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Wikipedia

Jim Gordon (character)

James W. "Jim" Gordon Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), Batman's first appearance, making him the first Batman supporting character ever to be introduced.[2]

Jim Gordon
Commissioner Jim Gordon on the cover of Detective Comics #25
(November 2013). Art by Lee Bermejo.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearance
Created by

(based on Commissioner James W. "Wildcat" Gordon by Henry Ralston, John Nanovic, and Lawrence Donovan)

In-story information
Full nameJames W. Gordon[1]
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliations
Supporting character of
Notable aliases
  • Jim (nickname)
  • Commissioner Gordon (title)
  • Batman (2015–2016)
Abilities
  • Skilled marksman and hand-to-hand combatant
  • Master tactician, strategist, and field commander
  • Police training
  • Criminology training
  • Expert detective

As the police commissioner of Gotham City, Gordon shares Batman's deep commitment to ridding the city of crime. The character is typically portrayed as having full trust in Batman and is even somewhat dependent on him. In many 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. Gordon is the father or adoptive father (depending on the continuity) of Barbara Gordon, the second Batgirl and the information broker Oracle. Jim Gordon also has a biological son, James Gordon Jr., a psychopathic serial killer who first appeared in Batman: Year One (as an infant).

One of Batman's most notable and enduring allies, Gordon has appeared in various forms of non-comics media; he has been voiced in animation and video games by Bob Hastings, Bryan Cranston, Jonathan Banks, and Christopher Meloni among others, and has been portrayed in live-action by Lyle Talbot in the Batman and Robin 1949 serial, Neil Hamilton in the 1960s Batman show and film, Pat Hingle in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman film series, Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Ben McKenzie in Gotham, J. K. Simmons in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Justice League and its director's cut, and Jeffrey Wright in The Batman. In 2011, Jim Gordon was ranked 19th in IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes".[3]

Publication history edit

Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Gordon debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), in which he is referred to simply as Commissioner Gordon. The character'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.[4]

Fictional character biography edit

Of Scottish descent, Gordon had served in the United States Marine Corps prior to becoming a police officer. In most versions of the Batman mythos, Jim 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 Bat-signal to summon Batman, and it has become a running joke of sorts that Batman will often disappear in the middle of the discussion when Gordon's back is turned. Gordon is usually depicted as Caucasian with silver or red hair, eyeglasses, and a mustache. In most incarnations, he is seen wearing a trenchcoat, necktie, and on occasion, a fedora hat. 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.

He has been married twice; first to Barbara Eileen Kean and then to Sarah Essen.

Early characterizations edit

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. Gordon deputizes Batman, and thereafter the Dark Knight works with Gordon as an agent of the law.[5]

In Batman Special #1, it is 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 and Zero Hour edit

Batman: Year One edit

 
Batman and Jim Gordon on the cover of Batman #407 (May 1987). Art 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 corrupt administration, which is in the pocket of mob boss Carmine Falcone. 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. Gordon breaks off their affair after being blackmailed by the corrupt police commissioner, Gillian B. Loeb. Falcone sends his nephew, Johnny Viti, to kill Gordon's wife and son; 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 night classes in criminology. He becomes a minor celebrity after a foiling a late-night robbery attempt. When he decides to investigate a corrupt fellow officer, however, the officer and his cronies assault him, and the police department discredits him in order to cover up the scandal. Gordon then uncovers evidence of rigging in the city council election and brings down two of his fellow officers, which leads to his commander transferring him to Gotham.

The story Wrath Child, published in Batman Confidential issues 13–16, retcons Gordon's origin yet again: in this continuity, 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, 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 Batman recruiting a child to fight dangerous criminals, but soon grows to not only accept the boy but trust him as much as he does Batman.

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 Jr., 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 edit

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 edit

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. Later, Gordon suffers a heart attack; his chain-smoking over the years has weakened his heart. This event later lead DC Comics to partner with the American Heart Association to create a public service announcement to raise awareness of the danger of tobacco smoking and how it would threaten one's health.

In Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #2, shortly before their planned wedding, former Lieutenant Arnold 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 edit

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 does not 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 madman in the 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 edit

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[6] 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.[7] He also still has contacts with the country's law enforcement agencies, through which the sheriff's departments request Gordon to contact Batman for 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.[8] Commissioner Michael Akins has taken his position, with many officers expressing reluctance to follow him out of loyalty to Gordon.[9]

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 edit

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 edit

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.[10] 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 Batman, Robin, Red Robin, and Deadman, but are later attacked by Batman and Red Robin's parents, the reanimated Graysons and the Drakes.[10] 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.[11]

The New 52 edit

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Jim 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 (a.k.a. Batgirl).

During the Forever Evil storyline, commissioner Gordon enters Blackgate Penitentiary in order to save the warden.[12] When a turf war erupts between the Arkham inmates, Gordon helps to evacuate the citizens from Gotham City.[13]

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.[14] While incarcerated, Gordon is visited by his son,[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

Batman edit

Following Bruce Wayne's apparent death in battle with the Joker during the events of Batman (vol. 2) #40,[19] 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-corporation Powers International. He also notes that this is "the worst idea in the history of Gotham", as he suits up,[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23] Although Gordon doubts Superman's abilities as a hero due to his current powerless state, he eventually works with Superman to stop Vandal Savage stealing an artificial sun created in Gotham to use as part of his latest plan, their alliance helping Gordon recognize Superman's continued merits as a hero while Superman in turn acknowledges that the new Batman gets the job done.[24] Gordon 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 Gordon's abilities as a detective were well-founded. Despite Gordon's best efforts, political issues in the department result in new villain Mr. Bloom destroying his armor and mounting a massive assault on Gotham after seriously injuring Gordon, prompting the amnesic Bruce Wayne — ironically inspired by a conversation with the equally — amnesiac Joker — to try and reclaim his role as Batman.[25] 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 prompts 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.[26]

DC Rebirth edit

 
Jim Gordon as he appears in Batman (vol. 3) #3 (July 2016). Art by David Finch.

In June 2016, the DC Rebirth event relaunched DC Comics' entire line of comic book titles, in which Jim Gordon has a continued role in Detective Comics and the third volume of Batman. In December 2017, DC Comics ended the Rebirth branding, opting to include everything under a larger DC Universe banner and naming, and Gordon continues to be featured in Detective Comics and the third volume of Batman. For a time Gordon is corrupted by the toxin used by The Batman Who Laughs, an alternate version of Batman contaminated by the chemicals that drove the Joker insane, but Batman is able to get help from Superman in capturing Gordon and the other infected heroes until a cure can be found.

In 2021, DC began publishing a new Joker series. The first story arc (at least through the first six issues) is told primarily from Gordon's perspective. He has retired from public service and agrees to look for Joker on behalf of a secretive organization. His daughter Barbara provides intelligence and communications support.[27]

Gordon and Batman's identity edit

In most versions of the mythos, Gordon is ignorant of Batman's identity. There is usually the implication that Gordon is intelligent 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 just such a reason.

In the pre-Crisis era, a 1952 story (Batman #71) shows Gordon trying to uncover Batman's identity merely for his own satisfaction, but Batman discovers Gordon's scheme and skillfully outwits him. A later story in the 1960s shows Gordon giving a bedridden Bruce Wayne (who had contracted a nearly fatal fever as Batman) "Chinese oranges", a natural treatment for the fever. Later, Bruce opines to Dick Grayson if it is possible that Gordon is beginning to suspect Batman's identity.

In Batman: Year One, Gordon claims not to see the unmasked Batman well (whom his wife at that time, Barbara, also sees) because he wasn't wearing his eyeglasses. Gordon suspects that Bruce Wayne may be Batman, though he never follows up on his suspicions. 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 (in a story written in the post-Crisis era), 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). A chronologically later storyline involving Strange pre-Crisis involved Alfred being hospitalized as part of Strange's scheme, and during a conversation between Gordon and Batman over the phone after Strange's defeat, Gordon pointedly tells Batman to inform an unnamed 'mutual acquaintance' that Gordon has checked on the acquaintance's friend in the hospital and the doctors expect a full recovery.[28]

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 detective 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. As well, 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 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. On all fronts."[29] A long moment of silence follows, and Grayson accepts his thanks.

During Gordon's brief career as Batman when Bruce was suffering total amnesia after his temporary death in his last fight with the Joker, Gordon meets with Bruce Wayne and introduces himself as Batman, noting how strange it is to be saying that to Bruce, but his response could suggest that he considers it strange based on the public perception that Bruce Wayne was Batman's financial backer rather than making it clear that he knows who Bruce was. After Bruce is forced to sacrifice his new persona to download his old memories as Batman into his mind to save Gotham from new villain Mr. Bloom, Gordon apologizes for making Batman come back, noting that his friend was at peace while he was away, and starts to call him 'B...' before stopping himself, but Batman ignores the near-name in favor of assuring Gordon that the man he might have been without Batman died long ago.

Knowledge in other continuities edit

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 Batman's identity years before around the time of Bruce's retirement in his mid-forties (Bruce is explicitly identified as being 55 at the time of the story).

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.[volume & issue needed]

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 graphic 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.

In Sean Murphy's Batman: White Knight, the Joker – now known as Jack Napier – is cured of his mental illness and legally prosecutes Gordon and the GCPD, holding them accountable for cooperating with Batman for decades. As a member of the city council, Napier suggests redirecting funds dedicated to repairing damages to the city caused by Batman to the GCPD and argues that Batman should have shared his technology with the GCPD long ago. Napier's arguments cause a rift between Gordon and Batman, ending with Batman unmasking himself to Gordon in order to regain his trust. Initially, Gordon discourages Batman from revealing his secret identity to the public, but in the sequel, Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Gordon changes his mind when the Joker publicly reveals Batgirl's secret identity, believing that this would not have happened if Batman had publicly unmasked. Even though Gordon expresses regret over blaming Batman for the Joker's actions, they never get a chance to reconcile as Gordon is murdered shortly thereafter by Azrael.

Family edit

Pre-Crisis edit

Anthony "Tony" Gordon edit

In Pre-Crisis continuity, Jim 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).[30] In Post-Crisis continuity, there has been no mention of Tony Gordon.

Barbara "Barb" Gordon edit

Barbara "Barb" Gordon is the biological daughter of James "Jim" 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 edit

Barbara Eileen Kean edit

Barbara Eileen Kean[31] is Gordon's ex-wife and mother of Barbara Gordon in Post-Crisis continuity. Her history and existence has been repeatedly retconned over the years, sometimes implying that she died in a car crash, other times that she left Gotham with James for Chicago. During the New 52 era, Barbara left her family because she was afraid that James Jr. would hurt his sister. Several years later, she returns to Gotham in the hopes of re-connecting with her daughter.

In Batman: Year One, Detective Gordon has a brief affair with Detective Sarah Essen. Gordon tries to rebuild his relationship with his family after Essen leaves Gotham. Gordon and his wife attend marriage counseling.

