Relaxing Night Walk in Gotham City | Batman Arkham Knight

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Time Stamps:
0:00 Grand Avenue
9:48 under the Moon Light
17:52 Ubanrail Station
30:28 somewhere in Gotham City
35:50 to the Docks
A Brief History of Gotham City
Between the imminent release of the open world Gotham Knights video game and the launch of Tom King and Phil Hester’s Gotham City: Year One, Batman’s city is suddenly very much in the spotlight. And while we imagine you’ve heard of Gotham City, how much do you actually know about it? Where did Gotham City come from? Who are its founders? And why is it called that? If you’ve ever wondered, consider this your essential guide to the city.
THE LAND BEFORE GOTHAM
The history of the island where Gotham now stands is uncertain at best. It was once home to the Native American Miagani people, first named in Batman: The Cult and explored further in the time-traveling adventures of Batman in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. In a bit of circular history, the Miagani people came to revere the bat due to the intervention of Batman himself, who aided in their fight for survival against a relatively young Vandal Savage. The Miagani remained in Gotham until Jonah Hex’s day in the 19th century, but are now considered extinct-though the cult leader Deacon Blackfire claims to speak for them today.
In the 2006 Shadowpact series, the strangeness of Gotham City in particular is accredited to the island being the burial tomb of an immortal warlock whose spirit calls himself “Doctor Gotham,” his dark presence driving the very foundation of the city built upon his resting place to madness. This account may be considered apocryphal, though. Perhaps there is a Doctor Gotham, but it may be a stretch to give him credit for the entire city’s direction just by proximity.
GOTHAM BEGINS
What Gotham historians do agree upon is that the city as we know it today was founded by Dutch settlers in 1609, who originally called the settlement “New Rotterdam” (an allusion to New York’s own early settlement name of “New Amsterdam”).
The 1800s are when Gotham begins its growth into the city as we know it today. Spearheaded by four founding old money families-the Waynes, the Kanes, the Elliots and the Cobblepots-architects such as Cyrus Pinkney and Bradley and Nicholas Gate were commissioned to define the unique style of Gotham City’s skyline. (For more information on this time period, consult Batman: Gates of Gotham.) All the while, a secret cabal of rich families which may well have included these founders was taking root beneath Gotham to keep this burgeoning American jewel a playground for the rich and powerful social elite. They called themselves the Court of Owls and would remain only legend until driven out of hiding by Batman centuries later.
GOTHAM FALLS
The Broker, a real estate agent to the stars of supervillainy, gives us another account of Gotham’s history in Batman: Streets of Gotham #4. The 19th century represented the peak of Gotham’s prosperity for all its citizens. At the time, it was known as “The Wonder City,” it was a place with a heavy manufacturing and industry base that guaranteed enough jobs for all, and a booming entertainment industry of amusement parks, zoos and museums made it a friendly home to families. But as industry moved elsewhere and the factories begun to close, it was the business of crime that filled the void. And all those abandoned parks and warehouses are the places that Gotham’s criminal element call home today.
AN AGE OF HEROES
As crime took hold in Gotham City and the wealthy elite became more disconnected from the common Gothamite, heroes would rise to mete out justice ignored too often by an increasingly corrupt police force-like the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and Dinah Drake, the first Black Canary. Even the Justice Society of America would briefly call Gotham home before settling permanently in New York. But Gotham’s greatest champions remained the Wayne family, whose charitable work and philanthropic programs always strived to keep their home from submerging completely into urban darkness.
As we all know, the Waynes’ dream of a better Gotham was nearly ended one night in Crime Alley, when a gunman murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne on their way home from a night at the movies with their young son Bruce. Since then, Bruce Wayne has nobly continued the work of his parents, despite the many outlandish rumors about what he gets up to after dark.
For the rest of the story, make sure to follow Gotham City: Year One. We didn’t even mention Detective “Slam” Bradley… but they will.