One of the biggest questions among theBatmanfanbase is whether Gotham City can be saved or whether it’s a lost cause. Bruce Wayne has been fighting crime in Gotham for literally decades at this point, and nothing seems to be getting better. If anything, it seems things are escalating and only getting worse. So, maybe it’s time for both fans and Batman himself to ask,is saving Gotham an impossible dream?
When Batman first arrived in Gotham City, it was simply a city plagued by mobsters and mad scientists.While the city was certainly dangerous, it wasn’t any more dangerous than the average city shown in comic books at the time.But as more and more supervillains have been introduced, things have gotten worse and worse.
Gotham City went from being a place that would have a few bank robberies here and there, to a place where civilians have to worry about theJoker launching a terrorist attack that kills thousands. This really makes it seem like Gotham is a complete lost cause, but it’s possible that’s really not the case…
When Batman returned to Gotham, it was owned by organized crime, corrupt police and criminal politicians - he pulled that entire ecosystem down forever.
Joker Explains the Real Reason He Became Gotham’s Top Villain (It’s Really Hard to Deny)
Every villain knows that the Joker is top dog in Gotham - but to the Clown Prince of Crime, it runs much deeper than merely being Batman’s nemesis.
Batman Has Been Making A Difference
Slowly But Surely, He’s Been Removing Corruption
It’s no secret that Gotham City is pretty corrupt on practically every single level. For a long time, theGCPD was completely corrupt along with most other systems of government in the city. But, thanks to the help of Batman,James Gordon has managed to root outmost corruption in the GCPD, including his former superiors Detective Arnold Flass and Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb (two of the main villains in the iconicBatman: Year One.)
Without Batman’s help,Gordon would likely have been murdered once he started sniffing around corrupt cops. After all, it’s happened to other cops in Gotham, such as Crispus Allen. This isn’t the only time that Batman has helped remove corruption from Gotham either - he’s also brought down criminal politicians including Daniel Dickerson, Hamilton Hill and Sebastian Hady. Even as Batman was taking down organized crime, he was also stopping the corruption that gave it power.
Batman Is Growing Up: Gotham’s Police Are Starting to Realize the City’s Biggest Issue With Crime
Gotham has been a crime-ridden cesspool for decades, and it seems that the local police force is finally realizing that the system needs to change.
One of the worst sources of corruption in Gotham City wasnone other than the Court of Owls, which was made up ofseveral high-ranking members of the elite in Gotham. These people used their vast fortunes and influence to verify Gotham City never got better. They wanted Gotham to serve the rich and powerful, no matter how bad things got for normal people. Despite them running the city for hundreds of years, Batman discovered them and shattered their power over Gotham.
Batman has built libraries, hospitals and drug treatment centers, while also looking out for individuals he can support in starting a new life.
Batman Has Also Been Using His Wealth To Ensure Gotham Improves
Bruce Is Responsible For So Many Charities And Outreach Programs
One of the most common, and often baseless, accusations against Batman is that he should justuse his money to save Gotham City. While this is easier said than done,it’s also something that Batman isalreadydoing. The man has been pumping money into Gotham City for decades. He has created a massive amount of charities and social programs to help people get off drugs or get the head start they need to get their life back on track. He’s built libraries, hospitals and drug treatment centers, while also looking out for individuals he can support in starting a new life.
Even whenBatman is fighting criminals out in Gotham, he makes sure to keep note of every injury that he inflicts. If Batman ends up knocking a ton of teeth out on one night,then he makes sure to donate extra to programs related to dentistry in the morning. He also has it set up that anyone who works at Wayne Enterprises is automatically given full paid tuition to college if they want to try and better their lives. When it comes to sharing his wealth, there really isn’t much more that Batman can do.
It’s also worth noting that canonically, Gotham City has been the victim of various terrorist and alien attacks, ravaged by disease inBatman: Contagionanddestroyed so badly by an earthquake inBatman: Cataclysmthat the US government wrote off the city. Bruce used his money to bring the city back from oblivion each time - the fact that it’s even a functioning city is a shocking victory.
Fans have seen what Gotham can become through Alfred’s eyes, and it’s basically a utopia.
Batman’s Mission to Save Gotham Has an End Goal
It’s Not an Endless Mission, As Alfred Pennyworth Proved
While Gotham might seem like a lost cause, as even Batman admits he might not be able to save Gotham, not everyone agrees.Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s most trusted advisor, truly believed that a better future was possible. That was the entire reason that Alfred createdthe Bright Knight armor for Batman(revealed inBatman #95by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles.) Alfred hoped that, eventually, there would come a time when Bruce could operate in the daylight to battle what few supercriminals were left in a utopian version of Gotham after Batman had managed to bring the city back from the brink of destruction.
While Batman has yet to achieve the perfect future for Gotham that Alfred hoped for, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Alfred would never have created an entire Batsuit for a goal that he truly believed was unobtainable. This suit was meant to motivate Batman to achieve a goal that Alfred believed was very possible.
But even if someone wanted to argue that this Bright Knight idea is nothing more than a fantasy, just a ploy byAlfred to give Batman hope in the face of an endless mission, there is physical evidence that Batman is clearly making Gotham a better place.
Every single subsequent year since Batman appeared, there have been fewer and fewer people who have died due to murders.
12 Strongest Batman Villains, Ranked by Physical Strength
Batman normally fights human villains, but he also has some incredibly powerful superhuman opponents - including several stronger than Superman.
Gotham Has Been Getting Less And Less Dangerous
Batman Has Been Reducing Violent Crime
One of the biggest things that Batman has managed to achieve with Gotham City is the reduction of violent crime. While it might seem like crime has only continually escalated due to the appearance of supervillains, the opposite seems to be true. Violent crime has actually been falling over the years. As Robin and Alfred pointed out inDetective Comics #999by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke, every single subsequent year since Batman appeared,there have been fewer and fewer people who have died due to murders. That’s a pretty major achievement, andBatman swears he won’t stopuntil the number hits zero.
These are all tangible positive effects that Batman has had on Gotham, which has increased the safety and quality of life in the city over the years. While villains like the Joker and their attacks on the city will always be major disasters, they are outliers.Gotham isn’t some lawless warzone where anyone can get shotsimply for walking down the street. Batman has proved that Gotham City isn’t a lost cause, no matter how much it might look like one when a supervillain is unleashing hell.
Batman Officially Disproves His Darkest Fan Theory Once and For All
One of the darker theories about the Caped Crusader is that Batman’s existence is what creates his villains, but DC just disproved that with one line.
Batman Will Never Give Up On Gotham
And He Definitely Shouldn’t
Because of the nature of comics, Batman will be battling for Gotham’s future until the character is no longer popular. It seems that Batman’s war on crime is an endless one where he never makes any progress or changes anything. That’s unfortunately just the nature of the medium, as if Batman finally did save Gotham, he wouldn’t have much to do anymore. But that doesn’t mean Gotham is a lost cause either. The comics have shown that, entirely because ofBatman’sefforts, Gotham Cityhasbeen getting better over the decades, no matter how much is left to be done.
Readers can catch up on the state of Gotham City inBatman #1on sale from DC Comics in September 2025!