Barbara Kean in other media edit

James Gordon Jr. edit

Gordon and his wife, Barbara Kean are the parents of a son named James Gordon Jr. (Batman #404-407).[33] 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 a sociopath who tortures and kills 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.[34]

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.[35][36]

Sarah Essen edit

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 his divorce, Sarah returns to Gotham, and the two renew their relationship. After marrying Gordon, Sarah is murdered by Joker at the end of the No Man's Land storyline. Flashpoint altered the events in the DC Universe's timeline, so during The New 52 era, Sarah's marriage to Gordon never happened. However, starting with 2016's DC Rebirth, characters have begun to remember pre-New 52 events. As such, in The Joker (vol. 2) #6, Jim Gordon refers to Barbara Kean Gordon as his first wife, which implies that he married another woman after her.[37]

Other versions edit

The Dark Knight Returns edit

Jim 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 conversation with his ex-partner, Sarah Essen, about Batman. He's still married to Barbara Kean, who is now an alcoholic, and has a troubled 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. At the end of the series, it's implied that, despite being married to Barbara Kean, he's still in love with Sarah.

JLA: Earth 2 edit

On the Anti-Matter Earth, where the evil Crime Syndicate of America live, Commissioner 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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

In the Elseworlds story Batman: In Darkest Knight, Jim Gordon is an honest cop who distrusts Green Lantern (who in this reality is Bruce Wayne) because of his near-limitless power. 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 edit

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 a now-vampiric Batman arriving in time to save Gordon from death. In the sequel Batman: Bloodstorm, as Batman acts alone while struggling to resist his thirst for blood, Gordon and Alfred collaborate to form a team to eliminate a new family of vampires in daylight while they sleep, but even after the other vampires have been destroyed, Gordon and Alfred are forced to stake Batman after he succumbs to his thirst 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 edit

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.[38]

Flashpoint edit

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.[39] Later, Gordon tries to convince Batman that he does not have to fight villains by himself, but Batman refuses. When Gordon locates 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.[40]

Earth One edit

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.[41] 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. He is also being promoted as police captain after he arrested his corrupted predecessor.[42]

Injustice: Gods Among Us edit

In the prequel to 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's Insurgency to fight the Regime, and together they attack the Hall of Justice. Batman's inside man Lex Luthor notes that Gordon's cancer is worsening due his taking "super pills" that give people superhuman abilities. Gordon takes two of the super pills to save Barbara from Cyborg on the Watchtower, as he is scanning to find her location, 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.

Batman: Damned edit

In the Batman: Damned miniseries, printed under the DC Black Label, Gordon is seen questioning a homeless man who had apparently witnessed the showdown between Batman and the Joker that led to Joker's death.[43] Gordon is next seen at the police standoff with Harley Quinn and the rest of the Joker's henchmen, attempting in vain to get them to stand down.[44]

Dark Multiverse edit

Various versions of Gordon appear in the Dark Multiverse depicted in Dark Nights: Metal:

  • In the world of the Dawnbreaker, where Bruce Wayne received a Green Lantern ring after the deaths of his parents, Gordon attempts to confront the Dawnbreaker about his use of lethal force on criminals, but the Dawnbreaker kills him.
  • In the world of the Batman Who Laughs, Gordon's death contributed to Batman's final confrontation with the Joker, which led to Batman being contaminated by his foe's blood and transformed into The Batman Who Laughs.
  • In the world of the Grim Knight, where Batman's use of guns and lethal force led to him turning Gotham into a police state, Gordon was eventually able to determine Batman's secret identity with the aid of information from Alfred, who became unable to countenance Batman's use of lethal force on all criminals, allowing him to arrest Bruce Wayne.

Earth 3 edit

When the "Infinite Frontier" event happened, Earth 3 was rebooted. Like the version seen in JLA: Earth 2, Jim Gordon operated as a crime boss. After his son Jimmy Jr. was killed by criminals Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, Boss Gordon sent his minion Harvey Bullock to kill them which also led to Harvey also killing Bruce and leaving Thomas Wayne Jr. alive. Thomas Wayne Jr. in the identity of Owlman would later learn of this motive when he captures Harvey Bullock years later.[45]

Earth-89 (Batman '89) edit

In the universe where the films Batman (1989) and Batman Returns is set, it is retroactively established in the comic book miniseries Batman '89 that Pat Hingle's iteration of Gordon was the patrolman who found and comforted Bruce in the alley where his parents were murdered. He is later killed by Billy Dee Williams's Harvey Dent after the character becomes Two-Face. In the follow-up book, Echoes, his daughter Barbara becomes Captain of the GCPD and decides against prosecuting Bruce after discovering her father had known Batman's secret identity but refused to disclose it.

In other media edit

Television edit

Live-action edit

 
Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon in the 1966–68 Batman TV series
  • Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon appears in the 1960s Batman series, played by Neil Hamilton, who had previously portrayed an unrelated character of the same name in the 1928 film Three Week-Ends. This version was portrayed as not only having the Bat-Signal at his disposal, but also a red emergency hotline telephone (known as the Bat-Phone) that connects directly to the Batcave, the Batmobile and (unbeknownst to Gordon) Bruce Wayne's study. Gordon's switchboard operators are twice shown to be able to trunk incoming lines into the Batphone circuit, enabling him to telephone Batman from remote locations (ironically once from Wayne Manor, and the other from a phone booth adjacent to that being used by Bruce Wayne). Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) are regular visitors to his office. The series occasionally made light of his dependence on Batman. In "The Devil's Fingers", when Batman is apparently unavailable, Gordon and Police Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) lament that they will have to solve a case by themselves; this contrasted the cold open of the pilot episode "Hi Diddle Riddle", in which Gordon reluctantly decides to summon Batman only after O'Hara and all of his bureau chiefs gather and unanimously agree that the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) is beyond their abilities. This version of Gordon has at least two grown children, the elder of whom is unspecified but has given him at least two grandchildren,[46] and the younger being Barbara Gordon (Yvonne Craig), who, unbeknownst to her father, is Batgirl. His wife is occasionally mentioned but never named.[47]
 
Ben McKenzie as Detective Gordon in Gotham.
  • James "Jim" Gordon appears in Gotham, played by Ben McKenzie. This version is an idealistic rookie detective and a war veteran of the United States Army. His late father was Gotham's district attorney, whom crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Doman) claims was on his payroll. Gordon is the first police officer to interview Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) after the latter's parents are murdered in the pilot episode, and vows to solve the murders.[48] He is quickly drawn into the city's underbelly, thanks to his shady partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) and small-time criminal Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor). He also makes two new acquaintances: a teenage street thief named Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) who witnessed the Waynes' murder, and Gotham's young assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (Nicholas D'Agosto) who pledges to help Gordon find the killer. The series also portrays his turbulent romances with socialite Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) and Arkham physician Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin), his efforts to rid the GCPD of corruption, and his quest to stop corrupt billionaire Theo Galavan (James Frain) and the Sacred Order of Saint Dumas from taking over the city. This version of the character is forced to kill in self-defense a gangster while "collecting a debt" for Cobblepot and commits what could arguably be considered murder. He shoots the unarmed Galavan (who is later resurrected) in the head.[49] In the series finale, "The Beginning...", Gordon has been Gotham's Police Commissioner for 10 years, and is the first to see the vigilante Batman.

Animation edit

 
Commissioner Gordon as appeared in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.
  • Jim Gordon appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Bob Hastings.[50]
    • Commissioner Gordon initially appears in Batman: The Animated Series. His relationship with Batman was similar to that in the comics. Many scenes in the series portray Batman and the commissioner having clandestine meetings at the Bat-Signal. A flashback in the episode "Robin's Reckoning" depicts the young version as having red hair. In "I Am the Night", it is revealed that Batman sees Gordon as a surrogate father - the same age had his own father still been alive - and is deeply upset when Gordon is seriously wounded by the criminal Jimmy "The Jazzman" Peek. Commissioner Gordon also appeared in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. In the former, after Batman comes under suspicion of murdering powerful crime bosses, Coucilman Arthur Reeves orders a manhunt for Batman, but Gordon refuses to take part, staunchly believing in his innocence. In the latter, he is shown to be aware of Dick Grayson's relationship with Barbara Gordon and after Grayson gets injured trying to rescue his daughter, states that he approves of it.
    • Gordon later appears in the sequel series The New Batman Adventures. Like the rest of the cast, he was redesigned for this series. Although his design remains relatively similar to before, his build became more slender than previously, and his hair was then cropped into a flat-top design. In the episode "Holiday Knights", it is shown that Batman and Gordon meet every year on New Year's Eve in a diner to celebrate 'survival' as Gordon puts it. Gordon also appears in the film Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman.
    • Gordon appears in Superman: The Animated Series. In "World's Finest", he briefly investigates the theft of a Kryptonite dragon statue. In the episode "Knight Time", Gordon and Detective Renee Montoya wait for Batman to inform him that Bane has returned to Gotham and is planning to take over the city, unaware that Batman is actually Superman in disguise and investigating Batman's disappearance.
    • Gordon appears in the Static Shock episode "Hard as Nails".
    • The spin-off Batman Beyond portrays Barbara Gordon as having retired from vigilantism as having followed in her father's footsteps as Gotham's new police commissioner; a picture of Jim Gordon appears on Barbara's desk in the episode "Black Out". In Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Barbara Gordon reveals to Terry McGinnis that her father is one of the few people (besides Leslie Thompkins) who knew about Tim Drake's traumatic encounter with the Joker, implying that he also learned and kept secret Batman's and possibly Robin's true identities up until he died.
  • Jim Gordon appeared in The Batman (2004), voiced by Mitch Pileggi.[50] This version is depicted as a newly appointed Gotham City police commissioner after an incident involving the Joker, Penguin, and Riddler. He ends the manhunt against Batman and goes public with his support for the crime fighter in order to help make Gotham safer for his daughter Barbara Gordon.
  • Jim Gordon makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Additionally, a character based on him, Chancellor Gor-Zonn, appears in the episode "The Super-Batman of Planet X!", voiced by Corey Burton.
  • Commissioner Gordon appears in the Young Justice episode "Misplaced", voiced by Corey Burton.[50]
  • Commissioner Gordon appears in the Super Best Friends Forever series of shorts.[51]
  • Commissioner Gordon makes primarily non-speaking cameo appearances in Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Eric Bauza in the episode "Real Orangins".[50]
  • A younger version of Jim Gordon appears in Beware the Batman, voiced by Kurtwood Smith.[52] He starts out as a lieutenant who distrusts Batman, clashing with Barbara's support for him. Gordon reluctantly teams up with Batman to save Barbara from Tobias Whale and Phosphorus Rex, and gradually begins to trust Batman and work alongside him, even installing the Bat-Signal. In "Nexus", Gordon is promoted to police commissioner after Commissioner Correa is killed by ninjas working for the League of Assassins.
  • Commissioner Gordon makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Justice League Action episode "Galaxy Jest".
  • Jim Gordon appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2019), voiced by Fred Tatasciore.[50] This version is retired and lives in Metropolis.
  • Commissioner Gordon appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Christopher Meloni.[50] This version is sleep-deprived, neurotic, alcoholic, and borderline psychotic due to the pressure of his work, usually having to be reined in by Batman. In the second season, Gordon loses control of his life as well as the GCPD's remnants amidst the chaos of Joker destroying Gotham and seemingly killing Batman. While crashing with his daughter, Barbara, he unknowingly inspires her to become Batgirl, who in turn inspires him to overcome his alcoholism and retake the GCPD, and thus Gotham. Two-Face later manipulates Gordon into running for mayor to earn the recognition he feels he deserves, tricking him into crashing Poison Ivy and Kite Man's wedding. Gordon sees the error of his ways after Two-Face kidnaps the Joker's stepson, Benicio, in an attempt to make him drop out. He then drops out himself after seeing Joker's change of heart, only to discover the latter plans to reform the GCPD, leaving Gordon jobless.
  • Jim Gordon will appear in Batman: Caped Crusader.[53][54]

