Changes: Blackgate Penitentiary

Revision as of 17:31, 4 April 2020

Blackgate Penitentiary is a fictional prison depicted in the DC Universe, traditionally located on a small island in the Gotham Bay, Gotham City. Batman: The Long Halloween suggests that it was preceded by Gotham State Penitentiary, which appeared often in pre-Crisis comics.

History

Gotham State Penitentiary is also known as Gotham Prison, especially when referenced after the Crisis. It is later officially renamed "Blackgate Prison". In the late 1980s, Blackgate Prison is condemned by Amnesty International and forced to shut down. When the prison eventually re-opens, it is officially known as "Blackgate Penitentiary".

Unlike Arkham Asylum, Blackgate is where non-insane criminals such as Catwoman, Dollhouse, Echo, Knife, Magpie and various henchmen, mobsters, and mafia bosses are incarcerated when captured.

There are instances where inmates from Arkham Asylum are temporarily moved to Blackgate, like when Big Top destroys the original Arkham building in Batman #491. All of the Arkham inmates are incarcerated in Blackgate until the new Arkham structure is built and opened in Batman #521.

There is a one-shot about a breakout happening in the prison entitled Batman: Blackgate. The prisoners in the story are Catwoman, White Rabbit, Lady Arkham, Talia al Ghul, Bloody Mary, Alice, Clayface (Sondra Fuller), Harley Quinn, and others. Several of these villains are also featured in the Cataclysm storyline when an earthquake and the resulting tidal waves damage the prison and open up a land bridge to Gotham. This allows the majority of the inmates of Blackgate to escape.

Known Inmates

Batwoman's Enemies:

In other media

Film

In Christopher Nolan's 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises, the mercenary Bane liberates the criminals "wrongfully imprisoned" at Blackgate Penitentiary by Commissioner Jim Gordon under the Dent Act and uses them in his army.

Television

In Batman: The Animated Series, this prison is called Stonegate Penitentiary. It was built as a plan by Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent to build a better, safer Gotham. Criminals like Catwoman, Rupert Thorne, Bane, Clock King, Sidney Debris, the Terrible Trio and the Penguin were sentenced to Stonegate. It is also where the common criminals go.

Video Games

Batman: Arkham series

Batman: The Telltale Series

Blackgate Penitentiary is mentioned several times in Batman: The Telltale Series and Batman: The Enemy Within. The Penguin is convicted to the prison following his defeat at Batman's hands. Two-Face can also be sent to Blackgate if the player confronts him in Guardian of Gotham. During The Enemy Within, Harleen Quinzel is mentioned to have been a psychiatrist at the penitentiary. After the being defeated by Batman, she can be committed to Blackgate, either due to a request made by the vigilante to Amanda Waller or after she is defeated with Joker. Should the former occur, Bane will also be sent to the prison.

Novels

In the novel Batman: The Ultimate Evil, author Andrew Vachss refers to a "Hellgate Prison".

