Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Gotham City |
| Original name | 高谭市 |
| Type | Neutral character |
| Location | United States |
| Occupation/Role | Major city; home and operating ground of Batman and other heroes |
| First Appearance | Chapter 11, “The Joker” 11 |
Setting
Gotham City is an American city where Batman emerges as a nocturnal vigilante during the worldwide rise of superheroes and supervillains. Its criminal underworld regards Batman as a major threat to its operations, alongside Tony Stark’s Iron Man. 11
The city contains powerful criminal organizations, corrupt public officials, major business interests, and an increasingly active superhero community. During the Joker’s campaign, Gotham becomes the center of a psychological and terrorist attack that causes public panic, civil disorder, and widespread hostility toward Batman. 14 17
Notable Locations
| Location | Significance |
|---|---|
| Wayne Plaza | Site of the ceremony honoring Detective Jim Gordon, which is attacked by the Joker’s terrorists. 13 |
| Wayne Manor | Bruce Wayne’s residence and the location where S.H.I.E.L.D. confronts him about his identity as Batman. 15 |
| Wayne Tower | A major Wayne family location used by Bruce and Aeo. It is later monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D., attacked by mages, and surrounded by Federation forces during the Hydra crisis. 35 73 115 |
| Fifth and Third Avenues | A no-man’s-land near Papa Degas’ tavern where the Joker and his followers hide. 18 21 |
| 2505 Second Avenue | Location where Rachel Dawes is held during the Joker’s plan. Aeo travels there after Eiffel locates her. 18 |
| Gotham City International Airport | Where Aeo and Natasha Romanoff part ways after returning to Gotham. 96 |
| Outskirts of Gotham City | Site of the secret base established by Aeo and Bruce, as well as their later physics research institute. 42 99 |
| S.T.A.R. Labs | Research institute founded by Aeo and Bruce near Gotham, with Jane Foster and Erik Selvig involved in its scientific work. 99 100 |
Crime and Public Life
Before Batman’s rise, Gotham’s underground was controlled by several powerful crime families and gang leaders. The Manoni family was among the most influential, while Gambo controlled roughly half of the city’s drug trade. Mr. Liu managed the black money connected to Gotham’s criminal organizations. 11 18 23
The criminal network extended into city administration. During S.H.I.E.L.D.’s mass arrests, it was stated that at least a third of Gotham’s public officials were connected to the gangs. 17
The Joker’s manifesto causes Gotham’s streets to empty, while gangs, drug dealers, drag racers, and opportunists exploit the disorder. Citizens who had previously celebrated Batman begin protesting against him and blaming him for the city’s danger. 14
Story Role and Major Arcs
The Rise of Batman and the Joker
Gotham becomes Batman’s principal operating ground after the emergence of superheroes worldwide. His campaign against the city’s traditional criminals forces the mob bosses to meet in daylight, disrupting their business and weakening their control. 11
The Joker escalates the conflict by stealing $68 million from the mob bosses, threatening them with explosives, and offering to eliminate Batman in exchange for half their money. 11
The conflict becomes an open terrorist campaign when the Joker’s agents attack Wayne Plaza during a ceremony for Detective Jim Gordon. Gordon is injured while protecting the mayor, and the Joker announces that he will kill more people until Batman reveals his identity. 13
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Intervention
S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military conduct a large-scale operation throughout Gotham, arresting the city’s major gang leaders in an attempt to locate the Joker. Batman joins the interrogations despite his discomfort with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ruthless methods. 17
Information from Gambo leads Batman and S.H.I.E.L.D. to the Joker’s hiding place and reveals that the Joker has obtained explosives from Salvatore Manoni. The investigation also establishes that Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes have been kidnapped. 18