Film edit

Live-action edit

 
J. K. Simmons as Gordon in Justice League (2017)
 
Jeffrey Wright as Gordon in The Batman (2022)
Burton/Schumacher series edit

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

  • In the script written by Tom Mankiewicz for the unmade The Batman film, which was later made as the 1989 film Batman, Gordon was set to appear as Commissioner and named David, instead of James.[55] William Holden was considered for the role.[56]
  • In Batman (1989), Gordon regards Batman (Michael Keaton) as a rumor at best and vigilante at worst, though by the end of the film, Gordon publicly acknowledges the hero's usefulness and helps present the Bat-Signal. Gordon's wife briefly appears in Batman, but is not seen or mentioned in the sequels.
  • In Batman Returns (1992), when the Penguin (Danny DeVito) has Batman framed for murder, it is implied Gordon is not entirely convinced, as he is not willing to use lethal force in order to apprehend him, and publicly refers to Batman's batarang at the crime scene as "purely circumstantial".
  • In Batman Forever (1995), Gordon is shown to be fairly well acquainted with Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer), but unaware that he is Batman. He arrives at the scene of the apparent suicide of Wayne Enterprises employee Fred Stickley (Ed Begley, Jr.), unaware that the latter was actually murdered by Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey). Gordon is also present at the circus when Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) murders the family of Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell), and he later brings Dick to Wayne Manor after Bruce volunteers to take care of the young man.
  • Although Barbara Gordon is his daughter in most continuities, in Batman & Robin (1997), Batgirl is characterized as Alfred Pennyworth's (Michael Gough) niece, Barbara Wilson (Alicia Silverstone). In Commissioner Gordon's last appearance in the film, Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) uses her pheromones to make him fall in love with her in order to get the keys to police headquarters and the Bat-Signal, and almost kills him with her toxic kiss before changing her mind because of him, "being too old for her".
  • Gordon was planned for the aborted reboot Batman: Year One written by Darren Aronofsky and Frank Miller. In this script Gordon has lived in Gotham for years, and is trying to leave for the sake of his pregnant wife; also Gordon's wife is renamed Ann, instead of Barbara, and Gordon's character would have been suicidal.[57]
The Dark Knight Trilogy edit

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

  • Batman Begins (2005) chronicles Gordon's rise through the ranks of the Gotham City Police Department. In the beginning of the film, Gordon is a uniformed patrol officer who does his best to comfort the eight-year-old Bruce Wayne after the murder of his parents. Years later, Gordon has attained the rank of Sergeant and a now-adult Bruce (Christian Bale) regards as one of the few honest cops in Gotham City and respects him. Once Bruce adopts the Batman identity, Gordon is the first law enforcement officer he contacts; the two form a secret alliance against Carmine Falcone's (Tom Wilkinson) criminal empire. Gordon proves important when Batman fights Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson). Batman gives Gordon the task of destroying a monorail track using the Tumbler, halting Ra's' plan to destroy the city. At the end of the film, he is promoted to Lieutenant and shows a new Bat-Signal to Batman, also telling him of an armed robber who leaves a calling card in the form of a Joker playing card at his crime scenes. Many critics, and writer David S. Goyer, have noted that Gary Oldman's portrayal bears a strong resemblance to the way the character was drawn by David Mazzucchelli in Batman: Year One.[58]
  • In The Dark Knight (2008), Gordon is leading the GCPD Major Crimes Unit and forms a tenuous alliance with Batman and the newly elected district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to take down Gotham's organized crime syndicates. When the Joker (Heath Ledger) reveals that Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb (Colin McFarlane) is one of his upcoming targets, Gordon arrives at his office with other officers to offer protection, but he is unable to stop Loeb from drinking a glass of poisoned Scotch. At Loeb's funeral, Gordon foils the Joker's attempt on Mayor Anthony Garcia's (Nestor Carbonell) life, in the process faking his own death to protect his family. After Dent claims to be Batman, Gordon disguises himself as a SWAT officer and commandeers the armored truck that is carrying him to the county lockup for processing. Following a vehicular battle with the Joker, Gordon rescues both Batman and Dent, captures the Joker, and is promoted to Police Commissioner by the Mayor. Hours later, two corrupt cops and the Joker's men abduct Dent and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), placing them in separate buildings with oil drums rigged to explode. Batman chooses to save Rachel, while Gordon and several officers go to save Dent, unaware that the Joker has switched their locations as part of a plan to orchestrate Dent's downfall. While Batman is able to rescue Dent, Gordon arrives at Rachel's location just as the bomb explodes and kills her. Disfigured in the explosion and driven insane by grief, Dent seeks vengeance against Gordon for Rachel's death. Dent kidnaps Gordon's wife and two children, and forces Gordon to plead for their lives at the site of Rachel's death. He flips his trademark coin to decide whether Gordon's son (Nathan Gamble) should die, but Batman tackles Dent off the building, killing him. In order to preserve Dent's image as the city's 'White Knight', Batman decides to take the blame for all of Dent's murders. Gordon reluctantly agrees, having come to highly respect the Caped Crusader. After eulogizing Dent as a hero to the city, Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal and calls for a manhunt against Batman. As Batman flees, Gordon assures his son that Batman is not just a hero: he is the city's protector, a "Dark Knight".
  • In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Gordon feels remorse for concealing Dent's crimes, and contemplates resigning and revealing the truth to the city. By now, Gordon's wife has left him and taken their children. Bane's (Tom Hardy) men shoot Gordon, putting him in critical condition. A disguised Bruce Wayne visits him in the hospital, and Gordon implores his former ally to return to crimefighting. He also befriends John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and promotes the rookie police officer to detective, seeing in the young man the dedication and idealism he once had. After Bane defeats Batman and traps most of the Gotham City Police Department underground, Gordon gets himself out of bed and defeats the League of Shadows operatives who tried to kill him in his hospital room. Bane publicly exposes Dent's crimes and Gordon's complicity in the coverup, and takes Gordon and his men prisoner. Gordon later finds a truck carrying a nuclear bomb meant to annihilate the city and places a device on it to block the trigger signal. In the final battle against Bane, Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard), and the League of Shadows, Batman cryptically reveals his true identity to Gordon before apparently sacrificing himself to thwart the League of Shadows' plan to destroy the city. In the film's novelization, despite the revelation that Gordon covered up Dent's crimes, his actions in helping to save Gotham restore the public's trust in him, and he remains as police commissioner. After giving the eulogy at Bruce Wayne's funeral, Gordon discovers the Bat-Signal has been repaired and realizes that Bruce is still alive.
DC Extended Universe edit
The Batman edit

Animated edit

Video games edit

Lego series edit

Arkham series edit

Commissioner Gordon is a supporting character in the Batman: Arkham franchise where he is voiced by Tom Kane in Arkham Asylum, Rick D. Wasserman as a young man in Arkham Asylum, David Kaye in Arkham City, Michael Gough in Arkham Origins, and Jonathan Banks in Arkham Knight.[50]

  • In Batman: Arkham Asylum, he is introduced accompanying Batman with the readmission of the recently captured Joker in the beginning of the game. Once Joker breaks free Batman tells Gordon to alert the Warden and goes after Joker. Once Batman follows Joker to the other end of intensive treatment, Joker shows video footage of Frank Boles (a guard working with Joker) taking Gordon hostage. On the way to free Gordon, Batman encounters the Scarecrow dragging Gordon away and apparently kills him. It is later revealed the dead person Batman found earlier was actually a guard who Batman had been seen as Gordon due to Scarecrow's gas. Though Boles is quickly killed once Joker realizes the guard was being tracked by Batman, Harley Quinn keeps Gordon under watch in the medical facility. Batman arrives to stop Harley and frees Gordon, and the pair discover that Bane is also in the facility. After the battle with Bane, Batman sends Gordon on a guard-escorted ferry back to Gotham. Gordon isn't seen again until the end of the game when Batman confronts Joker for the final time. Joker reveals he has re-captured Gordon, who is dropped from the ceiling tied up. Joker aims a dart gun laced with Titan at Gordon and pulls the trigger, but Batman quickly jumps in front of Gordon, taking a hit for him. Joker then uses the Titan on himself. Gordon is later seen on the roof strapped to an electric chair while Titan Joker and Batman (who uses the cure on himself) battle. Once Joker is defeated, Gordon and Batman are quickly joined by multiple members of GCPD and SWAT members. Gordon is talking to his daughter Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Oracle) about the events that night. Gordon offers a ride home to Batman, considering the Batmobile was destroyed, when an alert on Gordon's radio states that Two-Face has robbed Gotham's second national bank and watches as Batman takes off in the Batwing. It is also mentioned in a Scarecrow-induced flashback that Gordon was the only officer who was sympathetic to the young Bruce Wayne on the night his parents were murdered.
  • In Batman: Arkham City, he sends cops led by Sergeant Tom Miller to find out what Arkham City is really about. He appears at the very end of the game, repeatedly asking an unresponsive Batman about what happened within Arkham City while Batman was carrying away the Joker's corpse. Scanning the radio for the GCPD signal shortly after Bruce Wayne's arrest in the game will give the player a sound bit of him telling a dispatcher to inform all officers to take arrests to GCPD instead of Arkham City because as he puts it "Wayne's lawyers will have a field day with this." Gordon also appears in the DLC Harley Quinn's Revenge, being another one of the Dark Knight's allies that is concerned about his mental state since Joker's death.
  • In Batman: Arkham Origins, the younger James "Jim" Gordon is featured as a GCPD Captain. Being set eight years before Arkham Asylum, Gordon has yet to forge an alliance with Batman, seeing the Dark Knight as a menace and a lunatic, as opposed to his daughter Barbara Gordon seeing the vigilante as a hero. During Batman's break-in at the GCPD, Batman runs into Gordon while trying to escape and harmlessly disarms him, futilely trying to explain that they're on the same side. After saving Gordon's life when SWAT leader Branden nearly shoots him by accident, he escapes, though Gordon is knocked out in the process. Gordon later appears arresting Joker after the firefight at the Royal Hotel, and later again when he takes control of the police to stop Firefly from demolishing the bridge. When Batman arrives, he refuses to listen to his warnings about the bombs and insists Batman surrender to Firefly. Eventually he sees reason and the bomb squad disables the last bomb, allowing Batman to defeat Firefly. When the Joker takes over Blackgate Prison, Gordon arrives to stop the chaos only for his life to be put in danger when Joker straps him to an electric chair that will go off if Batman does not kill Bane in time. Batman momentarily stops Bane's heart in time to save Gordon, and the two work together to defeat Joker. Though Gordon still feels obligated to arrest Batman, the latter disappears, and Gordon decides the city needs Batman. He later reluctantly requests Batman's help in rounding up several escaped Blackgate prisoners.
  • Jim Gordon is featured in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.
  • In Batman: Arkham Knight, Gordon loses trust in Batman after Barbara is kidnapped by Scarecrow and Batman revealed that she was working with him. He tries to go after Scarecrow himself, but gets captured and witnesses the confrontation between the Arkham Knight and Batman making him discover that Batman is Bruce Wayne. They confront Scarecrow on the roof of the building where Scarecrow orders Gordon to kill Batman to save Barbara. He shoots Batman, but Crane throws Barbara regardless. However, Gordon shot Batman in the chest piece on purpose (since it has extra armor) and Batman saves Barbara as Gordon is kidnapped by the Scarecrow with Tim Drake. Scarecrow forces Gordon to unmask Batman on live television. When Batman finally defeats Scarecrow, Bruce tells Gordon to look after Tim and Barbara as it is the end for Batman. In the epilogue that takes place one year later, Gordon became the Mayor of Gotham City and goes to his daughter and Tim's wedding. The story pack DLC Batgirl: A Matter of Family, taking place before the events of Arkham Asylum, centers around Gordon being kidnapped and held hostage by Joker and Harley Quinn in a defunct oil rig, as Batgirl and Robin attempt to rescue him.

