James Gordon (comics)

For his son, see James Gordon, Jr..
Commissioner James Gordon

Detail from the cover art for Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Commissioner Gordon #1 (December 2010).
Art by Shane Davis
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Detective Comics #27
(May 1939)
Created by Bill Finger
Bob Kane (credited, but involvement is disputed)
Lawrence Donovan
Henry Ralston
John Nanovic
In-story information
Full name James W. Gordon, Sr.
Team affiliations Gotham City Police Department
United States Marine Corps
Supporting character of Batman
Robin
Notable aliases Batman (2015-2016)
Abilities
  • Military- and policed-trained tactician, marksman, and hand-to-hand combatant
  • Trained in criminology
  • New 52: Exceptional physical condition

Commissioner James Gordon[1] is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), also Batman's first appearance. The character was created by Bill Finger, but credited to Bob Kane. Gordon's name was taken from the earlier pulp character Commissioner James W. "Wildcat" Gordon, also known as "The Whisperer", created in 1936 by Henry Ralston, John Nanovic, and Lawrence Donovan for Street & Smith. Commissioner Gordon made his debut as an ally of Batman, making him the first Batman supporting character ever to be introduced.[2]

In most incarnations of the Batman mythos, James Gordon is the Police Commissioner of Gotham City. He shares Batman's deep commitment to ridding the city of crime. In Golden and Silver Age Comics and on the 1960s Batman television show, he fully trusts, and is even somewhat dependent on Batman. In most modern stories, he is somewhat skeptical of Batman's vigilante methods, but nevertheless believes that Gotham needs him. The two have a mutual respect and tacit friendship. He has been married twice: to Barbara Kean, and then to Sarah Essen Gordon. Gordon is also the father of James Gordon, Jr. and the father or adoptive father (depending on the continuity) of Barbara Gordon, the first modern Batgirl and the information broker Oracle.

James Gordon is an important part of the Batman mythos and has appeared in most other media adaptations of the character. This has included video games, animation, and the live-action films. Gordon has been played by Lyle Talbot in the serial film Batman and Robin, Neil Hamilton in the television series Batman, Pat Hingle in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher film series, Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight film series, Ben McKenzie in the television series Gotham, and J. K. Simmons in Zack Snyder's Justice League Part One.[3] In 2011, James Gordon placed 19th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. Beginning with Batman #41[4] in June 2015, Gordon himself became the new Batman following Wayne's apparent death in Batman #40,[5] until the latter returned to take the cowl once more in Batman #50.[6]

Fictional character biography

Gordon had served in the United States Marine Corps prior to becoming a police officer. This gave him a set of skills that would serve useful in the future. In most versions of the Batman mythos, James Gordon is at one point or another depicted as Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. Gordon frequently contacts Batman for help in solving various crimes, particularly those committed by supervillains. Generally it is Gordon who uses the Batsignal to summon Batman, and it has become a running joke of sorts that the Dark Knight will often disappear in the middle of the discussion when Gordon's back is turned. Gordon is usually silver-haired, tall and thin with a mustache and glasses. In most incarnations, he is seen wearing a trenchcoat and a tie along with a suit. On occasion, he wears a fedora. He is also sometimes pictured with a cane, although it is not revealed why he uses it. Because DC Comics retconned its characters' history in the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, and because of different interpretations in television and film, the details of Gordon's history vary from story to story.

Early characterizations

In the original pre-Crisis version of his history, Gordon is a police detective who initially resents the mysterious vigilante's interference in police business. He first appears in Detective Comics #27, in the very first Batman story, in which they both investigate the murder of a chemical industrialist. Although Batman fights on the side of justice, his methods and phenomenal track record for stopping crimes and capturing criminals embarrasses the police by comparison. Eventually, Batman meets up with Gordon and persuades the detective that they need each other's help. Batman is deputized and works with Gordon as an agent of the law.

In Batman Special #1, it's revealed that Gordon, as a young cop, shot and killed two robbers in self-defense in front of their son. The results of this event would lead the boy to become the first Wrath, a cop killer with a costume and motif inspired by Batman, who would come after Gordon for revenge years later.

Post-Crisis

Batman: Year One

Cover to Batman #407, featuring Batman and Jim Gordon, by David Mazzucchelli

The post-Crisis version of the character was introduced in the 1987 storyline Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller. In this version, James W. Gordon is transferred back to Gotham City after spending more than 15 years in Chicago. A man of integrity, Gordon finds that Batman is his only ally against the mob-controlled administration. One of the most significant differences in this version is that Batman is never deputized and Gordon's relationship with him is kept out of the public eye whenever possible. It is also added that he is a special forces veteran who is capable in hand-to-hand combat; he retaliates against an intimidation attempt by corrupt fellow officers with equal violence. He is depicted as having an extra-marital affair with a fellow detective, Sarah Essen. Essen and Gordon correctly deduce Batman's identity at one point, but never investigate their guess more fully in order to confirm it. Gordon breaks off their affair after being blackmailed by the corrupt Police Commissioner, Gillian B. Loeb. Mob boss Carmine Falcone sends his nephew, Johnny Viti, to abduct Gordon's family; Batman saves them, however, and helps Gordon expose Loeb's corruption. After Loeb resigns, Gordon is promoted to Captain.

