5 Cities Bringing Comic Book Universes To Life In Film
The universes created by comic book writers and artists have inspired and drawn inspiration from modern architecture for decades. Children around the world — and more than a few adults — dive into the pages of comic books and dream of swinging through Manhattan like Spider-Man, soaring high above Metropolis like Superman or hiding in the shadows of Gotham City’s skyscrapers like Batman.
Today, CGI and motion capture technology allow film directors to bring these universes and characters to life on the silver screen, but the same real-life architecture that helped create these universes plays as much, if not more, of a major role in superhero movies. Here are five cities whose architecture serves as the perfect canvas.
1. Chicago
Even though one of New York City’s nicknames is “Gotham,” legendary Batman illustrator Neal Adams told the Chicago Tribune that the Gotham City of the comic books owes a greater debt to Chicago. Its alleys and ever-evolving architecture provide a grittiness and grimness for the Caped Crusader to wage his never-ending war on crime.
As children, filmmaker Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan split their time between Chicago and London. The Nolans put Chicago’s architecture and iconic streetscapes like Lower Wacker Drive to use in “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.” The second film in Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy starts off with a bang, as Heath Ledger’s Joker pulls off a bank heist — in Chicago’s Old Main Post Office. And the epic chase scene at the end of The Dark Knight’s second act was staged throughout downtown Chicago.
Director Zack Snyder returned to Chicago for “Man of Steel” and “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The Aragon Ballroom in Uptown stood in for the movie theater where Bruce Wayne’s parents are murdered and young Bruce vows to fight crime. Michael Bay also used Chicago as a setting for his “Transformers” films.
2. Cleveland
The “rock-and-roll capital of the world” played a major role in bringing Marvel’s “The Avengers” to life. In that film, Captain America battles Loki in Stuttgart, Germany, before Iron Man arrives and Loki curiously surrenders. That scene was filmed at the Cleveland Municipal Court building and Cleveland Public Square. The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier that the Hulk smashes was filmed at a DHL warehouse facility in nearby Wilmington, Ohio.
Cleveland also served as a stunt double for Washington, D.C., in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which filmed at several locations throughout the city.
3. London
“Wonder Woman” is the blockbuster film of the summer and a cultural phenomenon, and director Patty Jenkins’ filming locations played a major role in bringing Princess Diana’s universe to life. One of the most arresting scenes in the film is when Diana and Steve Trevor arrive in London and Diana brutally assesses: “It’s hideous.” Indeed, the London Bridge that frames that scene is dark, buried under layers of soot and ash, with polluted skies above it and the gray Thames River below. London’s grit serves as a counterpoint to the paradise of Themiscyra that Diana left to bring peace to the world of man.
Kings Cross Station is also shown in “Wonder Woman,” as soldiers ferry to the Western Front in World War I. Other English locations used for filming included Tilbury Fort, which served as a Turkish fort, and Bourne Woods in Surrey. Bourne Woods was also used in the Captain America and Thor films, and in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
4. New York City
The Daily Planet building is synonymous with Metropolis, and the character’s artist and co-creator, Joe Shuster, said he drew inspiration for the building from the headquarters of The Toronto Star. As Superman’s universe expanded, the Daily Planet’s building had added touches from properties like New York’s Paramount Building.
But when it finally came time to bring the Big Blue Boy Scout to the big screen in 1978, director Richard Donner turned to The News Building to serve as the Daily Planet’s HQ. With its Art Deco architecture from the renowned team of John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, it brought Metropolis to life.
New York City is the center of the Marvel universe, in both the comics and the films. The climactic battle with the Chitauri invasion in “The Avengers” was filmed on East 9th Street (which served as 42nd Street in the film), 101 Park Avenue and Grand Central Station. Marvel's Netflix series ("Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage" and "Iron Fist") are filmed on location throughout the Big Apple to give these series the realism demanded of Marvel's street-level superheroes.
5. Atlanta
Pinewood Atlanta Studios has been an instrumental partner in Marvel Studios becoming a force in the industry. One reason: It is cheaper to film in Georgia than in California. Another factor: tax credits.
Pinewood offers everything needed to film a big-budget film with 18 soundstages ranging from 15K SF to 40K SF, backlot areas for outdoor settings, 400K SF of production support and workshop space and a postproduction facility.
Atlanta locations also served as fill-ins for Queens in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Henry Grady High School was the Queens science academy that Peter Parker attends. Other Atlanta locations in the film include the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Piedmont Park and the Georgia World Congress Center. "The Walking Dead," a comic-to-screen powerhouse despite its lack of superheroes, is also filmed in and around Atlanta.