Telltale's Batman edit

James "Jim" Gordon appears in Batman: The Telltale Series and Batman: The Enemy Within, voiced by Murphy Guyer.[50]

  • In the first season, Lt. Gordon is a reluctant ally of Batman and one of his supports within the GCPD. He is also the officer in charge of the investigation into Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane's connections to organized crime. During the series, he is able to create an alliance between the GCPD and Batman to combat the Children of Arkham, despite objections from the Commissioner, Peter Grogan, and other officers on the force. Gordon can also become associated with Bruce Wayne, depending on options taken by the player, such as giving him a file on Carmine Falcone's empire or helping him arrest the Penguin. At the end of the series, Gordon is promoted to Acting Commissioner after Grogan is killed by either Harvey Dent's enforcers or the Children of Arkham. During his appointment speech, Gordon is supported by either Bruce Wayne or Batman.
  • In the second season, The Enemy Within, Gordon has now been given the title of Commissioner permanently and still allied with Batman. When Amanda Waller and her organization the Agency arrive in Gotham, he and the GCPD are forced to cooperate with them and, after a failed operation to capture the Riddler, relinquish law enforcement in Gotham to the Agency. Gordon's relationship with Batman is also tested after he learns about the vigilante's indirect involvement in an attack on Wayne Enterprises and if the vigilante cooperates with the Agency. After attempting to arrest Bruce Wayne for his association with the Pact, Gordon, having been warned by Waller, is fired from the GCPD. During the Joker's attacks on Gotham, Gordon either helps Batman track him down after he kidnaps Waller in Joker's vigilante path or is forced to betray Batman in return for the locations of bombs hidden through Gotham in Joker's villain path only to be crippled by the criminal. Waller states that Gordon won't be able to walk without a cane. During the epilogue of the game, Batman can arrange to either have Gordon reinstated as Commissioner, honored for his choice, or have him retired from law enforcement.

Web series edit

Miscellaneous edit

  • Commissioner Gordon is featured in the Smallville Season 11 digital comic based on the TV series.
  • In the "Batmobile" OnStar commercial, Batman calls Gordon to tell him he will be coming to meet him. An unknown actor says "Gordon here" when Batman calls.
  • In several comics during 1992, such as Action Comics #673, DC ran full-page advertisements on behalf of the American Heart Association showing a picture of Gordon in a hospital bed. The text of the ad explained that Gordon had a heart attack due to stress, poor diet, lack of exercise and tobacco use. Since then, DC has had Gordon living a more healthy lifestyle.
  • James Gordon is portrayed by Lauren Lopez in the web-musical, Holy Musical B@man!
  • In the Saturday Night Live digital skit "Commissioner Gordon Learns Batman Has No Boundaries", he is portrayed by Steve Buscemi (who was hosting the episode that this sketch was in).

References edit

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  2. ^ a b c Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Gordon, James W.". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
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  20. ^ Divergence #1
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  64. ^ Kit, Borys (2011-04-20). "'Batman: Year One' Lines Up Voice Cast, Sets Comic-Con Premiere (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  65. ^ 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.
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  68. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 19, 2023). "Trailer: 'Merry Little Batman' Brings a Lighter Dark Knight Tale to Prime Video". Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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  70. ^ 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.
  71. ^ "Lego DC Super-Villains Reveals Darkseid's Villainy in Action in New Clip".

External links edit

  • Commissioner James Gordon at DC Comics' official website
  • James Gordon on DC Database, a DC Comics wiki
  • Mastracci, Sharon (2017-03-01). "Public service in popular culture: the administrative discretion of commissioner gordon and harvey dent". International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior. 17 (3): 367–388. doi:10.1108/IJOTB-17-03-2014-B005. ISSN 1093-4537.