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 |Location name=Blackgate Penitentiary
 |official= Blackgate Penitentiary
-|creator= Unknown
+|creator= Peter Milligan
-|appearance= Unknown
+|appearance= Detective Comics #629
 |galaxy=Milky Way
 |starsystem=Sol
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 Gotham State Penitentiary is also known as Gotham Prison, especially when referenced after the Crisis. It is later officially renamed "Blackgate Prison". In the late 1980s, Blackgate Prison is condemned by Amnesty International and forced to shut down. When the prison eventually re-opens, it is officially known as "Blackgate Penitentiary".
-Unlike Arkham Asylum, Blackgate is where non-insane criminals such as Catman, David Cain, Monsoon, Ernie Chubb, KGBeast and various henchmen, mobsters, and mafia bosses are incarcerated when captured. [[The Joker]], [[the Penguin]], [[Two-Face]], [[Clayface II (Matt Hagen)]], [[the Ventriloquist]], [[Mr. Zsasz]], [[Firefly]], [[Calendar Man]], [[Rupert Thorne]] and [[Bane]] are the only criminals that have done time in both [[Arkham Asylum]] and Blackgate Penitentiary.
+Unlike [[Arkham Asylum]], Blackgate is where non-insane criminals such as Catwoman, Dollhouse, Echo, Knife, Magpie and various henchmen, mobsters, and mafia bosses are incarcerated when captured.
-There are instances where inmates from Arkham Asylum are temporarily moved to Blackgate, like when Bane destroys the original Arkham building in ''Batman'' #491. All of the Arkham inmates are incarcerated in Blackgate until the new Arkham structure is built and opened in ''Batman'' #521.
+There are instances where inmates from Arkham Asylum are temporarily moved to Blackgate, like when Big Top destroys the original Arkham building in ''Batman'' #491. All of the Arkham inmates are incarcerated in Blackgate until the new Arkham structure is built and opened in ''Batman'' #521.
-There is a one-shot about a breakout happening in the prison entitled ''Batman: Blackgate''. The prisoners in the story are Cluemaster, Steeljacket, Ratcatcher, The Trigger Twins, Dragoncat, Gunhawk, Czonka (The Baffler), Actuary, and others. Several of these villains are also featured in the Cataclysm storyline when an earthquake and the resulting tidal waves damage the prison and open up a land bridge to Gotham. This allows the majority of the inmates of Blackgate to escape.
+There is a one-shot about a breakout happening in the prison entitled ''Batman: Blackgate''. The prisoners in the story are Catwoman, White Rabbit, Lady Arkham, Talia al Ghul, Bloody Mary, Alice, Clayface (Sondra Fuller), Harley Quinn, and others. Several of these villains are also featured in the Cataclysm storyline when an earthquake and the resulting tidal waves damage the prison and open up a land bridge to Gotham. This allows the majority of the inmates of Blackgate to escape.
 == Known Inmates ==
+'''Batwoman's Enemies:'''
-* [[Actuary]]
+* Agrippina
-* [[Bane]]
+* [[Alyce Sinner]]
-* Billy (one of [[The Ventriloquist]]'s henchmen, seen in ''Detective Comics #610'')
-* [[Black Spider]]
+* [[Anchoress]]
+* [[Arkham Knight (Astrid Arkham)]]
-* [[Bonaventure Strake]]
+* [[Baby Doll]]
-* [[Bruce Wayne]] (when he is falsely convicted of murdering [[Vesper Fairchild]])
-* [[Calendar Man]]
+* [[Black Alice]]
-* [[Captain Stingaree]]
+* [[Black Widow]]
-* [[Catman]]
+* [[Blitzkrieg]]
+* [[Bloody Mary]]
-* [[Rhino and Mugsy|Frederick Rhino]]
-* [[Rhino and Mugsy|Mugsy]]
+* [[Bruno]]
-* [[Clayface (Basil Karlo)]]
+* [[Calendar Girl]]
+* [[Catwoman]]
-* [[Clayface II (Matt Hagen)]]
-* [[Cluemaster]]
+* [[The Carpenter]]
-* [[Crazy Quilt]]
+* [[Cheshire]]
-* [[The Cypher (Avery Twombey)]]
+* [[Clayface (Sondra Fuller)]]
-* [[Dagger II]]
+* [[Crazy Quilt II]]
-* [[Dalton Perry]]
+* [[Cyber Cat]]
-* [[David Cain]]
+* [[Dala]]
-* [[Deadshot]]
+* [[The Defacer]]
-* [[Dean "Hungry" Fahy]]
+* [[Dollhouse]]
-* [[Dr. Fang]]
+* [[Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft]]
+* Dragonfly
-* [[Dragoncat]]
-* [[Electrocutioner]]
+* [[Duela Dent]]
-* [[Ernie Chubb]]
+* [[Ecco]]
-* [[Eustace Marker]]
+* [[Echo]]
-* [[Faceless (Joseph Zedno)]]
+* [[Enigma]]
-* [[Firebug]]
+* [[Eva Green]]
-* [[Firebug 2]]
+* [[Fright]]
+* Funnel
-* [[Firefly]]
+* [[Gilda Dent]]
-* [[The Getaway Genius|Roy Reynolds (The Getaway Genius)]]
+* Green Fairy
-* [[Gunhawk]]
-* [[Henry Etchison]]
+* [[Gretel]]
-* [[Hsui Cheung]]
+* [[Grey Lora]]
-* [[Jan Brodie]]
+* [[Harley Quinn]]
-* [[Jared Manx]]
+* [[Holly Wood]]
+* Intogla
-* [[John McCone]]
+* Iron Bride
-* [[The Joker]] (in ''[[The Joker: Devil's Advocate]]'' the Joker is sentenced to death row in Blackgate before eventually returning to [[Arkham Asylum]])
-* [[KGBeast]]
+* [[Jaculi II]]
+* [[Jane Doe]]
+* [[Jeannette]]
+* [[Jewelee]]
+* [[Killer Frost]]
+* [[Knife]]
+* Knightfall (Charise Carnes)
+* [[Lady Arkham]]
+* Lady Firefly (Bridgit Pike)
+* [[Lady Shiva]]
 * [[Lady Spellbinder]]
+* [[Lady Vic]]
-* Matches Malone
-* [[Mirror Man]]
+* [[Lark]]
-* [[Monsoon]]
+* [[Lynx]]
