The Earth of DC, Where is Everything Located?

[Winter]

DC is weird, compared to Marvel the Earth of DC seems to have more fictional locations whereas the Earth of Marvel is pretty much our world with a few fictional locations.

For example, Marvel has New York, San Fransisco and Washington DC (poor souls). While DC has Gotham, Metropolis, Star City, Blüdhaven and Coast City. While there seems to be a New York, San Fransisco and so on some of these places seem to be DC's version of cities of our world. For example both Gotham and Metropolis are based on New York and seem to be located in the same general area... where New York usually is and both have a Statue of Liberty and a Central Park, etcetera, etcetera.

Not helping matters is the film adaptations which tend to combine locations due to budget reasons. For example The Dark Knight Trilogy and The Batman filmed scenes in New York AND Chicago while Superman has used NY almost exclusively.

So, where the hell is everything?

Personally I like to think that Gotham is located in Chicago, Metropolis is New York, Blüdhaven is Detroit and so on. I want to lean into the idea that the Earth of DC is a parallel universe to our own with the only exceptions being the capital cities of the world (Washington, London, Canberra you get the idea). This does lead into some interesting ideas because, as stated before, both Gotham and Metropolis have a Statue of Liberty but personally there is a joke my sister and I have had that in this world the creator the Lady Liberty had a rival who decided to make his own version the iconic statue called Lady Justice aka this beauty



I don't know I just like the idea.

But yeah this has always bugged me because sometimes it seems to have all the cities we know but then all the fictional cities are intended as stand ins for those same cities.

[CharlesPhipps]

The RPG gives assignments to every place but DC has been very clear it's, "Wherever we want it to be."

Officially, Metropolis, New York, and Gotham are all....in New York.

They're even called the Cinderella City and the Ugly Stepsisters.

[Winter]

The RPG gives assignments to every place but DC has been very clear it's, "Wherever we want it to be."

Officially, Metropolis, New York, and Gotham are all....in New York.

They're even called the Cinderella City and the Ugly Stepsisters.

I've never been a fan of the idea of Gotham and Metropolis being close to one another because it begs the question of Where the Hell is Superman? Even with superspeed and flight I could understand him not showing up in Gotham if it's far enough away that, even for him, getting there and helping out is just not practical especially with all the threats he has to deal with everyday.

[Thebestoftherest]

I prefer Metropolis being New York base, and Gotham new Jersey.

[CharlesPhipps]

I've never been a fan of the idea of Gotham and Metropolis being close to one another because it begs the question of Where the Hell is Superman? Even with superspeed and flight I could understand him not showing up in Gotham if it's far enough away that, even for him, getting there and helping out is just not practical especially with all the threats he has to deal with everyday.

In my DC games, Gotham is the Chicago equivalent with heaps of Detroit (i.e. the current economic collapse is due to the end of the American steel industry--which was admittedly a 1970s problem and not a Great Depression problem) and have Metropolis be the New York equivalent with both other cities flat out not existing. Same for Los Angeles and Coast City (which means Mongul killed all of Hollywood).

Mind you, I used this method in my Supervillainy Saga books which were based on my Mutants and Masterminds RPG: Halt Evil Doer!

[Nobody700]

Okay so officially, Gotham is New Jersey, and Metropolis are Delaware.

Where they are beyond that... who knows. Personally I believe that they're about 200 miles apart, quite a distance between them. It also doesn't help that clearly, America and the world of DC has to be bigger to fit various cities and nations that don't exist. Everyone knows of Metropolis and Gotham but less know about Khandaq, the land locked nation in Egypt. Markovia, the eastern european nation next to Polikistan, a nation also in east europe. The 20 or so Middle eastern nations that form up, and my favorite fictional nation... Realeasia. What a name. Where these are, and who lives there? I dunno.

The main thing is, Metropolis and Gotham are considered the New york city of America, cause New York City in DC varies who lives there. Sometimes the JSA, sometimes Titans, sometimes just Green Lantern... and one time the worst Batman ever.

[clearspira]

Gotham and Metropolis being so close together is dumb and I will never accept it. And we REALLY see this come to a head in the Snyderverse. So, Zack, you are really telling me that Clark Kent is only NOW discovering who Batman is despite the fact that you can SEE Gotham City from the shoreline let alone FROM THE AIR. Why have you been leaving this place alone for so long?

I mean... its nonsense! He's a journalist with superhuman vision and hearing and Batman has been operating for decades at this point.

And whilst we are on the subject, this has to be the worst Perry White in any incarnation of Superman. What do you mean ''no one wants to hear about Gotham's vigilante going insane and branding people?'' How is that not news?

The Snyderverse sucks and I am glad that it is gone.

[stryke]

They've explicitly stated on the past that the world of DC is indeed bigger than the Marvel Earth or our Earth. Pretty sure I can remember at least one mention in JLA vs Avengers. So New York, Chicago, etc are all where they normally are and the new cities are in the now enlarged territories where normally there wouldn't be space for a major settlement.

Though some places like the UK seem to be exactly the same.