gordon, character, gotham, television, series, adaptation, character, gordon, gotham, other, uses, james, gordon, disambiguation, james, gordon, fictional, character, appearing, american, comic, books, published, comics, most, commonly, association, with, supe. For the Gotham television series adaptation of the character see Jim Gordon Gotham For other uses see James Gordon disambiguation James W Jim Gordon Sr is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics most commonly in association with the superhero Batman Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman the character debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics 27 May 1939 Batman s first appearance making him the first Batman supporting character ever to be introduced 2 Jim GordonCommissioner Jim Gordon on the cover of Detective Comics 25 November 2013 Art by Lee Bermejo Publication informationPublisherDC ComicsFirst appearanceDetective Comics 27 May 1939 As Batman Divergence 1 June 2015 Created byBill Finger writer Bob Kane artist based on Commissioner James W Wildcat Gordon by Henry Ralston John Nanovic and Lawrence Donovan In story informationFull nameJames W Gordon 1 SpeciesHumanTeam affiliationsGotham City Police Department United States Marine Corps Secret SixSupporting character ofBatman Robin Barbara GordonNotable aliasesJim nickname Commissioner Gordon title Batman 2015 2016 AbilitiesSkilled marksman and hand to hand combatant Master tactician strategist and field commander Police training Criminology training Expert detective As the police commissioner of Gotham City Gordon shares Batman s deep commitment to ridding the city of crime The character is typically portrayed as having full trust in Batman and is even somewhat dependent on him In many 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 Gordon is the father or adoptive father depending on the continuity of Barbara Gordon the second Batgirl and the information broker Oracle Jim Gordon also has a biological son James Gordon Jr a psychopathic serial killer who first appeared in Batman Year One as an infant One of Batman s most notable and enduring allies Gordon has appeared in various forms of non comics media he has been voiced in animation and video games by Bob Hastings Bryan Cranston Jonathan Banks and Christopher Meloni among others and has been portrayed in live action by Lyle Talbot in the Batman and Robin 1949 serial Neil Hamilton in the 1960s Batman show and film Pat Hingle in the Tim Burton Joel Schumacher Batman film series Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight Trilogy Ben McKenzie in Gotham J K Simmons in the DC Extended Universe DCEU film Justice League and its director s cut and Jeffrey Wright in The Batman In 2011 Jim Gordon was ranked 19th in IGN s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes 3 Contents 1 Publication history 2 Fictional character biography 2 1 Early characterizations 2 2 Post Crisis and Zero Hour 2 2 1 Batman Year One 2 2 2 Batman The Killing Joke 2 2 3 Marriage 2 2 4 No Man s Land 2 2 5 Retirement 2 2 6 Return 2 2 7 Blackest Night 2 3 The New 52 2 4 Batman 2 5 DC Rebirth 3 Gordon and Batman s identity 3 1 Knowledge in other continuities 4 Family 4 1 Pre Crisis 4 1 1 Anthony Tony Gordon 4 1 2 Barbara Barb Gordon 4 2 Post Crisis 4 2 1 Barbara Eileen Kean 4 2 2 Barbara Kean in other media 4 2 3 James Gordon Jr 4 2 4 Sarah Essen 5 Other versions 5 1 The Dark Knight Returns 5 2 JLA Earth 2 5 3 JLA The Nail 5 4 Batman Gotham Noir 5 5 Batman In Darkest Knight 5 6 Vampire Batman 5 7 Earth 8 5 8 Flashpoint 5 9 Earth One 5 10 Injustice Gods Among Us 5 11 Batman Damned 5 12 Dark Multiverse 5 13 Earth 3 5 14 Earth 89 Batman 89 6 In other media 6 1 Television 6 1 1 Live action 6 1 2 Animation 6 2 Film 6 2 1 Live action 6 2 1 1 Burton Schumacher series 6 2 1 2 The Dark Knight Trilogy 6 2 1 3 DC Extended Universe 6 2 1 4 The Batman 6 2 2 Animated 6 3 Video games 6 3 1 Lego series 6 3 2 Arkham series 6 3 3 Telltale s Batman 6 4 Web series 6 5 Miscellaneous 7 References 8 External linksPublication history editCreated by Bill Finger and Bob Kane Gordon debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics 27 May 1939 in which he is referred to simply as Commissioner Gordon The character 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 amp Smith 4 Fictional character biography editOf Scottish descent Gordon had served in the United States Marine Corps prior to becoming a police officer In most versions of the Batman mythos Jim 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 Bat signal to summon Batman and it has become a running joke of sorts that Batman will often disappear in the middle of the discussion when Gordon s back is turned Gordon is usually depicted as Caucasian with silver or red hair eyeglasses and a mustache In most incarnations he is seen wearing a trenchcoat necktie and on occasion a fedora hat 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 He has been married twice first to Barbara Eileen Kean and then to Sarah Essen Early characterizations edit 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 Gordon deputizes Batman and thereafter the Dark Knight works with Gordon as an agent of the law 5 In Batman Special 1 it is 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 and Zero Hour edit Batman Year One edit nbsp Batman and Jim Gordon on the cover of Batman 407 May 1987 Art 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 corrupt administration which is in the pocket of mob boss Carmine Falcone 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 Gordon breaks off their affair after being blackmailed by the corrupt police commissioner Gillian B Loeb Falcone sends his nephew Johnny Viti to kill Gordon s wife and son 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 night classes in criminology He becomes a minor celebrity after a foiling a late night robbery attempt When he decides to investigate a corrupt fellow officer however the officer and his cronies assault him and the police department discredits him in order to cover up the scandal Gordon then uncovers evidence of rigging in the city council election and brings down two of his fellow officers which leads to his commander transferring him to Gotham The story Wrath Child published in Batman Confidential issues 13 16 retcons Gordon s origin yet again in this continuity 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 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 Batman recruiting a child to fight dangerous criminals but soon grows to not only accept the boy but trust him as much as he does Batman 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 Jr 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 edit 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 edit 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 Later Gordon suffers a heart attack his chain smoking over the years has weakened his heart This event later lead DC Comics to partner with the American Heart Association to create a public service announcement to raise awareness of the danger of tobacco smoking and how it would threaten one s health In Batman Legends of the Dark Knight Annual 2 shortly before their planned wedding former Lieutenant Arnold 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 edit 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 does not 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 madman in the 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 edit 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 6 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 7 He also still has contacts with the country s law enforcement agencies through which the sheriff s departments request Gordon to contact Batman for 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 8 Commissioner Michael Akins has taken his position with many officers expressing reluctance to follow him out of loyalty to Gordon 9 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 edit 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 edit 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 10 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 Batman Robin Red Robin and Deadman but are later attacked by Batman and Red Robin s parents the reanimated Graysons and the Drakes 10 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 11 The New 52 edit In September 2011 The New 52 rebooted DC s continuity In this new timeline Jim 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 a k a Batgirl During the Forever Evil storyline commissioner Gordon enters Blackgate Penitentiary in order to save the warden 12 When a turf war erupts between the Arkham inmates Gordon helps to evacuate the citizens from Gotham City 13 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 14 While incarcerated Gordon is visited by his son 15 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 16 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 17 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 18 Batman edit Following Bruce Wayne s apparent death in battle with the Joker during the events of Batman vol 2 40 19 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 corporation Powers International He also notes that this is the worst idea in the history of Gotham as he suits up 20 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 21 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 22 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 23 Although Gordon doubts Superman s abilities as a hero due to his current powerless state he eventually works with Superman to stop Vandal Savage stealing an artificial sun created in Gotham to use as part of his latest plan their alliance helping Gordon recognize Superman s continued merits as a hero while Superman in turn acknowledges that the new Batman gets the job done 24 Gordon 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 Gordon s abilities as a detective were well founded Despite Gordon s best efforts political issues in the department result in new villain Mr Bloom destroying his armor and mounting a massive assault on Gotham after seriously injuring Gordon prompting the amnesic Bruce Wayne ironically inspired by a conversation with the equally amnesiac Joker to try and reclaim his role as Batman 25 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 prompts 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 26 DC Rebirth edit nbsp Jim Gordon as he appears in Batman vol 3 3 July 2016 Art by David Finch In June 2016 the DC Rebirth event relaunched DC Comics entire line of comic book titles in which Jim Gordon has a continued role in Detective Comics and the third volume of Batman In December 2017 DC Comics ended the Rebirth branding opting to include everything under a larger DC Universe banner and naming and Gordon continues to be featured in Detective Comics and the third volume of Batman For a time Gordon is corrupted by the toxin used by The Batman Who Laughs an alternate version of Batman contaminated by the chemicals that drove the Joker insane but Batman is able to get help from Superman in capturing Gordon and the other infected heroes until a cure can be found In 2021 DC began publishing a new Joker series The first story arc at least through the first six issues is told primarily from Gordon s perspective He has retired from public service and agrees to look for Joker on behalf of a secretive organization His daughter Barbara provides intelligence and communications support 27 Gordon and Batman s identity editIn most versions of the mythos Gordon is ignorant of Batman s identity There is usually the implication that Gordon is intelligent 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 just such a reason In the pre Crisis era a 1952 story Batman 71 shows Gordon trying to uncover Batman s identity merely for his own satisfaction but Batman discovers Gordon s scheme and skillfully outwits him A later story in the 1960s shows Gordon giving a bedridden Bruce Wayne who had contracted a nearly fatal fever as Batman Chinese oranges a natural treatment for the fever Later Bruce opines to Dick Grayson if it is possible that Gordon is beginning to suspect Batman s identity In Batman Year One Gordon claims not to see the unmasked Batman well whom his wife at that time Barbara also sees because he wasn t wearing his eyeglasses Gordon suspects that Bruce Wayne may be Batman though he never follows up on his suspicions 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 in a story written in the post Crisis era 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 A chronologically later storyline involving Strange pre Crisis involved Alfred being hospitalized as part of Strange s scheme and during a conversation between Gordon and Batman over the phone after Strange s defeat Gordon pointedly tells Batman to inform an unnamed mutual acquaintance that Gordon has checked on the acquaintance s friend in the hospital and the doctors expect a full recovery 28 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 detective 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 As well 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 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 On all fronts 29 A long moment of silence follows and Grayson accepts his thanks During Gordon s brief career as Batman when Bruce was suffering total amnesia after his temporary death in his last fight with the Joker Gordon meets with Bruce Wayne and introduces himself as Batman noting how strange it is to be saying that to Bruce but his response could suggest that he considers it strange based on the public perception that Bruce Wayne was Batman s financial backer rather than making it clear that he knows who Bruce was After Bruce is forced to sacrifice his new persona to download his old memories as Batman into his mind to save Gotham from new villain Mr Bloom Gordon apologizes for making Batman come back noting that his friend was at peace while he was away and starts to call him B before stopping himself but Batman ignores the near name in favor of assuring Gordon that the man he might have been without Batman died long ago Knowledge in other continuities edit 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 Batman s identity years before around the time of Bruce s retirement in his mid forties Bruce is explicitly identified as being 55 at the time of the story 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 volume amp issue needed 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 graphic 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 In Sean Murphy s Batman White Knight the Joker now known as Jack Napier is cured of his mental illness and legally prosecutes Gordon and the GCPD holding them accountable for cooperating with Batman for decades As a member of the city council Napier suggests redirecting funds dedicated to repairing damages to the city caused by Batman to the GCPD and argues that Batman should have shared his technology with the GCPD long ago Napier s arguments cause a rift between Gordon and Batman ending with Batman unmasking himself to Gordon in order to regain his trust Initially Gordon discourages Batman from revealing his secret identity to the public but in the sequel Batman Curse of the White Knight Gordon changes his mind when the Joker publicly reveals Batgirl s secret identity believing that