The 1998 miniseries Gordon of Gotham takes place nearly 20 years prior to the current events of the DC Universe and two months before his arrival in Gotham in Batman: Year One. It reveals that Gordon, during his tenure in Chicago, struggled with his wife over conceiving a child while taking university night classes in criminology. He becomes a minor celebrity after a foiling a late-night robbery attempt. However, after deciding to investigate a corrupt fellow officer, he is assaulted and discredited. Gordon then uncovers evidence of rigging in the city council election and brings down two of his fellow officers, which leads to his commander recommending that he take a detective position opening in Gotham.

The story Wrath Child, published in Batman Confidential, issues 13-16 retcons that Gordon started his career in Gotham, but transferred to Chicago after shooting a corrupt cop and his wife (the parents of the original Wrath). The transfer was arranged by Loeb, then a captain, in an attempt to keep himself and his fellow corrupt cops from being exposed. Loeb threatens the future Wrath's life in order to force Gordon to comply with the transfer. Gordon later transfers back to Gotham around the same time Batman starts his career.

While still a Lieutenant in the force, Gordon convinces Loeb's successor to implement the Bat-Signal as a means to contact Batman and also to frighten criminals. It is around this time that the first Robin, Dick Grayson, becomes Batman's sidekick. Gordon initially disapproves of a child joining in Batman's adventures, but soon grows to not only accept the boy but trust him as much as he does Batman.

In the following years, Gordon quickly rises to the rank of Commissioner after he and Batman weed out corruption within the department. After the death of his brother and sister-in-law, he adopts his niece, Barbara. Soon after he adopts Barbara, he divorces his wife, who returned to Chicago with their son James, while he retains custody of Barbara, who eventually becomes Batgirl. Gordon quickly deduces the heroine's true identity, and attempts to confront her about it, going so far as to search her bedroom for proof. However, he was semi-tricked out of this belief, when Batman (after sanctioning Batgirl officially) had Robin dress up as Batgirl while Barbara is on the roof with her father. Gordon would continue to believe his daughter is indeed Batgirl, but would not confront her about it again, until years later.

Batman: The Killing Joke

In the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, the Joker kidnaps Gordon after shooting and paralyzing Barbara. He then cages Gordon in the freak show of an abandoned amusement park and forces him to look at enlarged photos of his wounded daughter in an effort to drive him insane, thus proving to Batman that even seemingly normal people can lose their minds after having "one bad day". Batman eventually apprehends the Joker and rescues Gordon. Despite the intense trauma he has endured, Gordon's sanity and ethical code are intact; he insists that Batman apprehend the Joker without harming him in order to "show him that our way works."

Marriage

Soon after Sarah Essen returns to Gordon's life, they rekindle their romance and get engaged. However, Essen cannot comprehend why Gordon needs Batman so much, which occasionally puts a strain on their relationship.

In Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #2, shortly before their planned wedding, former Lieutenant Flass (Gordon's former partner) beats Gordon and kidnaps James Jr. for ransom in exchange for letting a corrupt judge go free. Batman saves James Jr., while Gordon, Essen, Flass and the judge are trapped and must work together to escape.

For a brief period following the Knightfall and Prodigal storylines, Gordon is removed from his post as Commissioner and replaced by his own wife, due partly to his own disinclination to trust Batman after two substitutes — Jean-Paul Valley and Dick Grayson — assume the role and do not bother to tell him about the switch.

No Man's Land

The No Man's Land storyline takes place after Gotham is destroyed by an earthquake and isolated from outside assistance. Inside Gotham, Gordon struggles to maintain order in the midst of a crime wave. Batman is mysteriously absent for the initial three months, and Gordon feels betrayed. He forges an uneasy alliance with Two-Face, but the partnership doesn't last; Two-Face kidnaps Gordon, putting him on trial for breaking their "legally binding" alliance. Gordon escapes, however, and later meets with Batman once again. In this confrontation, Gordon berates Batman for letting Gotham "fall into ruin". Batman offers to prove his trust by revealing his secret identity, but Gordon refuses to look when Batman removes his mask. Eventually, the two repair their friendship.

At the end of the No Man's Land storyline, the Joker kills Sarah Essen-Gordon. An enraged Gordon barely restrains himself from killing Joker, shooting the Joker's knee instead.[2] Not long afterward, Gordon is shot by a criminal seeking revenge for a previous arrest. Though seriously injured, he survives, and eventually makes a full recovery.

