Batman’s Absence in the Arrowverse Explained in “Elseworlds” Crossover

For the longest time, fans of The CW have had one question: Where is Batman? The shows have vaguely referenced the character off and on. Last season, Arrow namedropped Bruce Wayne directly, while this year’s “Elseworlds” crossover will introduce Gotham City and Batwoman, who is also getting her own series. But despite all this, The CW has no plans for an actual Batman appearance.

Fortunately, though, Bat-fans will get the next best thing in “Elseworlds.” The shows’ producers have confirmed that the event will address the whereabouts of Batman, revealing his place in the Arrowverse.

Apparently, Batman has been missing for a few years. This had led to a huge decline in Gotham, which is essentially a failed city overrun by crime. It is the “worst case scenario,” especially in comparison to cities like Star City.

Producer Caroline Dries, who is developing the Batwoman series and consulted on the crossover, had this to say to Entertainment Weekly. “Our approach is: What does Gotham look like after the Batman has been gone for three years? So if you have the law and order, protector, and hope gone, what happens as a result? Some people are thriving in his absence because now they can start to do their own thing without the oversight. A lot of other people are suffering and they’re losing hope, and the city itself and infrastructure is falling apart. So it’s not a happy place. Our guys walk into a grimy, scary Gotham.”

Gotham’s legacy is so tarnished, in fact, that people outside of the city question whether Batman ever existed. The Flash‘s Grant Gustin and Arrow‘s Stephen Amell says that this will be a point of debate amongst our heroes. Gustin teases, “Oliver is like, ‘He’s not real! They’ve made him up! It’s a hoax just to scare the citizens.’ Barry is flabbergasted by that and all he wants to do in Gotham is meet Batman. It’s a pretty funny scene.” Amell adds that Oliver won’t be “enthused” by the idea of another vigilante running around.

So, this confirms once and for all that Batman does exist in the Arrowverse. Or, at least, he did. This surely raises more questions now. Has Batman retired? We know Bruce Wayne is still around, so maybe he hung up the cape and cowl. Or maybe, in this continuity, Bruce was never Batman and it was someone else. We’ll just have to wait and see.

“Elseworlds” begins on Sunday, December 9th at 8 PM EST on The CW.

Source: Entertainment Weekly