Aeo rescues Rachel, while Batman attempts to rescue Harvey and later returns for Rachel. The destruction at the warehouse exposes the presence of a powerful new superhuman in Gotham, soon identified by the military as “Superman.” 19 20
Aeo eventually locates and kills the Joker, ending the immediate crisis but leaving Bruce Wayne concerned about the existence of an immensely powerful being willing to kill without restraint. 21
Batman and Aeo’s Alliance
After the Joker’s death, Aeo visits Bruce in Gotham and reveals that he is a Kryptonian refugee named Aeo Zod. He explains that he has lived on Earth for ten years, hiding his abilities and observing its politics, culture, and power structures. 14 22
Aeo argues that he intervened because the Joker’s actions would have caused mass casualties. Bruce remains opposed to killing, but the two reach a cautious understanding based on coexistence and mutual restraint. 22
Gotham becomes the base for their developing partnership. From the city, they pursue the financial networks supporting the criminal underworld, build a secret facility, and prepare Eiffel—the intelligent system accompanying Aeo—to use Earth’s computing infrastructure. 23 35
The Superhero and Supernatural Era
Gotham continues to serve as a meeting point for Earth’s emerging vigilantes. Bruce and Aeo use the city as their base while investigating Oliver Queen and later developing cooperation with Green Arrow. 40 46 48
The city also becomes a center of supernatural activity. Kasilas and other corrupted mages approach Wayne Tower while searching for Aeo, and later Aeo, Bruce, and Oliver discuss forming a Justice League to respond to increasingly frequent supernatural threats. 73 78
Aeo and Bruce establish a physics research institute outside Gotham to study advanced science and supernatural phenomena. The institute releases an advanced aerospace composite material while withholding more dangerous spatial technology from the wider world. 99 100
Crisis and Imperial Conflict
Gotham remains connected to global and extraterrestrial crises through Bruce’s surveillance systems, Aeo’s technology, and the facilities around Wayne Tower and S.T.A.R. Labs. Aeo uses an underground hyperspace transmission device beneath Gotham to return after being displaced during the Battle of New York. 163
As alien threats multiply, Bruce continues operating from Gotham and seeks alliances with Earth’s mages and other powerful beings. He regards Gotham as a defensive center from which humanity can prepare for possible invasions by Asgardian, Kryptonian, and other cosmic forces. 263 264
After the Fortier Empire contains a worldwide alien-monster invasion, an Imperial warship descends on Gotham. Aeo confronts Batman and the other heroes, accusing Earth’s defenders of provoking extraterrestrial civilizations and worsening hostilities. 311
The confrontation ends without reconciliation. Earth’s heroes argue for coexistence and humanity’s right to determine its own future, while Aeo declares that Earth’s destruction follows the laws of cosmic development. Gotham therefore becomes the setting for the final breakdown between Aeo and his former allies. 312
Relationships
- Bruce Wayne / Batman — Gotham’s principal protector and the city’s most prominent vigilante. His connection to Gotham is tied to the Wayne family, Wayne Enterprises, Wayne Manor, and Wayne Tower. 11 13 15
- Aeo Zod — A powerful Kryptonian refugee who initially protects Gotham from the Joker and later uses the city as a base with Bruce. He eventually confronts Gotham’s heroes as leader of the Fortier Empire. 19 22 311
- The Joker — Gotham’s most destructive criminal antagonist in the early arc. His terrorist campaign plunges the city into panic before Aeo kills him. 13 14 21
- Gotham’s Criminal Underworld — A network of mob families and gang leaders whose businesses are disrupted by Batman, the Joker, and S.H.I.E.L.D. 11 17
- S.H.I.E.L.D. — An external organization that intervenes in Gotham during the Joker crisis, conducts mass arrests, monitors Batman and Aeo, and later surrounds Wayne Tower during a wider conspiracy. 15 17 35 115
- Oliver Queen / Green Arrow — A fellow vigilante who becomes associated with Bruce and Aeo through Gotham-based investigations and the developing superhero alliance. 46 48 78
- Gotham’s Citizens — Residents whose opinion shifts from support for Batman to fear, protest, and blame during the Joker’s psychological campaign. 14