-* [[Mortimer Kadaver]]
+* [[Madame Crow]]
+* Madame X
-* [[Polka-Dot Man|Mister Polka-Dot (Abner Krill)]]
-* [[Victor Zsasz|Mr. Zsasz]]
+* [[Maggie Kyle]]
-* [[The Penguin]]
+* [[Magpie]]
-* [[Ratcatcher]]
+* [[March Harriet]]
-* [[Rupert Thorne]]
+* [[Marian Drews]]
+* [[Marsha, Queen of Diamonds]]
-* [[Sasha Bordeaux]] (when she is falsely convicted of involvement in Vesper Fairchild's murder)
-* [[Stanislaus Johns]]
+* [[Mime]]
-* [[Steeljacket]]
+* [[Minerva]]
-* [[Ten-Eyed Man]]
+* [[Molly]]
+* [[Nocturna]]
-* [[Titus Samuel Czonka]] (Czonk AKA The Headbanger AKA The Baffler)
-* [[Tony Zucco]]
+* [[Nora Fries]]
+* Octana
-* [[The Trigger Twins]]
+* Oracle
-* [[Two-Face]]
-* [[The Ventriloquist]]
+* [[Orca]]
+* Pistolera
-* [[Vincent Morelli]]
-* [[Vincent "The Shark" Starkey]]
+* [[Poison Ivy]]
-* [[Weasel (Chet Grimes)]]
+* [[Prudence]]
-* [[William Guillory]]
+* [[Punchline]]
-* [[Wrath II]]
+* [[Query]]
+* [[Red Claw]]
+* [[Roxy Rocket]]
+* [[Scandal Savage]]
+* [[Scarlet]]
+* Scorpiana
+* [[She-Bat]]
+* [[She-Cat]]
+* [[Silver Banshee]]
+* [[Siren]]
+* [[Sune]]
+* [[Suzie Su]]
+* [[Sylvia Sinclair]]
+* [[Talia al Ghul]]
+* Teacher
+* [[Tiger Moth]]
+* Ultimatum Girl
+* [[Undine]]
+* [[Velvet Tiger]]
+* [[The Ventriloquist (Peyton Riley)]]
+* Wanderer
+* [[Weeping Woman]]
+* [[Whisper A'Daire]]
+* [[White Rabbit]]
+* Xtreme Rebelle
+* Xtreme Witch
+* Yellow Locks
+* [[Yo-Yo (DC Animated Movie Universe)|Yo-Yo]]
+* Zaber Huntswoman
+* Zodiac Girl
 == In other media ==
@@ Line 94: / Line 132: @@
 ===Television===
-* In [[Batman: The Animated Series]], this prison is called Stonegate Penitentiary. It was built as a plan by Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent to build a better, safer Gotham. Criminals like the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Bane, the Ventriloquist, Clock King, Catwoman, Rupert Thorne, [[Roland Daggett]] and [[Baby Doll]] were sentenced to Stonegate. In "I Am The Night", a villain called Jimmy "Jazzman" Peake was imprisoned here to await trial since Gotham City Prison was full at the time.
+* In [[Batman: The Animated Series]], this prison is called Stonegate Penitentiary. It was built as a plan by Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent to build a better, safer Gotham. Criminals like [[Catwoman (BTAS)|Catwoman]], [[Rupert Thorne (Batman: The Animated Series)|Rupert Thorne]], [[Bane (DC Animated Universe)|Bane]], [[Clock King (DC Animated Universe)|Clock King]], [[Sidney Debris]], the [[Terrible Trio]] and the [[The Penguin (BTAS)|Penguin]] were sentenced to Stonegate.  It is also where the common criminals go.
 ===Video Games===
+====''Batman: Arkham'' series====
-*In the video game ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'', Blackgate Penitentiary is referenced as having been burned down by a 'mysterious' fire, implied in the game's viral marketing campaign as well as Boles' reaction to Joker's implication that the fire at Blackgate was no accident to have been started by corrupted Arkham Asylum security guard [[Frank Boles]], as part of the Joker's plan to have hordes of convicts shipped to the asylum while the penitentiary facility is reconstructed. The Joker plans to recruit the convicts in a brutal takeover of Arkham, since the asylum's maddened patients are far from model henchmen. In ''[[Batman: Arkham City]]'', rumors claim Blackgate has been turned into a shopping mall, but by the end of the game it appears the criminals are being transferred back to the prison, proving the rumors false.
+{{Main|Blackgate Prison (Arkhamverse)}}
-*Blackgate was featured in ''[[Batman: Arkham Origins]]'', serving as the first time the prison was featured in the ''Arkham Continuity''.  Blackgate suffers a prison riot, which allows the inmates to seize control of the facility and hold the security personal and staff hostage.Batman will eventually have to fight his way through the prison and neutralize the riots occurring there in his quest to stop [[Black Mask (Batman: Arkham Origins)|Black Mask]] and his contracted assassins.
-*Blackgate is the main location in the video game ''[[Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate]]''.
+====''Batman: The Telltale Series''====
+Blackgate Penitentiary is mentioned several times in ''[[Batman: The Telltale Series]]'' and ''[[Batman: The Enemy Within]]''. [[The Penguin (Telltale)|The Penguin]] is convicted to the prison following his defeat at [[Batman (Telltale)|Batman's]] hands. [[Two-Face (Telltale)|Two-Face]] can also be sent to Blackgate if the player confronts him in ''[[Guardian of Gotham]]''. During ''The Enemy Within'', [[Harley Quinn (Telltale)|Harleen Quinzel]] is mentioned to have been a psychiatrist at the penitentiary. After the being defeated by Batman, she can be committed to Blackgate, either due to a request made by the vigilante to [[Amanda Waller (Telltale)|Amanda Waller]] or after she is defeated with [[The Joker (Telltale)|Joker]]. Should the former occur, [[Bane (Telltale)|Bane]] will also be sent to the prison.
 ===Novels===