this would not have happened if Batman had publicly unmasked Even though Gordon expresses regret over blaming Batman for the Joker s actions they never get a chance to reconcile as Gordon is murdered shortly thereafter by Azrael Family editThis article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia s inclusion policy December 2011 Learn how and when to remove this message Pre Crisis edit Anthony Tony Gordon edit In Pre Crisis continuity Jim 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 30 In Post Crisis continuity there has been no mention of Tony Gordon Barbara Barb Gordon edit Main article Barbara Gordon Barbara Barb Gordon is the biological daughter of James Jim 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 edit Barbara Eileen Kean edit Barbara Eileen Kean 31 is Gordon s ex wife and mother of Barbara Gordon in Post Crisis continuity Her history and existence has been repeatedly retconned over the years sometimes implying that she died in a car crash other times that she left Gotham with James for Chicago During the New 52 era Barbara left her family because she was afraid that James Jr would hurt his sister Several years later she returns to Gotham in the hopes of re connecting with her daughter In Batman Year One Detective Gordon has a brief affair with Detective Sarah Essen Gordon tries to rebuild his relationship with his family after Essen leaves Gotham Gordon and his wife attend marriage counseling Barbara Kean in other media edit Barbara Kean appears in The Dark Knight portrayed by Melinda McGraw Barbara Kean appears in Batman Year One voiced by Grey DeLisle 32 Barbara Kean appears in Gotham portrayed by Erin Richards This version is Jim Gordon s fiancee and a gangster who turned to crime after murdering her wealthy parents In the final season she becomes pregnant after a one night stand with Gordon who has by now left her for Lee Thompkins and gives birth to their daughter Barbara Lee The show s series finale portrays her years later having given up crime and become a legitimate businesswoman and sharing custody of Barbara Lee with Gordon and Thompkins The series also portrays her as being bisexual and having on off relationships with Renee Montoya and Tabitha Galavan Barbara Kean appears in Batwoman portrayed by Sara J Southey This version is an art gallery owner and member of Black Glove Barbara Kean appears in Batman Gotham by Gaslight voiced by Kari Wuhrer 32 Barbara Kean appears in Harley Quinn voiced by Lake Bell 32 Barbara Kean appears in Batman The Long Halloween voiced by Amy Landecker 32 James Gordon Jr edit Main article James Gordon Jr Gordon and his wife Barbara Kean are the parents of a son named James Gordon Jr Batman 404 407 33 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 a sociopath who tortures and kills 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 34 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 35 36 Sarah Essen edit 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 his divorce Sarah returns to Gotham and the two renew their relationship After marrying Gordon Sarah is murdered by Joker at the end of the No Man s Land storyline Flashpoint altered the events in the DC Universe s timeline so during The New 52 era Sarah s marriage to Gordon never happened However starting with 2016 s DC Rebirth characters have begun to remember pre New 52 events As such in The Joker vol 2 6 Jim Gordon refers to Barbara Kean Gordon as his first wife which implies that he married another woman after her 37 Other versions editThe Dark Knight Returns edit Jim 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 conversation with his ex partner Sarah Essen about Batman He s still married to Barbara Kean who is now an alcoholic and has a troubled 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 At the end of the series it s implied that despite being married to Barbara Kean he s still in love with Sarah JLA Earth 2 edit On the Anti Matter Earth where the evil Crime Syndicate of America live Commissioner 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 edit 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 edit 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 edit In the Elseworlds story Batman In Darkest Knight Jim Gordon is an honest cop who distrusts Green Lantern who in this reality is Bruce Wayne because of his near limitless power 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 edit In the Vampire Batman Elseworlds trilogy that began with Batman amp 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 a now vampiric Batman arriving in time to save Gordon from death In the sequel Batman Bloodstorm as Batman acts alone while struggling to resist his thirst for blood Gordon and Alfred collaborate to form a team to eliminate a new family of vampires in daylight while they sleep but even after the other vampires have been destroyed Gordon and Alfred are forced to stake Batman after he succumbs to his thirst 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 edit 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 38 Flashpoint edit 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 39 Later Gordon tries to convince Batman that he does not have to fight villains by himself but Batman refuses When Gordon locates 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 40 Earth One edit 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 41 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 He is also being promoted as police captain after he arrested his corrupted predecessor 42 Injustice Gods Among Us edit In the prequel to 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 s Insurgency to fight the Regime and together they attack the Hall of Justice Batman s inside man Lex Luthor notes that Gordon s cancer is worsening due his taking super pills that give people superhuman abilities Gordon takes two of the super pills to save Barbara from Cyborg on the Watchtower as he is scanning to find her location 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 Batman Damned edit In the Batman Damned miniseries printed under the DC Black Label Gordon is seen questioning a homeless man who had apparently witnessed the showdown between Batman and the Joker that led to Joker s death 43 Gordon is next seen at the police standoff with Harley Quinn and the rest of the Joker s henchmen attempting in vain to get them to stand down 44 Dark Multiverse edit Various versions of Gordon appear in the Dark Multiverse depicted in Dark Nights Metal In the world of the Dawnbreaker where Bruce Wayne received a Green Lantern ring after the deaths of his parents Gordon attempts to confront the Dawnbreaker about his use of lethal force on criminals but the Dawnbreaker kills him In the world of the Batman Who Laughs Gordon s death contributed to Batman s final confrontation with the Joker which led to Batman being contaminated by his foe s blood and transformed into The Batman Who Laughs In the world of the Grim Knight where Batman s use of guns and lethal force led to him turning Gotham into a police state Gordon was eventually able to determine Batman s secret identity with the aid of information from Alfred who became unable to countenance Batman s use of lethal force on all criminals allowing him to arrest Bruce Wayne Earth 3 edit When the Infinite Frontier event happened Earth 3 was rebooted Like the version seen in JLA Earth 2 Jim Gordon operated as a crime boss After his son Jimmy Jr was killed by criminals Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne Boss Gordon sent his minion Harvey Bullock to kill them which also led to Harvey also killing Bruce and leaving Thomas Wayne Jr alive Thomas Wayne Jr in the identity of Owlman would later learn of this motive when he captures Harvey Bullock years later 45 Earth 89 Batman 89 edit In the universe where the films Batman 1989 and Batman Returns is set it is retroactively established in the comic book miniseries Batman 89 that Pat Hingle s iteration of Gordon was the patrolman who found and comforted Bruce in the alley where his parents were murdered He is later killed by Billy Dee Williams s Harvey Dent after the character becomes Two Face In the follow up book Echoes his daughter Barbara becomes Captain of the GCPD and decides against prosecuting Bruce after discovering her father had known Batman s secret identity but refused to disclose it In other media editTelevision edit Live action edit nbsp Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon in the 1966 68 Batman TV series Commissioner James Jim Gordon appears in the 1960s Batman series played by Neil Hamilton who had previously portrayed an unrelated character of the same name in the 1928 film Three Week Ends This version was portrayed as not only having the Bat Signal at his disposal but also a red emergency hotline telephone known as the Bat Phone that connects directly to the Batcave the Batmobile and unbeknownst to Gordon Bruce Wayne s study Gordon s switchboard operators are twice shown to be able to trunk incoming lines into the Batphone circuit enabling him to telephone Batman from remote locations ironically once from Wayne Manor and the other from a phone booth adjacent to that being used by Bruce Wayne Batman Adam West and Robin Burt Ward are regular visitors to his office The series occasionally made light of his dependence on Batman In The Devil s Fingers when Batman is apparently unavailable Gordon and Police Chief O Hara Stafford Repp lament that they will have to solve a case by themselves this contrasted the cold open of the pilot episode Hi Diddle Riddle in which Gordon reluctantly decides to summon Batman only after O Hara and all of his bureau chiefs gather and unanimously agree that the Riddler Frank Gorshin is beyond their abilities This version of Gordon has at least two grown children the elder of whom is unspecified but has given him at least two grandchildren 46 and the younger being Barbara Gordon Yvonne Craig who unbeknownst to her father is Batgirl His wife is occasionally mentioned but never named 47 nbsp Ben McKenzie as Detective Gordon in Gotham James Jim Gordon appears in Gotham played by Ben McKenzie This version is an idealistic rookie detective and a war veteran of the United States Army His late father was Gotham s district attorney whom crime boss Carmine Falcone John Doman claims was on his payroll Gordon is the first police officer to interview Bruce Wayne David Mazouz after the latter s parents are murdered in the pilot episode and vows to solve the murders 48 He is quickly drawn into the city s underbelly thanks to his shady partner Harvey Bullock Donal Logue and small time criminal Oswald Cobblepot Robin Lord Taylor He also makes two new acquaintances a teenage street thief named Selina Kyle Camren Bicondova who witnessed the Waynes murder and Gotham s young assistant district attorney Harvey Dent Nicholas D Agosto who pledges to help Gordon find the killer The series also portrays his turbulent romances with socialite Barbara Kean Erin Richards and Arkham physician Leslie Thompkins Morena Baccarin his efforts to rid the GCPD of corruption and his quest to stop corrupt billionaire Theo Galavan James Frain and the Sacred Order of Saint Dumas from taking over the city This version of the character is forced to kill in self defense a gangster while collecting a debt for Cobblepot and commits what could arguably be considered murder He shoots the unarmed Galavan who is later resurrected in the head 49 In the series finale The Beginning Gordon has been Gotham s Police Commissioner for 10 years and is the first to see the vigilante Batman Animation edit James Gordon appeared in The Batman Superman Hour voiced by Ted Knight Jim Gordon made two appearances in Super Friends He first appeared in Challenge of the Superfriends voiced by Danny Dark In the episode Super Friends Rest In Peace the Riddler and Cheetah hold Gordon hostage so they can kill Batman with the Noxium Crystal The second is in The Super Powers Team Galactic Guardians In the episode The Fear Gordon and Jonathan Crane try to find and arrest the Scarecrow Commissioner Gordon appeared in Filmation s 1977 The New Adventures of Batman voiced by Lennie Weinrib nbsp Commissioner Gordon as appeared in Batman The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures Jim Gordon appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe DCAU voiced by Bob Hastings 50 Commissioner Gordon initially appears in Batman The Animated Series His relationship with Batman was similar to that in the comics Many scenes in the series portray Batman and the commissioner having clandestine meetings at the Bat Signal A flashback in the episode Robin s Reckoning depicts the young version as having red hair In I Am the Night it is revealed that Batman sees Gordon as a surrogate father the same age had his own father still been alive and is deeply upset when Gordon is seriously wounded by the criminal Jimmy The Jazzman Peek Commissioner Gordon also appeared in Batman Mask of the Phantasm and Batman amp Mr Freeze SubZero In the former after Batman comes under suspicion of murdering powerful crime bosses Coucilman Arthur Reeves orders a manhunt for Batman but Gordon refuses to take part staunchly believing in his innocence In the latter he is shown to be aware of Dick Grayson s relationship with Barbara Gordon and after Grayson gets injured trying to rescue his daughter states that he approves of it Gordon later appears in the sequel series The New Batman Adventures Like the rest of the cast he was redesigned for this series Although his design remains relatively similar to before his build became more slender than previously and his hair was then cropped into a flat top design In the episode Holiday Knights it is shown that Batman and Gordon meet every year on New Year s Eve in a diner to celebrate survival as Gordon puts it Gordon also appears in the film Batman Mystery of the Batwoman Gordon appears in Superman The Animated Series In World s Finest he briefly investigates the theft of a Kryptonite dragon statue In the episode Knight Time Gordon and Detective Renee Montoya wait for Batman to inform him that Bane has returned to Gotham and is planning to take over the city unaware that Batman is actually Superman in disguise and investigating Batman s disappearance Gordon appears in the Static Shock episode Hard as Nails The spin off Batman Beyond portrays Barbara Gordon as having retired from vigilantism as having followed in her father s footsteps as Gotham s new police commissioner a picture of Jim Gordon appears on Barbara s desk in the episode Black Out In Batman Beyond Return of the Joker Barbara Gordon reveals to Terry McGinnis that her father is one of the few people besides Leslie Thompkins who knew about Tim Drake s traumatic encounter with the Joker implying that he also learned and kept secret Batman s and possibly Robin s true identities up until he died Jim Gordon appeared in The Batman 2004 voiced by Mitch Pileggi 50 This version is depicted as a newly appointed Gotham City police commissioner after an incident involving the Joker Penguin and Riddler He ends the manhunt against Batman and goes public with his support for the crime fighter in order to help make Gotham safer for his daughter Barbara Gordon Jim Gordon makes non speaking cameo appearances in Batman The Brave and the Bold Additionally a character based