It will still be a few years before audiences see the DC Universe’s Batman on the big screen, but moviegoers will be making a trip to the franchise’s version of Gotham City much sooner. Clayface, which is currently in production, is set to hit theaters in September 2026. As revealed by set videos and photos, Gotham seems to be the film’s main setting. While Clayface will be focused on the story of struggling actor Matt Hagen, fans will be keeping an eye out for any Easter eggs that tease larger shared universe connections. The latest batch of set images gives people a great look at a Gotham City transit map, shedding light on the latest cinematic iteration of the famous location.
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On X, user JackkDoylee shared an image of a street map from the Gotham City Transit Authority. It seems to take inspiration from the Gotham map available on the Batman Wikia page. There are some differences, but also enough similarities to wonder if the two drew from the same source material (or if this is just a coincidence). The locations listed at the bottom of the map will be familiar to DC fans. There’s Arkham Asylum, Ace Chemical, the Iceberg Lounge, Blackgate Penitentiary, a sporting complex for the Gotham Knights, and multiple buildings connected to the Wayne empire. There’s also the Kane Estate and Kane Memorial Bridge, a reference to Batman co-creator Bob Kane.
Interestingly, one of the landmarks marked on the map is listed as Crime Alley, which seems like a curious decision for an official transit map meant to encourage traveling and tourism across the city. Check out the images below:
Is Clayface‘s Gotham City Map Legit?
In Batman mythology, Crime Alley (which is where Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered) is not the official, city-sanctioned name for this landmark. It’s known as Park Row; “Crime Alley” was just a nickname that caught on due to the area’s penchant for, well, crime. It seems strange for the Gotham City Transit Authority to broadcast that right on its official map. Most people would probably want to steer clear of a place called Crime Alley out of fear or being mugged or worse. The Clayface map does not have a separate area labeled Park Row, so the assumption is it and this Crime Alley are one and the same.
It raises the question of whether or not this Gotham map is meant to be seen on screen and is actual DCU canon, or if it’s just a placeholder. Comic book movies are famous for including numerous Easter eggs that reference the source material, and Clayface won’t be any exception. Especially when the film is available on home media, fans will pick through it with a fine-toothed comb to find details they might have missed in theaters. A map of Gotham City would seemingly fall under that umbrella; it’s something that will likely be on screen for a fleeting moment in the background as a set decoration.
DC Studios co-head James Gunn knows how enthusiastic fans are about these kinds of Easter eggs, so the filmmakers had to have known there’d be interest in something like the map — unless the thought was the map wouldn’t be legible in shots during the film. Maybe the creative team just wanted to have something there to add a sense of realism, but there’s so much detail packed into the map that it seems unlikely it’s just there for show. It paints a comprehensive snapshot of the DCU’s Gotham, providing viewers with a general overview of the layout.
There is a possibility that in the DCU continuity, Park Row’s official name was changed to Crime Alley. Comic book films always implement changes to the source material, putting their own spin on familiar concepts and ideas. The circumstances behind the decision to rename Park Row as Crime Alley aren’t clear, and it’ll be interesting to see if Clayface addresses this in any way. City officials typically wouldn’t want to call attention to the fact one area is a hotbed for crime, but perhaps the change was made to act as a warning and encourage people to stay away.
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Image courtesy of Stage 6 Films
