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These cities feature heroes like Batman, Superman, Nightwing, Flash, Green Arrow, and more, and they represent what fans can expect when reading stories set in these locations. The most significant difference between DC and Marvel is that Marvel Comics mostly sets its heroes in New York City. The fictional cities in DC are all across the United States. Here is a look at the best cities in DC Comics, from the City of Tomorrow to the home of Crime Alley.
10) Gorilla City
Gorilla City is from the pages of The Flash. This city is located in Africa and is home to intelligent gorillas. This city is not from Earth, but rather a city that was initially located on the planet of Calor, which ended up moving to Earth thanks to the unwitting help of Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, a story told in DC Super-Stars Vol. 1 #44. The city moved to Earth because the gorillas needed a safer place to live. However, it was introduced in The Flash Vol. 1 #106, when Gorilla Grodd appeared and planned to learn mind control to turn his army of gorillas into a force to take over the world. However, while Grodd is a villain, the gorillas there are mostly peaceful. In the current timeline, the alien origin was retconned, but everything else remained the same.
9) Coast City
Coast City is the home of the Green Lantern and is located in California, close to Edwards Air Force Base. While this was the city that Hal Jordan mostly defended over his career as Green Lantern on Earth, it was also the home to his greatest tragedy. In Superman Vol. 2 #80, the villain Mongul teamed up with Cyborg Superman to destroy the entire city, resulting in the deaths of over seven million people. This is the moment that drove Hal Jordan to lose his mind and become Parallax, one of DC Comics’ most dastardly villains. One year after Infinite Crisis, the city’s reconstruction was completed, and it has since earned the nickname “The City Without Fear,” thanks to its dark past.
8) Smallville
Smallville is an interesting DC Comics city because it is a location where no major heroes are located. However, it is still important because this is where Superman grew up and was raised as a child. Located in Kansas, this is where Jonathan and Martha Kent lived when they found a baby Kal-El, adopting him into their family and naming him Clark Kent. Supergirl has also called the city home on occasion, and it is where both Lana Lang and Pete Ross grew up. There was even a Superman TV show named after Smallville, adding to its significance in DC Comics.
7) Blüdhaven
When Dick Grayson stopped acting as Robin and became Nightwing, he made some changes to break away from Batman’s shadow. He first joined the New Teen Titans in Jump City, but then, when he went out on his own, he became a hero in a neighboring city to Gotham City called Blüdhaven. This is in New Jersey, and Nightwing joined the police department there while also serving as its superhero protector on the streets. The city was destroyed during the Infinity Crisis and turned into a nuclear wasteland. However, after Flashpoint, Blüdhaven returned, and Nightwing has been serving as the protector there ever since.
6) Star City
Star City is the home of Green Arrow and is located in northern California, close to the Pacific Northwest. It is one of DC Comics’ oldest cities, making its first appearance in Action Comics Vol. 1 #266. As a defender of the poor and a liberal superhero who fights the corrupt elite, Green Arrow spent years in Star City battling the corrupt bureaucrats who kept a tight grasp on the city and openly fought to destroy the lower-class communities. Star City was also known in later years for the growth of The Forest, a large, mysterious area that appeared where rubble once lay. The forest would often aid Green Arrow while also magically preventing anyone from using superpowers within its boundaries. It was later revealed that The Forest was run by White Lantern power.