Retirement

Gordon retires from the police force after having served for more than 20 years. He remains in Gotham, and occasionally enjoys nighttime visits from Batman. Despite being retired, Gordon often finds himself drawn to a series of life-and-death circumstances, such as the Joker sending him flowers during Last Laugh, or being contacted by the temporarily reformed Harvey Dent to stop Batman from killing the Joker, to being kidnapped by Francis Sullivan, grandson of one of Gotham's notorious serial killers, during the Made of Wood[7] storyline. After the attack by Sullivan, Batman gives Gordon an encrypted cellphone, the so-called Batphone, in case he needs to contact him, which also carries a transmitter in case of trouble.[8] He also still has contacts with the country's law enforcement agencies, which the sheriff's departments request Gordon to contact Batman to help investigating a series of unusual murders on a suburb territory outside the city's limits; it turns out to be a paranormal case involving black magic, occult rituals, and the supernatural.[9] Commissioner Michael Akins has taken his position, with many officers expressing reluctance to follow him. Even Harvey Bullock at one point attempts to humiliate Akins in front of other officers.[10]

After Barbara requires surgery to counter the life-threatening effects of the Brainiac virus, Gordon visits her in Metropolis. She reveals to him her current role as Oracle, as well as her past as Batgirl. Gordon admits that he knew of her life as Batgirl, but is pleasantly surprised to know of her second career as Oracle.

Return

As part of DC's "One Year Later", Gordon has once again become Gotham's Police Commissioner.[2] He rebuilds the Bat-Signal, but still carries the mobile Batphone that Batman gave him. The circumstances behind this are currently unknown, though there have been allusions to extreme corruption within the GCPD. These allusions are supported by events within Gotham Central, especially involving Detective Jim Corrigan. Gordon survives an attempt on his life by the Joker (Batman #655), who had drugged him with Joker Venom in an attack on the GCPD. He is taken to the hospital in time.

Blackest Night

During the Blackest Night crossover, while mourning the passing of the original Batman, who was apparently killed in action during Final Crisis, Gordon and his daughter witness Green Lantern crash into the Bat-Signal, after being assaulted by a reanimated version of the deceased Martian Manhunter.[11] After offering the hero a spare car, the Gordons then find themselves fighting for their lives against the reanimated versions of the original Batman's rogues gallery at Gotham Central, where Gordon makes short work of serial killer Abattoir (in Black Lantern form) with a shotgun. They are rescued by the current Dark Knight, Robin, Red Robin, and Deadman, but are later attacked by Batman and Red Robin's parents, the reanimated Graysons and the Drakes.[12] While Batman and Red Robin battle the Black Lanterns, Robin takes the Gordons to their underground base. It is later shown that Alfred Pennyworth tends his wounds (Gordon is unconscious, thus protecting the team's secret identities) along with Barbara's at the bunker's infirmary.[13]

The New 52

Commissioner Gordon as the new Batman. Art by Greg Capullo.

In The New 52, Gordon is still the commissioner of the GCPD and a former Marine but is younger than his traditional portrayal; he still has the red hair and mustache from Batman: Year One. He is still married to his wife Barbara, and he and Barbara are the biological parents of Barbara "Babs" Gordon (aka Batgirl).

During the Forever Evil storyline, Commissioner Gordon enters Blackgate Penitentiary in order to save the warden.[14] When a turf war erupts between the Arkham inmates, Gordon helps to evacuate the citizens from Gotham City.[15]

In Batman Eternal, the storyline begins when Gordon is tricked into shooting at an unarmed suspect in an underground train station, resulting in a train derailing and Gordon being arrested.[16] While incarcerated, Gordon is visited by his son,[17] who makes arrangements to leave his father's cell open and provide him with an opportunity to escape Blackgate, believing that his father's actions are the result of him at least subconsciously acknowledging the 'truth' that Gotham is beyond saving and his attempts to be a hero are pointless.[18] However, despite his doubts, Gordon decides to remain in prison, concluding that Gotham is still worth saving and simply musing that he may just be getting old and made a mistake.[19] Although villains such as the Penguin attempt to attack Gordon while in prison, Gordon uses Batman's example to inspire fear in his 'fellow inmates' with minimal effort until he is released as the final assault on Gotham begins, proceeding to rally all of Gotham to stand up and take back their city to aid Batman for everything he has ever done for them.[20]

Following Bruce Wayne's apparent death in battle with the Joker during the events of Batman #40,[21] Gordon took up the mantle of Batman using a mecha style suit to fight crime in Gotham City. Gordon first appears as Batman in Divergence #1, a DC Comics 2015 Free Comic Book Day issue, in which he is shown to be sponsored by the mega-corp Powers International. He also notes that this is "the worst idea in the history of Gotham," as he suits up,[22] but agreed to the offer when various sources argued that there was nobody else capable of understanding Gotham the way Batman had done over the years, Gordon contemplating the merits of a Batman who works with the system rather than outside it.[23] However, he begins to recognize the problems of this approach when he discovers that some of his past arrests have been murdered while out on parole and he is forbidden from investigating the crime himself.[24] Gordon later meets the currently-depowered Superman when Clark comes to Gotham to investigate evidence that the weapons currently being used against him were created in Gotham, but their initial meeting results in a fight as Superman doesn't believe that Gordon is the new Batman and Gordon doubts Superman due to him currently working with Luthor.[25] He later works with the Justice League to investigate the death of a large monster, the heroes noting after the case has concluded that Batman's high opinion of his abilities was well-founded. Despite Gordon's best efforts, political issues in the department result in new villain Mr Bloom destroying his armour and mounting a massive assault on Gotham, prompting the amnesic Bruce Wayne- ironically inspired by a conversation with the equally-amnesic Joker- to try and reclaim his role as Batman.[26] The crisis concludes with Bloom defeated by the returned Batman using some of Gordon's equipment while working with his old ally, the return of the true Batman prompting the GCPD to shut down the program and restore Gordon to his role as commissioner, Gordon musing that the world needs Batman to face its nightmares so that normal human beings can learn to cope with the more regular problems.[27]

