Perhaps no comic book setting provokes as much thought, or as much reinterpretation, as Gotham, which not only gave birth to Batman and his incomparable rogues gallery, but also numerous musings on the ever-changing nature of the fictional city.

The latest is Nerdwriter's wonderful video essay "The Evolution of Batman's Gotham City," which traces the setting's many interpretations over the past 75 years, from its earliest appearances in DC Comics titles and its redefining interpretation in Tim Burton's Batman films to its near-destruction in "No Man's Land" and its more grounded depiction in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.

"Gotham has been flexible to account for a changing world and a changing Batman," the narrator says. "But the one constant is crime, an irrepressible criminal underclass that plagues the streets, with whom the police are either in league or powerless to stop. Indeed, the Batman, by definition, is unable to stop this scourge, too, or else his existence would be unjustified."

(via The Playlist)