on him Chancellor Gor Zonn appears in the episode The Super Batman of Planet X voiced by Corey Burton Commissioner Gordon appears in the Young Justice episode Misplaced voiced by Corey Burton 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in the Super Best Friends Forever series of shorts 51 Commissioner Gordon makes primarily non speaking cameo appearances in Teen Titans Go voiced by Eric Bauza in the episode Real Orangins 50 A younger version of Jim Gordon appears in Beware the Batman voiced by Kurtwood Smith 52 He starts out as a lieutenant who distrusts Batman clashing with Barbara s support for him Gordon reluctantly teams up with Batman to save Barbara from Tobias Whale and Phosphorus Rex and gradually begins to trust Batman and work alongside him even installing the Bat Signal In Nexus Gordon is promoted to police commissioner after Commissioner Correa is killed by ninjas working for the League of Assassins Commissioner Gordon makes a non speaking cameo appearance in the Justice League Action episode Galaxy Jest Jim Gordon appears in DC Super Hero Girls 2019 voiced by Fred Tatasciore 50 This version is retired and lives in Metropolis Commissioner Gordon appears in Harley Quinn voiced by Christopher Meloni 50 This version is sleep deprived neurotic alcoholic and borderline psychotic due to the pressure of his work usually having to be reined in by Batman In the second season Gordon loses control of his life as well as the GCPD s remnants amidst the chaos of Joker destroying Gotham and seemingly killing Batman While crashing with his daughter Barbara he unknowingly inspires her to become Batgirl who in turn inspires him to overcome his alcoholism and retake the GCPD and thus Gotham Two Face later manipulates Gordon into running for mayor to earn the recognition he feels he deserves tricking him into crashing Poison Ivy and Kite Man s wedding Gordon sees the error of his ways after Two Face kidnaps the Joker s stepson Benicio in an attempt to make him drop out He then drops out himself after seeing Joker s change of heart only to discover the latter plans to reform the GCPD leaving Gordon jobless Jim Gordon will appear in Batman Caped Crusader 53 54 Film edit Live action edit nbsp J K Simmons as Gordon in Justice League 2017 nbsp Jeffrey Wright as Gordon in The Batman 2022 In the 1949 15 episode movie serial Batman and Robin Commissioner Gordon was portrayed by Lyle Talbot This was the first official film appearance of the character though the 1943 Batman serial had featured a character called Captain Arnold Charles C Wilson who was essentially Gordon in all but name Commissioner Gordon was played by Neil Hamilton in Batman The Movie based on the 1960s TV series Burton Schumacher series edit In the Tim Burton Joel Schumacher film adaptations of Batman Commissioner Gordon is portrayed by Pat Hingle In the script written by Tom Mankiewicz for the unmade The Batman film which was later made as the 1989 film Batman Gordon was set to appear as Commissioner and named David instead of James 55 William Holden was considered for the role 56 In Batman 1989 Gordon regards Batman Michael Keaton as a rumor at best and vigilante at worst though by the end of the film Gordon publicly acknowledges the hero s usefulness and helps present the Bat Signal Gordon s wife briefly appears in Batman but is not seen or mentioned in the sequels In Batman Returns 1992 when the Penguin Danny DeVito has Batman framed for murder it is implied Gordon is not entirely convinced as he is not willing to use lethal force in order to apprehend him and publicly refers to Batman s batarang at the crime scene as purely circumstantial In Batman Forever 1995 Gordon is shown to be fairly well acquainted with Bruce Wayne Val Kilmer but unaware that he is Batman He arrives at the scene of the apparent suicide of Wayne Enterprises employee Fred Stickley Ed Begley Jr unaware that the latter was actually murdered by Edward Nygma Jim Carrey Gordon is also present at the circus when Two Face Tommy Lee Jones murders the family of Dick Grayson Chris O Donnell and he later brings Dick to Wayne Manor after Bruce volunteers to take care of the young man Although Barbara Gordon is his daughter in most continuities in Batman amp Robin 1997 Batgirl is characterized as Alfred Pennyworth s Michael Gough niece Barbara Wilson Alicia Silverstone In Commissioner Gordon s last appearance in the film Poison Ivy Uma Thurman uses her pheromones to make him fall in love with her in order to get the keys to police headquarters and the Bat Signal and almost kills him with her toxic kiss before changing her mind because of him being too old for her Gordon was planned for the aborted reboot Batman Year One written by Darren Aronofsky and Frank Miller In this script Gordon has lived in Gotham for years and is trying to leave for the sake of his pregnant wife also Gordon s wife is renamed Ann instead of Barbara and Gordon s character would have been suicidal 57 The Dark Knight Trilogy edit In the rebooted Dark Knight Trilogy by Christopher Nolan Gordon is played by Gary Oldman Batman Begins 2005 chronicles Gordon s rise through the ranks of the Gotham City Police Department In the beginning of the film Gordon is a uniformed patrol officer who does his best to comfort the eight year old Bruce Wayne after the murder of his parents Years later Gordon has attained the rank of Sergeant and a now adult Bruce Christian Bale regards as one of the few honest cops in Gotham City and respects him Once Bruce adopts the Batman identity Gordon is the first law enforcement officer he contacts the two form a secret alliance against Carmine Falcone s Tom Wilkinson criminal empire Gordon proves important when Batman fights Ra s al Ghul Liam Neeson Batman gives Gordon the task of destroying a monorail track using the Tumbler halting Ra s plan to destroy the city At the end of the film he is promoted to Lieutenant and shows a new Bat Signal to Batman also telling him of an armed robber who leaves a calling card in the form of a Joker playing card at his crime scenes Many critics and writer David S Goyer have noted that Gary Oldman s portrayal bears a strong resemblance to the way the character was drawn by David Mazzucchelli in Batman Year One 58 In The Dark Knight 2008 Gordon is leading the GCPD Major Crimes Unit and forms a tenuous alliance with Batman and the newly elected district attorney Harvey Dent Aaron Eckhart to take down Gotham s organized crime syndicates When the Joker Heath Ledger reveals that Commissioner Gillian B Loeb Colin McFarlane is one of his upcoming targets Gordon arrives at his office with other officers to offer protection but he is unable to stop Loeb from drinking a glass of poisoned Scotch At Loeb s funeral Gordon foils the Joker s attempt on Mayor Anthony Garcia s Nestor Carbonell life in the process faking his own death to protect his family After Dent claims to be Batman Gordon disguises himself as a SWAT officer and commandeers the armored truck that is carrying him to the county lockup for processing Following a vehicular battle with the Joker Gordon rescues both Batman and Dent captures the Joker and is promoted to Police Commissioner by the Mayor Hours later two corrupt cops and the Joker s men abduct Dent and Rachel Dawes Maggie Gyllenhaal placing them in separate buildings with oil drums rigged to explode Batman chooses to save Rachel while Gordon and several officers go to save Dent unaware that the Joker has switched their locations as part of a plan to orchestrate Dent s downfall While Batman is able to rescue Dent Gordon arrives at Rachel s location just as the bomb explodes and kills her Disfigured in the explosion and driven insane by grief Dent seeks vengeance against Gordon for Rachel s death Dent kidnaps Gordon s wife and two children and forces Gordon to plead for their lives at the site of Rachel s death He flips his trademark coin to decide whether Gordon s son Nathan Gamble should die but Batman tackles Dent off the building killing him In order to preserve Dent s image as the city s White Knight Batman decides to take the blame for all of Dent s murders Gordon reluctantly agrees having come to highly respect the Caped Crusader After eulogizing Dent as a hero to the city Gordon destroys the Bat Signal and calls for a manhunt against Batman As Batman flees Gordon assures his son that Batman is not just a hero he is the city s protector a Dark Knight In The Dark Knight Rises 2012 Gordon feels remorse for concealing Dent s crimes and contemplates resigning and revealing the truth to the city By now Gordon s wife has left him and taken their children Bane s Tom Hardy men shoot Gordon putting him in critical condition A disguised Bruce Wayne visits him in the hospital and Gordon implores his former ally to return to crimefighting He also befriends John Blake Joseph Gordon Levitt and promotes the rookie police officer to detective seeing in the young man the dedication and idealism he once had After Bane defeats Batman and traps most of the Gotham City Police Department underground Gordon gets himself out of bed and defeats the League of Shadows operatives who tried to kill him in his hospital room Bane publicly exposes Dent s crimes and Gordon s complicity in the coverup and takes Gordon and his men prisoner Gordon later finds a truck carrying a nuclear bomb meant to annihilate the city and places a device on it to block the trigger signal In the final battle against Bane Talia al Ghul Marion Cotillard and the League of Shadows Batman cryptically reveals his true identity to Gordon before apparently sacrificing himself to thwart the League of Shadows plan to destroy the city In the film s novelization despite the revelation that Gordon covered up Dent s crimes his actions in helping to save Gotham restore the public s trust in him and he remains as police commissioner After giving the eulogy at Bruce Wayne s funeral Gordon discovers the Bat Signal has been repaired and realizes that Bruce is still alive DC Extended Universe edit J K Simmons portrays Commissioner James Gordon in Justice League which is part of the larger DC Extended Universe 59 Bryan Cranston who had previously voiced Gordon in the animated adaptation of Batman Year One revealed to Geeking Out that he was considered for the part but turned it down 60 Simmons also appeared as Gordon in the 2021 director s cut Zack Snyder s Justice League and was to reprise his role in the HBO Max film Batgirl before its cancellation in August 2022 61 62 The Batman edit Commissioner Gordon appears in The Batman 2022 portrayed by Jeffrey Wright 63 Animated edit Commissioner Gordon makes a non speaking cameo appearance in Justice League The New Frontier Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Gotham Knight voiced by Jim Meskimen 50 Commissioner Gordon makes a non speaking cameo appearance in Batman Under the Red Hood voiced by an uncredited Gary Cole Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Year One voiced by Bryan Cranston 64 Commissioner Gordon appears in the two part Batman The Dark Knight Returns voiced by David Selby 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Lego Batman The Movie DC Super Heroes Unite voiced by Townsend Coleman Commissioner Gordon appears in the DC Animated Movie Universe films Son of Batman Batman Bad Blood and Batman Hush voiced by Bruce Thomas 65 Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Assault on Arkham voiced by Chris Cox 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in the Batman Unlimited series of films voiced by Richard Epcar 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes Justice League Gotham City Breakout voiced by Eric Bauza 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman The Killing Joke voiced by Ray Wise 66 Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs Two Face voiced by Jim Ward 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in The Lego Batman Movie voiced by Hector Elizondo 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in the DC Super Hero Girls films voiced by Tom Kenny 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Gotham by Gaslight voiced by Scott Patterson 50 This version is secretly Jack the Ripper serving as a composite character with James Gordon Jr Commissioner Gordon makes a non speaking cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go To the Movies Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Jim Meskimen reprising his role Commissioner Gordon appears in Lego DC Batman Family Matters voiced again by Tom Kenny 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Death in the Family voiced again by Gary Cole 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman The Long Halloween voiced by Billy Burke 67 Commissioner Gordon makes a non speaking cameo appearance in Space Jam A New Legacy An alternate universe version of Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman The Doom That Came to Gotham voiced by John DiMaggio 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Merry Little Batman voiced by Reid Scott 68 Video games edit Commissioner Gordon appears on Batman Vengeance voiced by Bob Hastings He awaits for Batman along his GCPD squad outside the old gasworks building in which Batman was investigating before being mysteriously beaten by a Batarang This leads the GCPD to come after Batman to arresting him At the end of the game it is discovered that Harley Quinn attacked Jim so he calls Bruce to apologize Commission Gordon appears in Batman Rise of Sin Tzu with Bob Hastings reprising his role 50 He helps Batman via Batcommunicator to come after Sin Tzu and the other villains and their thugs who escaped from both the Arkham Asylum and the Stonegate Penitentiary He was also kidnapped by the Scarecrow before being saved by Batman Commissioner Gordon appears in Batman Dark Tomorrow voiced by Ron McLarty 50 James Gordon appears in the Batman Begins tie in video game voiced by Gavin Hammon 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in DC Universe Online voiced by Ken Webster 50 An alternate universe version of Commissioner Gordon makes a non speaking cameo appearance in Injustice Gods Among Us Commissioner Gordon appears in Scribblenauts Unmasked A DC Comics Adventure 69 Lego series edit Commissioner Gordon appears in Lego Batman The Video Game voiced by Keith Ferguson He serves as a boss in the villains story with the exception of the DS version and is a playable character 70 Commissioner Gordon appears in Lego Batman 2 DC Super Heroes voiced by Townsend Coleman The Dark Knight Trilogy iteration of James Gordon appears in Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham Commissioner Gordon appears in The Dark Knight Rises tie in game voiced by Oliver Wyman 50 Commissioner Gordon appears in Lego Dimensions voiced by Steve Blum Commissioner Gordon appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super Villains voiced by Tom Kane 71 At the beginning of the story he oversees the transfer of the player created character dubbed The Rookie to Stryker s Island in Metropolis and enlists the help of an incarcerated Lex Luthor to monitor the new villain s powers offering him a reduction of a prison sentence in return but the prison is then attacked by Mercy Graves who frees both Luthor and the Rookie Arkham series edit Commissioner Gordon is a supporting character in the Batman Arkham franchise