Gordon and Batman's identity

In most versions of the mythos, Gordon is ignorant of Batman's identity. There is usually the implication Gordon is smart enough to solve the mystery, but chooses not to in order to preserve Batman's effectiveness and maintain his own plausible deniability. In the 1966 Batman film, Gordon explicitly states his desire not to know for such a reason. In Batman: Year One, Gordon claims not to see the unmasked Batman well (whom his wife at that time, Barbara, also sees) because he doesn't have his glasses on. Gordon suspects early on that Bruce Wayne may be Batman, though he never follows up on his suspicions, although Sarah Essen is correct in her suspicions, even guessing Bruce's motivation. In Batman: The Animated Series, Gordon has implied he deliberately avoids deep investigation on the subject of Batman or Batgirl's identity.

Likewise, in the 1980s Detective Comics storyline Blind Justice, the world at large incorrectly supposes Batman is dead and Gordon comments to Bruce Wayne that Batman has earned the right to retirement if he so desires. He then rather pointedly asks Bruce's advice on whether or not he should reveal that Batman still lives.

When Hugo Strange attempted to determine Batman's identity early in his career, he began his research by focusing on muggings and murders committed in the last few years based on the idea that Batman was prompted into his current role by a traumatic loss as a result of criminal activity, prompting Gordon- upon learning of Strange's research- to reflect that Strange had already made a mistake as he was underestimating the physical demands that would be required for Batman to have reached his current level of skill by looking at crimes committed such a short time ago, suggesting that Gordon had already considered such an avenue of investigation (Even if he may or may not have followed it up).

During No Man's Land, Batman attempts to regain Gordon's trust by revealing his identity. Gordon refuses to look at him after he removes the cowl, however, stating that if he wanted to know Batman's identity, he could have figured it out years ago, and even cryptically saying, "And for all you know, maybe I did."

During the Hush story arc, while working with Superman, Batman discusses whether or not Perry White has figured out Superman's secret identity. Theorizing that White is too good a reporter to not have figured it out, he draws the same comparison to himself and Gordon, stating that Gordon is too good a cop to not have figured it out. In that same story arc, Gordon, in an attempt to stop Batman from killing the Joker, tells Batman to remember who his role models are (his parents) and the beliefs they instilled in him. Plus, he asks Batman to remember who and what made him who he is, a rather obvious reference to the criminal who gunned down his parents in front of him, suggesting that Gordon knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman.

Barbara reveals her identities to her father in Birds of Prey #89. Gordon then reveals that he was well aware of her status as the first Batgirl all along, though he purposefully avoided looking into what she was doing after she was paralyzed. Batman chides her for revealing herself, saying it was a mistake, but she counters that, while he taught her to fight criminals, it was her father who taught her to be human.

In Blackest Night: Batman, Gordon is present when Deadman refers to the current Batman as "Grayson" and after the current Robin took Gordon and his daughter to the new Batman's underground base. It is implied that Gordon is unconscious when they meet Alfred Pennyworth.

At the conclusion of Batman: The Black Mirror, Gordon strongly implies to Dick Grayson that he is aware of the secret identities of Grayson and the Waynes, when he thanks Grayson for everything he had done for him over the course of the story. Grayson attempts to brush this off, thinking Gordon meant only the forensic assistance he had given, from which Gordon cuts him off, saying "I mean, thank you....for everything." A long moment of silence follows, and Grayson accepts his thanks.

Knowledge in other continuities

In Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Gordon and Bruce Wayne are portrayed as close friends in their civilian identities, with Gordon having discovered his identity years before around the time of Bruce's retirement in his mid-forties.

In the Batman: Year 100 storyline, which takes place in 2039, Captain Jim Gordon, grandson of Commissioner Gordon, finds an old laptop in the attic of a country home owned by Gordon and discovers a secret file which he assumes contains long-lost information on Batman. After unsuccessfully trying numerous passwords with relevance to the Batman universe he inputs "Bruce Wayne" and is granted access to the file contents.

In the Flashpoint universe, Gordon knows about Thomas Wayne's identity as Batman and works with him in both his identities.

In the Batman - Vampire trilogy in the Elseworlds series, Gordon is shown to be aware of Batman's connection to Alfred Pennyworth by the second novel in the trilogy, working with Alfred as Batman succumbs to his new, darker nature, but his knowledge of Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne is virtually irrelevant as Batman had abandoned his life as Bruce Wayne after he was transformed into a full vampire while fighting Dracula.

