Batman is the protector of Gotham City and its citizens. In the course of battling various supervillains, Gotham often takes the brunt of the damage of these battles. Currently, Gotham is in ruins as the Joker and Punchline, now in control of the Wayne fortune, have taken over the streets of the city once again in "The Joker War" arc.
In Justice League #53, by Joshua Williamson, Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr, and Tom Napolitano, which is a crossover issue of the current Dark Nights: Death Metal crisis, Nightwing returns to Gotham City to find it looks more like a post-apocalyptic nightmare more akin to The Road Warrior than the Gotham he knew. Littered with abandoned cars and crumbled buildings, the streets of Gotham are full of creatures that look like twisted versions of The Creeper as well as large, hulking Dark Multiverse versions of Solomon Grundy. Gotham City has indeed seen better days. Below are five more times when Gotham City was completely destroyed.
Batman: Cataclysm
Cataclysm is an eighteen-issue crossover event in 1998 that ran through all the Batman titles at the time. In Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73, by Alan Grant, Mark Buckingham, Wayne Faucher, Pamela Rambo, Android Images, and Bill Oakley, Gotham City is hit by a massive 7.6 earthquake that doesn't just completely destroy Gotham, but it also wipes out Wayne Manor and the Batcave. The city quickly falls into chaos as only the inhabitants of Wayne-built buildings were safe. Heroes and villains manage to put aside their differences to help locate and save survivors. The aftermath of Cataclysm serves as the catalyst for the beginning of two years worth of storylines for all the Batman and spin-off titles, including the storyline, No Man's Land.
Batman: No Man's Land
In 1999, Batman: No Man's Land picks up on the aftermath of Cataclysm. The city is still in ruins. In the prelude to No Man's Land, the U.S. government evacuates Gotham and abandons those who chose to remain in the city. As a result, Gotham City has become a lawless wasteland divided into various territories that are run by the city's most powerful people. The outline for this story that ran through all the Batman titles at the time was written by Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and ran for almost a full year. This arc detailed the lives of the residents of the city who remained behind. This crossover explores all the events from the time Gotham was destroyed until it's rebuilt.
No Man's Land affected the DCU landscape by introducing Cassandra Cain, the third Batgirl; it introduced Harley Quinn into comic books; it paved the way for Lex Luthor to become President of the U.S; and it established the relationship between Harley and Poison Ivy.
Batman: Zero Year
Batman: Zero Year is another year-long event from 2014 that crosses over into various DC titles which sees the complete destruction of Gotham City. The core of the story occurs in Batman #21-33, by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Greg Capullo, Rafael Albuquerque, Danny Miki, FCO Plascencia, and Dave McCaig. Zero Year is divided into three parts. Part one, "Secret City" explores and redefines Batman's origins. Part two, "Dark City," sees the rise of the Riddle as he puts together his plan to hold Gotham City hostage. Part Three, "Savage City," pits the Dark Knight against the Riddler who successfully destroyed Gotham City, turning it into a wasteland by flooding it and holding all Gothamites hostage.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
There can't be an article on Gotham's destruction without mentioning 1986's seminal work, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley, and John Costanza. Miller's story has an older Batman who comes out of retirement to fight a corrupt government. In the fourth issue, the Russians detonate a nuke in the U.S that destroys all electronics, causes a city-wide blackout, and creates a nuclear winter. Gotham City immediately descends into chaos as riots and looters take over the city, destroying it.
Swamp Thing Destroys Gotham City
During Alan Moore's defining run on Swamp Thing, Alec Holland causes one of the oddest disasters in Gotham. In Swamp Thing issues #51-53, by Moore, Rick Veitch, Alfredo Alcala, Tatjana Wood, and John Totleben, Abby is arrested for "crimes against nature" because of her relationship with Swampy. When she is taken to Gotham City, Swamp Thing explodes into a rage, travels to Gotham, and demands her release. To help sway the authorities, Alec returns Gotham City to its pre-habitation state, with trees and foliage exploding from the ground, effectively destroying the city. After Abby is released, Swamp Thing restores Gotham to all its glory.