WARNING! Spoilers for Batman: Dark Patterns #2

The DC Universe is full of fictional cities, from Metropolis to Central City, but Gotham City is by far the worst one to live in thanks to Batman. Although Batman fights to protect the people of Gotham from its criminal element, his actions have intruded on the lives of those very people, suggesting that the city's infamously terrible living conditions are his fault.

In Batman: Dark Patterns #2 by Dan Watters, Hayden Sherman, Tríona Farrell, and Frank Cvetkovic, Batman faces off against the Wound Man after tracking him to the apartment of his next victim, Randall Jones. When Jones returns to his apartment, Batman bursts out the door with an unconscious Wound Man in tow.

After witnessing this absurd event, Jones wearily says, "This ******* city." His reaction, while hilarious, indicates that Gotham's citizens are tired of putting up with the Dark Knight's exploits in their city. Batman's constant fights against supervillains, despite his good intentions, have made Gotham a place no one wants to call home.

Gotham City Is a Nightmare to Live In, And It's All Batman's Fault

Batman's Vigilantism Inconveniences Gotham's Citizens Rather Than Helping Them

Batman's mission is to draws villains to Gotham in hopes of taking him down and elevating their prestige among fellow criminals. Despite Batman's best efforts to put his villains away or rehabilitate them in some capacity, they keep returning to wreak havoc in his city out of hatred for him. Therefore, Batman is to blame for much of the crime he's meant to eliminate in Gotham.

Another major critique of Batman that affects day-to-day Gotham life is that, while his goals are ethically sound, the execution of them leaves much to be desired. Performing acts of violence to stop villains from committing crimes is an effective method on paper, but his constant battles on the streets of Gotham tend to inconvenience the citizens who are trying to go about their routines. Jones' frustration upon discovering the brawl in his apartment says it all; he isn't shocked, and is instead jaded by Batman's presence. Evidently, the average people of Gotham City are sick of his vigilantism, and it's easy to understand why.

Batman's Bad Relationship With Gotham Won't Stop Him (For Better & For Worse)

Gotham May Not Appreciate Batman, Yet He Keeps Fighting for Them

Gotham's disdain towards Batman for interfering with their daily lives has yet to deter his mission on their behalf. In fact, in some situations, Batman has worsened his relationship with Gotham in order to save its residents. In Detective Comics #1089 by Ram V and Guillem March, the people of Gotham finally express their appreciation for Batman by lighting makeshift bat-signals across the city. However, as the Orghams' Thelemus Engine puts Gotham at risk by altering reality, he makes the city's citizens fear him again and thus restores their negative perception of him.

Though Batman cares about his city, it can't be disputed that he has damaged its reputation in more ways than one.

Regardless of how deeply the people of Gotham resent Batman, he will never stop fighting for them the same way he always has. His restoration of their fear towards him solidifies this, as he'd rather be hated by Gotham despite saving it than loved by Gotham only to lose it. Still, though Batman cares about his city, it can't be disputed that he has damaged its reputation in more ways than one. Nobody in the DC Universe would dare move to Gotham as long as Batman is running around, and those who already live there should definitely move elsewhere.

Batman: Dark Patterns #2 is available now from DC Comics.