As in most continuities, Gordon decides in the Christopher Nolan trilogy that he prefers to remain ignorant of Batman's identity and agrees that his anonymity - even in death - has sociological value. Immediately prior to Batman's apparent self-sacrifice near the end of The Dark Knight Rises, Gordon learns the truth when Batman makes a reference to Gordon's kindness to him as a child. Following Batman's apparent death in a nuclear detonation, Gordon attends Wayne's empty-casket burial with Blake and Wayne's/Batman's confidants, Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox.

Family

Pre-Crisis

Tony Gordon

In Pre-Crisis continuity, James Gordon is the biological father of Anthony "Tony" Gordon. Originally referred to as a college student, Tony later disappears while hiding from Communist spies. He is later reunited with his sister Barbara and dies in a battle with the Sino-Supermen (Batman Family #12, Detective Comics #482).[28] In Post-Crisis continuity, there has been no mention of Tony Gordon.

Barbara "Babs" Gordon

Main article: Barbara Gordon

Barbara "Babs" Gordon is the biological daughter of James Gordon in Pre-Crisis continuity. She also leads a double life as a librarian and as costumed crimefighter Batgirl. Barbara is also the link of the DC Universe Oracle. Her father is aware of her crime-fighting career, and is proud of her for it.

Post-Crisis

Barbara Eileen Gordon

Barbara Eileen Gordon (born: Barbara Eileen Kean)[29] is Gordon's ex-wife. In one Post-Crisis story, Gordon and Babs visit the grave of his late wife. This story is later retconned and it is revealed that she is not dead, but instead they are divorced and she is living in Chicago with their son, James Gordon, Jr.

In Batman: Year One, Bruce Wayne returns home to Gotham City after 12 years abroad, training for his eventual one-man war on crime; Lieutenant James Gordon moves to Gotham with his pregnant wife, Barbara, after a transfer from Chicago. Both are swiftly acquainted with the corruption and violence of Gotham City, with Gordon witnessing his partner Detective Arnold Flass assaulting a teen for fun.

Bruce goes in disguise on a surveillance mission in the seedy East End, where teenage prostitute Holly Robinson propositions him. He is drawn into a brawl with her pimp and several prostitutes, including dominatrix Selina Kyle. One of the two reporting police officers shoot him and take him in their squad car, but a dazed and bleeding Wayne maneuvers his handcuffed hands in front of himself, and demands the police get out. The cops try to subdue him, but the ensuing struggle causes the police car to careen out of control, and flips. Wayne flees, but not before dragging the police to a safe distance. He reaches Wayne Manor, barely alive, and sits before his father’s bust, requesting guidance in his war on crime. A bat crashes through a window and settles on the bust, giving him inspiration.

Gordon works to rid corruption from the force, but on orders from Commissioner Gillian Loeb, several masked officers attack him, including Flass, who threatens Gordon’s pregnant wife. Gordon tracks Flass down, beats him up, and leaves him naked and handcuffed in the snow.

As Gordon becomes a minor celebrity for his bravery on the job, Batman strikes for the first time, attacking a group of thieves and gaining experience. Batman soon works up the ladder, even attacking Flass while he was accepting a bribe. He gains a reputation of being a supernatural being and inhuman, due to his use of speed and darkness to conceal himself. Two months after Batman arrived, the crime and corruption has declined. After Batman interrupts a dinner party attended by many of Gotham’s corrupt politicians and crime bosses, including Carmine "The Roman" Falcone to threaten their criminal organization, Loeb orders Gordon to bring him in by any means necessary.

As Gordon tries in vain to catch him, Batman attacks Falcone, stripping him naked and tying him up in his bed after dumping his car in the river. Assistant district attorney Harvey Dent becomes Batman’s first ally and he conceals this from Gordon.

Detective Sarah Essen suggests Wayne as a Batman suspect and she and Gordon witness Batman save an old woman from a runaway truck. Essen holds Batman at gunpoint, but Batman disarms her and flees to an abandoned building. Loeb fraudulently orders a bomb dropped on it, forcing Batman into the fortified basement. A SWAT team is sent in, led by trigger-happy Lieutenant Branden, whom Batman attempts to trap in the basement. Branden manages to climb out of the trap through a collapsed chimney, and joins in the gun battle. Enraged as the team’s careless gunfire injures several people outside, Batman beats the team into submission, but is wounded during the fighting. Using a signal device to attract the bats of his cave to distract the police and conceal himself, Batman escapes amid the chaos. Selina Kyle, after witnessing him in action, dons a costume of her own to begin the life as Catwoman.

Gordon has a brief affair with Essen, while Batman intimidates a drug dealer for information. The dealer goes to Gordon to testify against Flass, who is brought up on charges. Loeb blackmails Gordon with proof of his affair against pressing charges. After taking Barbara with him to investigate Wayne's connection to Batman, Gordon confesses the affair to her. Bruce avoids Gordons suspicions by appearing with a woman over and heavily drinking, though he is actually faking all of it.

