Arkham State Hospital, also known as Arkham Asylum[1][2] and Arkham Prison for the Insane,[3] is a state-of-the-art mental health care facility that serves as a psychiatric hospital for Gotham City, housing the criminally insane or mentally ill.[4]
History[]
Origins[]
The Arkham Family, the Asylum's founders
The Arkham State Hospital was a lunatic asylum founded by the Arkham Family dedicated to treating people suffering from severe forms of mental illness. Established sometime in 1724, it was originally intended to help people from all walks of life, but gradually began to take on more and more dangerous patients to the point where it became better known as an asylum for the criminally insane, gaining an infamous reputation in the process.
In present day, Arkham was remade into a psychiatric hospital using updated and modernized treatments to try and help patients recover, though it still possesses an unfavorable reputation by many with one patient notably having even gone so far as to refer to the conditions within Arkham behind closed doors as being akin to Hell on Earth.
Abandoning the Riddler[]
At an unknown point in time, Edward Nashton's mother was deemed mentally unwell and was forcibly committed to Arkham in order to receive treatment effectively leaving her son an orphan. She eventually died alone in Arkham.
Street Race[]
There was once an illegal street race that drove right past the Arkham State Hospital.[1]
The Hangman Killings[]
In 2012, Sofia Falcone would end up involuntarily committed to Arkham for ten years after being framed by her father Carmine Falcone as the sadistic Hangman, a serial killer responsible for the murders of several young women and girls across Gotham. During her ten-year stay, she was regularly abused sexually, physically, and psychologically by the specially trained doctors, guards, orderlies, and nurses who would force her to strip naked whenever she was alone in her cell and make her read newspaper stories and magazine articles aloud about her murderous exploits. Though she initially resented such treatment she eventually grew resigned to it believing that there was nothing left for her in the world.
Connection to the Waynes[]
The facility was mentioned when the Riddler publicly exposes details surrounding the history of the Wayne Family, including Martha Wayne being a child of the Arkham Family, being a former patient at the hospital in addition to having a hidden history of mental illness that her husband Thomas Wayne attempted to cover up in order to avoid facing scrutiny during his mayoral campaign, eventually leading him to direct Carmine Falcone towards intimidating journalist Edward Elliot for threatening to publicly leak said information, with Falcone instead killing him directly.
Joker's Sentence[]
Sometime during the Batman's first year patrolling Gotham City as an active vigilante, he came in conflict with a serial killer called the Joker and imprisoned him in Arkham. A year later, Batman visited Joker in Arkham to profile the Riddler, a killer plaguing the city at the time.
Riddler's Incarceration[]
Arkham Cells
Following his arrest for a series of serial murders related to several Gotham City officials, Edward Nashton was incarcerated at Arkham just before he successfully enacts his plan to flood the city during mayor-elect Bella Reál's inauguration. In the aftermath of said events, he befriended another patient – the Joker.
Hangman's Reincarceration[]
Following her arrest for the Bombing of Crown Point, Sofia Falcone was returned to Arkham. In the aftermath of said events, she receives a letter from her half-sister, Selina Kyle.
Environment[]
The Arkham State Hospital is a dark and foreboding psychiatric facility. The environment of Arkham is typically eerie, grim, and unsettling, reflecting its role as the asylum housing some of Gotham's most dangerous criminals, often with psychological disorders.
The hospital is shown as a labyrinth of shadowy corridors, dilapidated rooms, and imposing architecture, contributing to a sense of isolation and fear. It's a place where the boundaries between treatment and confinement blur, often raising questions about its effectiveness and morality.
Facilities[]
Visitor Center[]
Being the only location that visitors can access, this location is designed for friends and relatives to be able to safely visit patients under close surveillance by the asylum's security. The Visitor's Center includes a reception desk for visitors to sign in, as well as multiple booths behind bullet-proof, one-way glass in which the patients sit behind when they talk to their visitors.
It is here where Batman would go to speak with the Joker, and later, the Riddler.
Male Ward[]
A large system of wards where the male patients are treated. It also contains a cafeteria, laundry room, and a bathing room.
Female Ward[]
A large system of wards where the female patients are treated. It also contains a cafeteria, laundry room, and a bathing room.
Maximum Security Ward[]
The most secure area in Arkham, this is where the asylum's most hardcore and utterly deranged patients are housed away from the general population. Here insanity, depression, severe isolation and loneliness are common themes amongst the residents.
The Joker and the Riddler's cells are located here. It can be assumed that the Hangman's cell was also located here as well before she was released.
Staff[]
Current Staff[]
Former Staff[]
Known Patients[]
Current Patients[]
Former Patients[]
Appearances[]
| Appearances for Arkham State Hospital |
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In chronological order:
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Trivia[]
- In the DC comics, Arkham Asylum is a mental institution for the criminally insane. Located on Mercey Island in northern Gotham City, Arkham Asylum is a prison for Batman's legally insane foes.
Behind the Scenes[]
- "Arkham State Hospital" is also the name given to the facility in the 2019 movie Joker.
- In Before The Batman: An Original Movie Novel and Riddler: Year One, the prison is referred to as Arkham Asylum.
- A series centered around Arkham Asylum set in The Batman Universe was in the works with Antonio Campos as showrunner, however, it was revealed that the series was re-centered to be set within James Gunn's DCU.[5]
References[]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Before The Batman: An Original Movie Novel
- ↑ Riddler: Year One Chapter Four: There's No Place Like Home
- ↑ The Batman: The Official Script Book
- ↑ Reeves, Matt & Craig, Peter (writers); Reeves, Matt & Clark, Dylan (producers); & Reeves, Matt (director) (March 4, 2022). The Batman.
- ↑ "DC Studios Co-Head James Gunn Says Matt Reeves’ Batman Arkham Series In Development Is Set In New DCU" - Deadline
