Christopher Nolan is credited with redefining superhero movies, but his best version of Gotham City wasn’t in Batman & Robin, it was eight years before the Batman franchise was revived with Nolan’s far more grounded vision in Batman Begins. The Dark Knight trilogy remains hugely popular, but one point of contention is Nolan’s inconsistent and mundane depiction of Gotham.
2005's Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but it also made Gotham a lot less interesting. It felt too close to New York and Chicago as opposed to the Gothic city of the comics. In his attempt to deliver a “realistic” version of Batman, Christopher Nolan stripped his movies of what should have been a crucial character – Gotham itself.
Nolan’s financial districts and stadium are no match for the surreal, nightmarish monstrosity envisioned by Tim Burton or even the neon-soaked decadence of Joel Schumacher. Ironically, the best version of Christopher Nolan’s Gotham can be found in the animated tie-in film Batman: Gotham Knight. Set between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the animated movie successfully expands on Gotham’s original depiction, emphasizing the city’s divide between rich and poor, while combining elements that better resemble the comics.
Although not officially canon, Gotham Knight effectively captures the tone and iconography of Gotham from Batman Begins, with skyscrapers towering over dystopian industrial estates.
Gotham Knight’s city presents a more natural progression than seen in The Dark Knight trilogy. The sequels appear as if Gotham had a complete redesign within a short amount of time, but the animation introduces locales that better blend with Batman Begins. Mobsters’ yachts, a skate park and the vast sewer system below a cathedral help develop Christopher Nolan’s Gotham into a richer landscape. Batman’s investigation of a cathedral riot leads him to Scarecrow’s hellish subterranean lair, where he sits on a throne adorned with a huge stone head. It’s simple enough to resemble The Dark Knight Rises. Scarecrow’s design is creepier and more in line with his comics’ depiction, but his characterization remains a logical extension of Batman Begins. Similarly, Killer Croc’s horrifying cameo addresses his deformity in a way that works within Nolan’s world, and Batman’s train-top fight with assassin Deadshot reflects the grittiness of Nolan’s live-action villains.
The animation’s striking imagery makes Nolan’s inconsistent depiction of Gotham even more disappointing. The Dark Knight trilogy lacks famous sites like the DCEU's Ace Chemicals, underusing an expansive playground in its determination to feel realistic. However, Batman: Gotham Knight proves Christopher Nolan’s world could work with fantastical elements, blending his grounded atmosphere with Gothic imagery similar to Tim Burton's Gotham.