Batman sneaks into Falcone’s manor and overhears a plan against Gordon but is interrupted when Catwoman, hoping to build a reputation after her robberies were pinned on Batman, attacks Falcone and his bodyguards, aided by Batman. Identifying Falcone’s plan as the morning comes, the un-costumed Bruce leaves to help Gordon.

Gordon tries to rebuild his relationship with his family after Essen leaves Gotham. While leaving home, Gordon spots a motorcyclist enter his garage. Suspicious, Gordon enters to see Falcone’s nephew Johnny Vitti and his thugs holding his family hostage. Gordon realizes if he lets them go, they will most likely kill his wife and son. Therefore, Gordon shoots the thugs and chases Vitti, who has fled with his baby son James Gordon, Jr. Bruce Wayne, on a motorcycle, also rushes to chase Vitti. Gordon blows out Vitti's car tire on a bridge and the two fight, with Gordon losing his glasses, before Vitti and James Gordon Jr. fall over the side. Bruce leaps over the railing and saves the baby. Gordon realizes that he is standing before an unmasked Batman, but says that he is "practically blind without [his] glasses" and lets Bruce go.

Gordon and his wife start attending marriage counseling. Loeb is forced into early retirement and that means he is arrested and on trial. Falcone is the hospital and will be head to prison pretty soon when he heals, while Flass makes a deal with prosecutors to testify against him. Gordon, meanwhile, is promoted to Captain. When a criminal who "calls himself the Joker" threatens to poison the city's reservoir, Gordon summons Batman with the Bat-Signal and waits on a rooftop for the Dark Knight to arrive. During the One Year Later storyline, Gordon makes a reference to his ex-wife "doing well." Melinda McGraw portrayed Barbara Gordon in The Dark Knight. Grey DeLisle voiced her in Batman Year One. Erin Richards portrays Barbara Kean in Gotham.

Barbara "Babs" Gordon

Main article: Barbara Gordon

Barbara "Babs" Gordon (later Batgirl and Oracle) is the daughter of James Gordon's brother Roger and Roger's wife Thelma. When Babs was 12 or 13, Roger and Thelma died. Babs moved to Gotham City and lived with her uncle, aunt and cousin. Eventually, James and Barbara adopted her. The couple divorced and Barbara moved to Chicago with James, Jr. (Secret Origins #20). James Gordon stayed in Gotham and maintained custody of Babs.

It has recently been revealed that James had dated Thelma before either of them was married and that he might be the biological father of Babs (Batman: Gotham Knights #6). Following The New 52 reboot, it is revealed Barbara "Babs" Gordon is the biological daughter of James Gordon and his wife Barbara, and is the older sister of James Gordon, Jr.

James Gordon, Jr.

Main article: James Gordon, Jr.

Gordon and his wife Barbara Kean-Gordon are the parents of a son named James Gordon, Jr. (Batman #404-407).[30] James Jr. and his mother moved to Chicago after she divorced the elder Gordon. After his introduction in Batman: Year One, the character appeared almost exclusively in comics set during the Year One era, and went virtually unmentioned in present day. Scott Snyder's story Batman: The Black Mirror reintroduced James Jr. as an adult, and establishes that he is sociopath who kills and tortures for pleasure. He is institutionalized as a teenager after he disfigures a school bus driver who insulted him. After he is released years later, he commits a series of brutal murders, while trying to frame the Joker for his crimes. After nearly killing his mother, and capturing his step-sister, James Jr. is apprehended by his father and Batman (Dick Grayson), and institutionalized in Arkham.[31]

In The New 52, James Jr. appears in the Batgirl series. He escapes from Arkham, and begins stalking his sister, whom he views as a rival for his father's affection. The series reveals that he deliberately caused the divorce of his parents: he killed a cat his mother had bought for Barbara and then threatened to kill his sister if she did not leave the family and threatened to kill Barbara if she tried to contact them ever again.[32][33]

A different version of James Gordon, Jr. appears briefly in the films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, in which he is portrayed as the young son of James and Barbara Gordon. In the latter film, Two-Face tries to kill the boy in order to get back at Gordon, whom he blames for the death of his fiancee, Rachel Dawes. Batman saves James Jr. by tackling Two-Face off of a roof, killing him.

Sarah Essen

Sarah Essen (Batman Annual #13, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #2) was first referenced as Gordon's wife during the future tale The Dark Knight Returns. She first appeared fully in Batman: Year One as a co-worker with whom Gordon has an extra-marital affair. After realizing they could not be together, she transferred out of state. Years after Gordon divorces his wife, Sarah returns to Gotham, and the two continue their relationship. After marrying Gordon, Sarah is murdered by the Joker at the end of the No Man's Land storyline. Following the events of Flashpoint, The New 52 retcons the timeline, Sarah's marriage to Gordon never happened, and Barbara Gordon, Sr., is the only woman James Gordon ever married. Sarah's status in this new continuity is unknown.

