Superman Stays Out of Gotham/Fridge
- I often wondered why there wasn't much more coordination among the superheroes (whether DC or Marvel) in dealing with problems. As stated on the main page, Superman could deal with any of the psychotic criminals Batman routinely encounters with ease. But then I stopped to think about it after reading something another poster put up: the superheroes encounter each other fairly frequently and know where to get backup if they need it (Superman and Batman have worked together for years, for example, and both of them have Green Lantern on speed-dial if they need more backup). The heroes have worked out jurisdictional issues and scheduling as well (even superheroes for the most part have day jobs and need time off). But beyond that, and speaking to the specific case of Gotham City, the other heroes know that Batman has a psychological need to battle the bad guys in Gotham, and stay out of his way--after all, Batman's psychosis is his main superpower! And Batman's analytical skills, technology, and wealth are really useful to the other heroes, so they want him around and on their side. Eliminate all the trouble in Gotham (which Superman, Wonder Woman, or Green Lantern could probably do in an afternoon) and then Batman goes out of control, which nobody in his or her right mind wants to see. In other words, staying out of Gotham is how the other heroes keep Batman contained.
- Green Lantern has an entire section of the galaxy to defend coupled with his secret life. Right away he's off the list as potential Gotham defender. A city needs constant maintaining. That is why we still have policemen. You don't just slap all the evildoers in jail and fly away whistling. There will always be parole (which will always be abused) and lawyers/criminal rights activists claiming that “It wasn't Freddy's fault he killed his girlfriend because his Goldfish died then his Girlfriend ate a fish and drove him over the edge.” The superhuman powerhouses like Superman and Wonder Woman are completely wrong for cleaning up Gotham and dealing with that kind of crime, much as I love Wonder Woman and what she stands for.
If Superman and Wonder Woman teamed up, added Gotham to their territory and cleaned up all the crime, it would only last a day at most before new powerhoused villains show up to challenge this new territory. Batman? To Superman's enemies, he's just a man with a few toys. Not worth the effort. They would much rather take on Superman or Wondy, because defeating them augments your reputation. You would be on top of the Supervillain pecking order if you killed Wonder Woman. Killing Batman? Not much of an achievement, for an egomaniac superhero. Only people who constantly work with Batman, or constantly come against him, know exactly what he's made of.
As to defending new territory, even Superman can't be two places at once. Once the supervillians start coming, They are the first priority due to the falling skyscrapers and the destroyed homes. In the chaos, mob bosses with territories and a presence would simply return to their home turf because Superman and Wondy are too busy dealing with Atomic Skull's rampage to investigate a police tip that Two-face's crime syndicate has reformed. And mob bosses are probably rich enough to get a hold of Kryptonite or make a deal with Luthor. Petty crooks would return once they realize this. The epic battles between Superbeing and monster would lead to heavy casualties. Insurance premiums and crime would rise until ultimately, the only ones who can afford to live in Gotham are the rich, which defeats the purpose of cleaning up the city and making it safe for everyone who lives there, and the ones who steal to live.
We must not forget the fate of Coast City. To those who don't know him, Batman is a vague personage shrouded in rumor and mystery. But if he were well known to the public like, say, Hal Jordan, destroying Gotham would be one way to send him over the edge until the writers decide, “Ok, we've have enough of Evil Green Lantern. Now, how to make him good again with angst and keeping all the people he killed dead... Oh, I know! He was possessed! Now everyone will trust him again! The Deaths he cause don't matter! :D” Batman protects Gotham by keeping well known heroes out of it except in rare situations- and even then, he usually flies them in on the Batwing whether or not that can fly themselves- thereby keeping Gotham off the list of Supervillain targets.
Of course, that's even assuming that Superman or Wonder Woman or Green Lantern could clean up Gotham. Batman is primarily a detective. Mob bosses have their hideouts, Joker and Killer Croc hide in abandoned buildings. Even if every single wanted criminal was brought in- a feat that I highly doubt even Superman could achieve in an afternoon- there would be twice as many like Joe Chill who have never been caught in the act or crimes that only someone like Batman would notice, such as embezzlement. Not to mention that the Joker breaks out of Arkham every other story arc. And then there's the corruption in the police force. That's why Batman keeps contact with primarily Commissioner Gordon: He's the one police officer Batman knows he can trust without a shadow of a doubt. Superman trusts everyone unless they are bald like Lex Luthor or smart like Lex Luthor or distant cousins of Lex Luthor; and the cops would outright refuse to be interrogated by the Lasso of Truth, because their egos can't take it, because if they were revealed as a straight cop they're dead, or because they are corrupt cops.
Batman is the best thing that has ever happened to Gotham, not to mention the Robins he has under his care. Where would Dick Grayson be without Batman? Probably still in the circus, never knowing for certain if his parent's killer had been caught and put to justice or if he was still out there. Jason Todd would probably have Died For Real or be another casualty of drugs, in jail for thievery, or most likely a member of a crime ring. Tim Drake would have been shuttled from boarding school to boarding school, his intelligence stifled by the conformity of the school system, constantly pushed aside by his parents in favor of the American Dream. Damian would never have existed, and we would all miss his dry sarcasm and constant attempts to kill everyone (namely, Tim).
- I always saw it as a kind of strength training in case of other heroes being unavailable due to otherworldly crises drawing the really powerful supers away from earth, leaving the Badass Normals to deal with the homefront defense. Kryptonite is also a problem, as well as dealing with the potential ego-boosting which could result from Superman dealing with everything. Imagine what would happen if Superman did go everywhere, solving all the problems the world has and dealing with all the supervillians. It could result in him becoming too worn out, or worse, a mental breakdown.
- The inability to prevent all the evil in the world from happening would almost certainly result in a Despair Event Horizon at some point. This may be why heroes both stay in one area and work hard at maintaining a normal life. Trying to change everything wrong in the world is so much pressure that it would either create a Knight Templar / Well-Intentioned Extremist or just lead to crushing depression and a profound sense of failure. This is probably why super hero teams are formed, to make the psychological pressure of daunting threats less intense and help them achieve bigger goals, lessening the sense of failure that might come to less successful superheroes.