Warning! SPOILERS for The Batman.
Following a major death in The Batman's final act, Gotham City is perfectly primed to become a dynamic character in its own right, receiving an evolution that can make it better than the Gotham seen in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Director Matt Reeves seems to have a very clear vision for what The Batman's city is meant to become, a transformation largely inspired by the comics themselves. This is evident with the death of mob boss Carmine Falcone, which becomes a key turning point for Gotham City moving forward.
Played by John Turturro, Carmine Falcone is Gotham's biggest crime boss. Known as "The Roman" in the comics due to his expansive criminal empire, Falcone is seen as Gotham's "real" mayor, having a plethora of police and politicians under his thumb to manipulate the city as he sees fit. Best known for his role and death in The Long Halloween storyline from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, the fall of the Roman leads the city's transformation, the void he left behind being filled by the dawn of the supercriminal (Batman's rogues' gallery).
The same holds true for the death of Carmine Falcone in The Batman at the hands of the Riddler (Paul Dano). Falcone was proven to be the "rat brought into the light" as described in one of the villain's riddles. Once Batman took Falcone into custody, it was the perfect opportunity for Riddler to end Falcone's life using a sniper rifle, upending the criminal hierarchy of Gotham in a massive paradigm shift. For example, Falcone's lieutenant Oswald Cobblepot is preparing to consolidate power as the Penguin while the end of the film also teases a future alliance between the Riddler and the Joker. While still a romantic interest of Batman, even Catwoman was set up to come into her own as a bigger cat burglar following Carmine's death. While this evolution of Gotham is something that carries a large focus at the end of The Batman, the end of Falcone and what it meant for the city's future is not nearly as significant in The Dark Knight trilogy.
Following The Batman, Bruce Wayne's city is ready to evolve into the Gotham as it's known in the modern era of comics, complete with a vast rogues' gallery to serve as different aspects of its new personality. There's the Gotham before Falcone's death and the Gotham that comes after, becoming a character in its own right in the Batman mythos. While Batman Begins spent the majority of its focus on Batman's origins and his conflicts with Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul, The Batman taps into the core origins of Gotham itself.
It's going to be interesting to see where Matt Reeves' vision for Gotham goes from here. Colin Farrell is set to reprise his role as the Penguin for an HBO Max series detailing his rise to power after Falcone's death, and future sequels and spin-offs will no doubt feature other avenues where Batman will need to contend with the changes his city has undergone following the death of such a key figure. Falcone's death was necessary for The Batman, as it made Gotham its own character complete with an evolving criminal element Bruce Wayne will have to prepare for going forward.