Other versions

The Dark Knight Returns

James Gordon appears in the limited series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which presents a future where a retiring Gordon not only knows Batman's identity, but is good friends with Bruce Wayne. He then makes a cameo on Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Now retired, he has written a book about Batman, who is believed to be dead.

Gordon is also referred to in the first issue of the series, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, set in the same universe as and prior to The Dark Knight Returns. He made a full appearance on issue #6, as a police captain, having a conversations with his ex-partner, Sarah Essen, about Batman. He's still married to Barbara Kean Gordon, who is now an alcoholic, and has a son, James Jr. Just as other continuities, his daughter, Barbara, who is 15, becomes Batgirl. Frank Miller has commented that the series is set in his Dark Knight Universe, which includes all of the Batman works by Frank Miller, therefore Barbara's inclusion confirms that Gordon had two children during Batman: Year One, at least in Miller's version of the continuity.

JLA: Earth 2

On the Anti-Matter Earth, where the evil Crime Syndicate of America live, James Gordon's counterpart is a crime boss named Boss Gordon, an ally to Owlman. Boss Gordon is the city's leading crime boss until his empire is toppled by Batman and Commissioner Thomas Wayne.

JLA: The Nail

In a world where Superman was never found by the Kents, reference is made to Gordon having been murdered shortly before the events of the story, resulting in Gotham's police department being granted extra powers of authority in his absence, although these are never fully explained.

Batman: Gotham Noir

In the Elseworlds title Batman: Gotham Noir, Jim Gordon is an alcoholic hard-boiled private detective who had left the police force following a failure to solve the disappearance of a judge. He is Selina Kyle's former lover and Bruce Wayne's wartime partner.

Batman: In Darkest Knight

In the Elseworlds story Batman: In Darkest Knight, Jim Gordon is an honest cop who distrusts the Green Lantern (who in this reality is Bruce Wayne) because of his near-limitless power. Green Lantern comes to Gordon in order to find the identity of the man who killed his parents, but Gordon rebukes him. Later on, he changes his mind and starts investigating, but he is then interrupted and killed by Sinestro, who ruptures his heart.

Vampire Batman

In the Vampire Batman Elseworlds trilogy that began with Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, Gordon learns that a coven of vampires, led by Count Dracula himself, is behind a series of murders. Dracula captures him, but he defies the vampire even as he is bled from a cut on his neck, with Batman arriving in time to save Gordon from bleeding to death before confronting Dracula, the Dark Knight now a vampire himself thanks to the aid of renegade vampires opposing Dracula. In the sequel Batman: Bloodstorm, he and Alfred collaborate to form a team to eliminate a new family of vampires in daylight while they sleep, culminating in him and Alfred being forced to stake Batman after he succumbs to vampirism and drains the Joker's blood. The third part of the trilogy— Batman: Crimson Mist— sees Gordon and Alfred forced to work with Two-Face and Killer Croc to stop the vampire Batman, returned from the staking and having already targeted and killed Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow and Poison Ivy, Gordon grimly stating that, even if he is only killing criminals, the man they knew would never have killed. The story concludes with Gordon being crushed by debris from the Batcave roof after explosives are planted to destroy it, thus exposing Batman to the sunlight and ending his reign of terror.

Earth-8

In Lord Havok and the Lord Havok and the Extremists #3, an alternate version of Gordon, known as Zombie Gordon is featured as part of Monarch's army. A flesh-hungry beast, Zombie Gordon is kept in line by Bat-Soldier, via a large chain.[34]

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, James Gordon is the chief of police, instead of being commissioner, and also works with Thomas Wayne, the Flashpoint version of Batman.[35] Later, Gordon tries to convince Batman that he does not have to fight villains by himself, but Batman refuses. When Gordon locates the Martha Wayne (this continuity's version of the Joker) in old Wayne Manor, he goes in without backup. Gordon is then tricked into shooting Harvey Dent's daughter, having been disguised as Joker, as she had been taped to a chair and had her mouth taped shut with a smile painted on the tape. Martha then appears and slashes Gordon's throat, and Gordon dies by Joker venom.[36]

Earth One

In the graphic novel by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Batman: Earth One, Jim Gordon is featured as a central character. In the story, he's a broken man who has given up on fighting corruption until the emergence of Batman. He is also partnered with a young Harvey Bullock. On the trail of the "Birthday Boy" killings, Gordon and Batman put aside their differences and stop the killer while saving Gordon's daughter Barbara.[37] In the sequel, Gordon begin his alliance with Batman to combat the Riddler, who plots to takeover the remnant of Oswald Cobblepott's criminal empire.[38]

Injustice: Gods Among Us

In the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us, Gordon learns via Superman's x-ray vision that he has terminal lung cancer. Later on he, Bullock and Montoya join forces with Batman and Green Arrow to fight Regime, and together they attack the Hall of Justice. Batman's inside man, Lex Luthor, notes that Gordon's cancer is the result of taking "super pills" that give people superhuman abilities. Gordon takes two of the super pills to save Batman and Barbara, accelerating the cancer to the point that he has only minutes to live. After the battle, Gordon thanks Batman and says goodbye to Barbara as he dies, looking down on the Earth.

