We've mentioned it before, when you have characters like Batwoman or Supergirl, the inevitable question of where are their counterparts comes up. Kate's choice to be Batwoman is in reference to Batman saving her (at least in some iterations). So much like Supergirl did in season one, the crossover, which introduces us to the first live-action Batwoman, will address Batman. Caroline Dries, consulting producer on Elseworlds and Executive Producer of Batwoman the tv show (if it gets an order) had this to say to Entertainment Weekly about building Gotham for the Arrowverse:
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.
Executive Producer of Legends of Tomorrow and several of the other Arrowverse shows, Marc Guggenheim added this:
It’s a dead city. The way I sort of described it to Stephen is, it’s there but for the grace of God goes Star City. It’s the worst case scenario. The reason no one talks about Gotham is the city might as well be dead. It’s practically a ghost town.
The question of if the Batman even exists is discussed outside of Gotham. Just about the only way people know about him was to have first-hand experience. Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin talked further about their time in Gotham and their characters' take on Batman in this Entertainment Weekly article. Read more here.
Let us know what you think of Gotham for the Arrowverse in the comments below and in the forum!
