The right city can make any storytelling come alive. It gives context to the story, making it easier for the audience to understand what’s going on without explaining too much. Comic books are no exception, the city working as a backdrop for the protagonist to carry his story.
The same goes for Batman, as Gotham has defined the hero as much as any other trait of the Caped Crusader. Although the hero and many of his villains are put on the spotlight, with character history and origin stories retold numerous times (how many times have we seen Bruce Wayne’s parents get murdered on film), the real underlying reason and the evil that drives Batman has to be Gotham, a city that is defined by crime.
The video above by Youtube channel Nerdwriter dives into analyzing the profoundly intertwined relationship between Gotham and Batman. It’s an almost academic look that takes a more literary approach to analyzing Gotham and Batman’s many incarnations in various mediums, giving it reason behind Batman’s enduring fanbase and captivating stories.