In other media

Film

Live-action

Pat Hingle as Gordon in Batman (1989).
Gary Oldman as Gordon in Batman Begins (2005).
Pre-Blockbuster Age
Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series

In the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher film adaptations of Batman, Commissioner Gordon is portrayed by Pat Hingle.

Dark Knight Trilogy

In the rebooted Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy, Gordon is played by Gary Oldman.

DC Extended Universe

J.K. Simmons has been cast as James Gordon in the upcoming Justice League film, which is a part of the larger DC Extended Universe.[3]

Animated

Television

Live-action

Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon in the 1960s Batman TV Series.
Ben McKenzie as Detective Gordon in Gotham.

Animated

Commissioner Gordon in Batman: The Animated Series.

Video games

Lego Series

Arkham series

Commissioner Gordon is a supporting character in the Batman: Arkham franchise where he is voiced by Tom Kane in Arkham Asylum, David Kaye in Arkham City, Michael Gough in Arkham Origins and Jonathan Banks in Arkham Knight.

Miscellaneous

References

  1. ↑ Greenberger, Robert. "What’s in a Name? Ask Barbara Kean". BobGreenberger.com. Retrieved 24 July 2014. not a single comic book story establish this fact [of what W stands for]
  2. 1 2 3 Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Gordon, James W.". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  3. 1 2 Ford, Rebecca (March 7, 2016). "Justice League' Adds J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ Batman (2011) #41
  5. ↑ Batman (2011) #40
  6. ↑ Batman (2011) #50
  7. ↑ Detective Comics #784-786
  8. ↑ Detective Comics #786
  9. ↑ Batman: Gotham County Line #1-3
  10. ↑ Batman: The Joker's Last Laugh #6
  11. ↑ Blackest Night #2
  12. ↑ Blackest Night: Batman #2
  13. ↑ Blackest Night: Batman #3
  14. ↑ Forever Evil: Arkham War #2
  15. ↑ Forever Evil: Arkham War #5
  16. ↑ Batman Eternal #1
  17. ↑ Batman: Eternal #12
  18. ↑ Batman: Eternal #13
  19. ↑ Batman: Eternal #14
  20. ↑ Batman Eternal #52
  21. ↑ Batman (2011) #40
  22. ↑ Divergence #1
  23. ↑ Batman #41
  24. ↑ Batman #42
  25. ↑ Batman/Superman #21
  26. ↑ Batman #48
  27. ↑ Batman #50
  28. ↑ "The Unofficial Tony Gordon Biography". Dcuguide.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  29. ↑ Batman: Turning Points
  30. ↑ "The Unofficial Barbara Gordon Biography". Dcuguide.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  31. ↑ Detective Comics #871-881
  32. ↑ Batgirl #4-6
  33. ↑ "James Gordon Jr. Returns In BATGIRL #17". Comic Vine. 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  34. ↑ Lord Havok and the Extremists #3
  35. ↑ Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance #1 (June 2011)
  36. ↑ Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance #2 (July 2011)
  37. ↑ Batman: Earth One
  38. ↑ Batman: Earth One Volume Two
  39. ↑ Gretzinger, Matthew. "Batman Begins Review". World of Batman. UGO Networks. Retrieved 2008-07-22.;
    Millard, Josh (2007-01-09). "I love Batman: Year One". Pen & Inklings. Retrieved 2008-07-22.;
    Frey, Philip. "Movie Reviews - Batman Begins". theLogBook.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
    Fox, Jeremy C. "Batman Begins". Pajiba. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  40. ↑ Kit, Borys (2011-04-20). "'Batman: Year One' Lines Up Voice Cast, Sets Comic-Con Premiere (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  41. ↑ Harvey, Jim (March 8, 2014). "World Premiere Of "Son Of Batman" Animated Feature Confirmed For WonderCon Anaheim 2014". World's Finest Online. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  42. ↑ Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (film). 2015.
  43. ↑ White, Brett (March 15, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill Star In Animated "Batman: The Killing Joke"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  44. ↑ Gordon mentions his grandchildren to Bruce Wayne in the epilogue of "The Bat's Kow Tow"
  45. ↑ Betancourt, David (September 22, 2014). "‘Gotham’ recap, series debut: Q. Will this Bat-show keep riddling us with riveting questions?". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Damned If You Do...". Gotham (TV series). Season 2. Episode 1. September 21, 2015. Fox.
  47. ↑ "Worse Than a Crime". Gotham (TV series). Season 2. Episode 11. November 30, 2015. Fox.
  48. ↑ "Mad Grey Dawn". Gotham (TV series). Season 2. Episode 15. March 21, 2016. Fox.
  49. ↑ "Prisoners". Gotham (TV series). Season 2. Episode 16. March 28, 2016. Fox.
  50. ↑ "Into the Woods". Gotham (TV series). Season 2. April 11, 2016. Fox.
  51. ↑ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. 2012-03-02.
  52. ↑ Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery," Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 92.

External links

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