its respective Batman. Burton’s iconic take in the 1990s came with a distinctive version of Gotham, as did Nolan’s more modern, critically-acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy. The question is, how does Reeves’ vision of Gotham in The Batman stack up to its live-action predecessors?

The culture of New York City is intrinsic to most superheroes, and Batman is no exception. In the earliest Batman DC comic books, there was no Gotham—Batman and Robin simply fought crime in New York. As their adventures became more outlandish the comics soon reflected this. New York became Batman’s Gotham City, heavily influenced by the real-life City That Never Sleeps, while being geographically situated in New Jersey. Within the various DC Comics continuities, Gotham tends to be one of the most dangerous cities in America, with organized crime and widespread corruption running rampant until Batman, Robin, and their allies provide its populace with hope and safety from those who prey on the innocent.

Reeves’ The Batman, like other live-action Batman adaptations, simultaneously evokes Batman and Gotham City’s long, well-known history while also forging its own distinct path. The Gotham City that Pattinson’s Batman inhabits bears some similarities to both Nolan and Burton’s versions, while also night quite copying either. Here’s how the three versions compare to each other.

How The Batman (2022) Changes Gotham City

Matt Reeves’ somewhat violent The Batman takes a fairly realistic approach to the Dark Knight, his supporting characters, and Gotham City itself. The Batmobile is no longer an experimental military vehicle or stylized drag racer, but now a simple sedan with heavy modifications. The Riddler is based on real-life serial killers, using his Riddler symbol and cryptic messages as his calling card and a way to taunt Batman and the police. Likewise, Gotham City as a whole is on the more realistic side in terms of its aesthetics. It evokes a recognizable Northeastern vibe with noticeable New York City influences, while still making use of a few stylized elements such as the diner that viewers will recognize from The Batman‘s trailers. In this regard, Reeves’ Gotham City is on the whole far more similar to Nolan’s than Burton’s.

The Batman’s Gotham City Compared To Nolan’s & Burton’s

The Gotham City of Tim Burton’s classic Batman movies is a macabre, Gothic, expressionistic take on the iconic DC location. Thanks to Burton and fellow visionary Anton Furst, Gotham was a highly stylized and bleak setting, described as saturated in crime and ugliness. Furst famously painted Gotham “as if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going.” This vision of Gotham, deservedly, won the hearts of countless fans and viewers, but could hardly be considered a realistic depiction of a major city. The Batman’s Gotham, by contrast, actually has little in common with Tim Burton and Anton Furst’s incredible Batman vision, looking far more realistic. At the same time, there are still some traces of the bleak, industrial atmosphere that are quintessential to Burton’s version.

Christopher Nolan went in the opposite direction in his Batman films, grounding his Dark Knight in realism. Outside of a few stylized elements like the nightmarish alleyway where Thomas and Marth Wayne were murdered and the crime and poverty-ridden area known as “The Narrows,” Nolan’s Gotham was heavily based on New York, like its comic counterpart, as well as Chicago. Reeves’ take on Gotham has far more in common with this version, coming across as a realistic Northeastern American city.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman exists in the DCEU shared universe, which is still DC’s main movie universe. The DCEU’s Gotham has far more in common with Burton’s version than Nolan’s. While not quite as stylized as the Tim Burton films, it puts comic accuracy front and center, trading style for realism if need be. With the Burton and Nolan Batman film franchises having concluded, their respective visions of Gotham have their spiritual successors. The Burton Batman movies’ comic book style has its modern counterpart in the DCEU, while Nolan’s realistic version of Gotham City is continued in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

About The Author

David Miller
(628 Articles Published)

David Miller is a staff writer for Screen Rant, indie comic writer, and life-long lover of all things Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. He was born and raised in New York and has a degree in English from Rider University. He relates to Peter Parker maybe a little too much.

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