where he is voiced by Tom Kane in Arkham Asylum Rick D Wasserman as a young man in Arkham Asylum David Kaye in Arkham City Michael Gough in Arkham Origins and Jonathan Banks in Arkham Knight 50 In Batman Arkham Asylum he is introduced accompanying Batman with the readmission of the recently captured Joker in the beginning of the game Once Joker breaks free Batman tells Gordon to alert the Warden and goes after Joker Once Batman follows Joker to the other end of intensive treatment Joker shows video footage of Frank Boles a guard working with Joker taking Gordon hostage On the way to free Gordon Batman encounters the Scarecrow dragging Gordon away and apparently kills him It is later revealed the dead person Batman found earlier was actually a guard who Batman had been seen as Gordon due to Scarecrow s gas Though Boles is quickly killed once Joker realizes the guard was being tracked by Batman Harley Quinn keeps Gordon under watch in the medical facility Batman arrives to stop Harley and frees Gordon and the pair discover that Bane is also in the facility After the battle with Bane Batman sends Gordon on a guard escorted ferry back to Gotham Gordon isn t seen again until the end of the game when Batman confronts Joker for the final time Joker reveals he has re captured Gordon who is dropped from the ceiling tied up Joker aims a dart gun laced with Titan at Gordon and pulls the trigger but Batman quickly jumps in front of Gordon taking a hit for him Joker then uses the Titan on himself Gordon is later seen on the roof strapped to an electric chair while Titan Joker and Batman who uses the cure on himself battle Once Joker is defeated Gordon and Batman are quickly joined by multiple members of GCPD and SWAT members Gordon is talking to his daughter Barbara Gordon a k a Oracle about the events that night Gordon offers a ride home to Batman considering the Batmobile was destroyed when an alert on Gordon s radio states that Two Face has robbed Gotham s second national bank and watches as Batman takes off in the Batwing It is also mentioned in a Scarecrow induced flashback that Gordon was the only officer who was sympathetic to the young Bruce Wayne on the night his parents were murdered In Batman Arkham City he sends cops led by Sergeant Tom Miller to find out what Arkham City is really about He appears at the very end of the game repeatedly asking an unresponsive Batman about what happened within Arkham City while Batman was carrying away the Joker s corpse Scanning the radio for the GCPD signal shortly after Bruce Wayne s arrest in the game will give the player a sound bit of him telling a dispatcher to inform all officers to take arrests to GCPD instead of Arkham City because as he puts it Wayne s lawyers will have a field day with this Gordon also appears in the DLC Harley Quinn s Revenge being another one of the Dark Knight s allies that is concerned about his mental state since Joker s death In Batman Arkham Origins the younger James Jim Gordon is featured as a GCPD Captain Being set eight years before Arkham Asylum Gordon has yet to forge an alliance with Batman seeing the Dark Knight as a menace and a lunatic as opposed to his daughter Barbara Gordon seeing the vigilante as a hero During Batman s break in at the GCPD Batman runs into Gordon while trying to escape and harmlessly disarms him futilely trying to explain that they re on the same side After saving Gordon s life when SWAT leader Branden nearly shoots him by accident he escapes though Gordon is knocked out in the process Gordon later appears arresting Joker after the firefight at the Royal Hotel and later again when he takes control of the police to stop Firefly from demolishing the bridge When Batman arrives he refuses to listen to his warnings about the bombs and insists Batman surrender to Firefly Eventually he sees reason and the bomb squad disables the last bomb allowing Batman to defeat Firefly When the Joker takes over Blackgate Prison Gordon arrives to stop the chaos only for his life to be put in danger when Joker straps him to an electric chair that will go off if Batman does not kill Bane in time Batman momentarily stops Bane s heart in time to save Gordon and the two work together to defeat Joker Though Gordon still feels obligated to arrest Batman the latter disappears and Gordon decides the city needs Batman He later reluctantly requests Batman s help in rounding up several escaped Blackgate prisoners Jim Gordon is featured in Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate In Batman Arkham Knight Gordon loses trust in Batman after Barbara is kidnapped by Scarecrow and Batman revealed that she was working with him He tries to go after Scarecrow himself but gets captured and witnesses the confrontation between the Arkham Knight and Batman making him discover that Batman is Bruce Wayne They confront Scarecrow on the roof of the building where Scarecrow orders Gordon to kill Batman to save Barbara He shoots Batman but Crane throws Barbara regardless However Gordon shot Batman in the chest piece on purpose since it has extra armor and Batman saves Barbara as Gordon is kidnapped by the Scarecrow with Tim Drake Scarecrow forces Gordon to unmask Batman on live television When Batman finally defeats Scarecrow Bruce tells Gordon to look after Tim and Barbara as it is the end for Batman In the epilogue that takes place one year later Gordon became the Mayor of Gotham City and goes to his daughter and Tim s wedding The story pack DLC Batgirl A Matter of Family taking place before the events of Arkham Asylum centers around Gordon being kidnapped and held hostage by Joker and Harley Quinn in a defunct oil rig as Batgirl and Robin attempt to rescue him Telltale s Batman edit James Jim Gordon appears in Batman The Telltale Series and Batman The Enemy Within voiced by Murphy Guyer 50 In the first season Lt Gordon is a reluctant ally of Batman and one of his supports within the GCPD He is also the officer in charge of the investigation into Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane s connections to organized crime During the series he is able to create an alliance between the GCPD and Batman to combat the Children of Arkham despite objections from the Commissioner Peter Grogan and other officers on the force Gordon can also become associated with Bruce Wayne depending on options taken by the player such as giving him a file on Carmine Falcone s empire or helping him arrest the Penguin At the end of the series Gordon is promoted to Acting Commissioner after Grogan is killed by either Harvey Dent s enforcers or the Children of Arkham During his appointment speech Gordon is supported by either Bruce Wayne or Batman In the second season The Enemy Within Gordon has now been given the title of Commissioner permanently and still allied with Batman When Amanda Waller and her organization the Agency arrive in Gotham he and the GCPD are forced to cooperate with them and after a failed operation to capture the Riddler relinquish law enforcement in Gotham to the Agency Gordon s relationship with Batman is also tested after he learns about the vigilante s indirect involvement in an attack on Wayne Enterprises and if the vigilante cooperates with the Agency After attempting to arrest Bruce Wayne for his association with the Pact Gordon having been warned by Waller is fired from the GCPD During the Joker s attacks on Gotham Gordon either helps Batman track him down after he kidnaps Waller in Joker s vigilante path or is forced to betray Batman in return for the locations of bombs hidden through Gotham in Joker s villain path only to be crippled by the criminal Waller states that Gordon won t be able to walk without a cane During the epilogue of the game Batman can arrange to either have Gordon reinstated as Commissioner honored for his choice or have him retired from law enforcement Web series edit Jim Gordon appears in the web series DC Super Hero Girls voiced by Tom Kenny 50 This version is a forensics teacher at Super Hero High School Miscellaneous edit Commissioner Gordon is featured in the Smallville Season 11 digital comic based on the TV series In the Batmobile OnStar commercial Batman calls Gordon to tell him he will be coming to meet him An unknown actor says Gordon here when Batman calls In several comics during 1992 such as Action Comics 673 DC ran full page advertisements on behalf of the American Heart Association showing a picture of Gordon in a hospital bed The text of the ad explained that Gordon had a heart attack due to stress poor diet lack of exercise and tobacco use Since then DC has had Gordon living a more healthy lifestyle James Gordon is portrayed by Lauren Lopez in the web musical Holy Musical B man In the Saturday Night Live digital skit Commissioner Gordon Learns Batman Has No Boundaries he is portrayed by Steve Buscemi who was hosting the episode that this sketch was in References edit Greenberger Bob July 23 2014 What s in a Name Ask Barbara Kean BobGreenberger com Archived from the original on April 22 2019 Retrieved April 22 2019 Speaking of Wikipedia as useful as it can be errors still creep in or fans with an agenda can skew the results someone else decided the W in James Gordon s name stood for Worthington although not a single comic book story establish this fact a b c Jimenez Phil 2008 Gordon James W In Dougall Alastair ed The DC Comics Encyclopedia New York Dorling Kindersley p 141 ISBN 978 0 7566 4119 1 OCLC 213309017 Top 100 Comic Book Heroes IGN Entertainment retrieved July 6 2011 Rothman Lily 2013 09 25 Batman Prequel Coming to TV Time ISSN 0040 781X Retrieved 2021 08 11 Fleisher Michael L 1976 The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume 1 Batman New York City Macmillan Publishing Co pp 208 217 ISBN 0 02 538700 6 Retrieved 29 March 2020 Ed Brubaker w Patrick Zircher p Aaron Sowd i Jason Wright col Todd Klein let Dan DiDio ed Made of Wood Detective Comics no 784 786 September November 2003 New York City DC Comics Detective Comics 786 Steve Niles w Scott Hampton p Scott Hampton i Jose Villarrubia col Pat Brosseau let The Obvious Kill Batman Gotham County Line no 1 December 2005 New York City DC Comics Chuck Dixon w Rick Burchett p Mark Lipka i Gina Going col Willie Schubert let Dan DiDio ed You Only Laugh Twice Joker Last Laugh no 6 January 2002 New York City DC Comics a b Geoff Johns w Ivan Reis p Julio Ferreira i Alex Sinclair col Nick J Napolitano let Dan DiDio ed Blackest Night Detective Comics no 2 October 2009 Geoff Johns w Ivan Reis p Oclair Albert i Alex Sinclair col Nick J Napolitano let Dan DiDio ed Blackest Night Detective Comics no 3 November 2009 Forever Evil Arkham War 2 Forever Evil Arkham War 5 Batman Eternal 1 Batman Eternal 12 Batman Eternal 13 Batman Eternal 14 Batman Eternal 52 Batman vol 2 40 Divergence 1 Batman vol 2 41 Batman vol 2 42 Batman Superman 21 Batman Superman 27 Batman vol 2 48 Batman vol 2 50 The Joker Ongoing Series is a Great Jim Gordon Story Batman Annual 10 Batman The Black Mirror pg 272 The Unofficial Tony Gordon Biography Dcuguide com Retrieved 2010 12 25 Batman Turning Points a b c d Barbara Eileen Gordon Voices Batman Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved January 5 2024 A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot or collage of screenshots of a title s list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and or closing credits and or other reliable sources of information The Unofficial Barbara Gordon Biography Dcuguide com Retrieved 2010 12 25 Detective Comics 871 881 Batgirl vol 3 4 6 James Gordon Jr Returns In Batgirl vol 3 17 Comic Vine 2012 11 12 Retrieved 2013 01 16 The Joker vol 2 6 August 10 2021 Lord Havok and the Extremists 3 Flashpoint Batman Knight of Vengeance 1 June 2011 Flashpoint Batman Knight of Vengeance 2 July 2011 Batman Earth One Batman Earth One Volume Two Batman Damned 1 Batman Damned 2 Crime Syndicate 2 DC Comics Gordon mentions his grandchildren to Bruce Wayne in the epilogue of The Bat s Kow Tow Tut s Case Is Shut Marsha s Scheme With Diamonds 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 Worse Than a Crime Gotham TV series Season 2 Episode 11 November 30 2015 Fox a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Commissioner James Gordon Voices Batman Behind The Voice Actors Retrieved January 5 2024 A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot or collage of screenshots of a title s list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and or closing credits and or other reliable sources of information Most Popular E mail Newsletter USA Today 2012 03 02 Brian Gallagher January 17 2012 EXCLUSIVE Kurtwood Smith Talks Beware the Batman Movieweb Holub Christian May 9 2024 Batman Caped Crusader first look reveals Asian American Harley Quinn weird Dark Knight more EW com Retrieved 2024 05 10 Harvey James May 9 2024 Batman Caped Crusader Premieres Aug 1 2024 On Prime Video First Images Revealed Retrieved May 10 2024 The Batman Revised First Draft Screenplay Sci Fi Scripts Com Batman the 1989 Film Vintage Magazine Article Cinefantastique November 1989 Volume 20 Number 1 amp 2 Archived from the original on 2013 12 05 Retrieved 2017 10 06 Linder Brian December 6 2000 Aronofsky Talks Batman Year One Again IGN San Francisco California j2Global Retrieved October 17 2008 Gretzinger Matthew Batman Begins Review World of Batman UGO Networks Archived from the original on 2008 07 03 Retrieved 2008 07 22 Millard Josh 2007 01 09 I love Batman Year One Pen amp Inklings Archived from the original on 2009 01 06 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 Ford Rebecca March 7 2016 Justice League Adds J K Simmons as commissioner Gordon Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved March 7 2016 Begley Chris September 16 2016 Did Bryan Cranston just imply he turned down Commissioner Gordon in Justice League Batman on Film Tyrrel Caitlin 2021 07 06 BATGIRL BRAND NEW CHARACTER DETAILS INCLUDING DESCRIPTION OF FILM S VILLAIN EXCLUSIVE The Illuminerdi Retrieved 2021 07 07 Chand Neeraj July 11 2020 J K Simmons Will Do Whatever It Takes to Help Finish Zack Snyder s Justice League MovieWeb Archived from the original on August 29 2020 Retrieved September 1 2020 Kit Borys October 14 2019 The Batman Zoe Kravitz to Star as Catwoman The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved October 14 2019 Kit Borys 2011 04 20 Batman Year One Lines Up Voice Cast Sets Comic Con Premiere Exclusive Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 2011 07 12 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 White Brett March 15 2016 EXCLUSIVE Kevin Conroy amp Mark Hamill Star In Animated Batman The Killing Joke Comic Book Resources Archived from the original on March 15 2016 Retrieved March 15 2016 Batman The Long Halloween Part One Sets Voice Cast Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter 2021 03 31 Retrieved 2021 03 31 Milligan Mercedes November 19 2023 Trailer Merry Little Batman Brings a Lighter Dark Knight Tale to Prime Video Retrieved November 20 2023 Eisen Andrew October 4 2013 DC Characters and Objects Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide IGN Retrieved May 10 2024 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 Lego DC Super Villains Reveals Darkseid s Villainy in Action in New Clip External links editCommissioner James Gordon at DC Comics official website James Gordon on DC Database a DC Comics wiki Mastracci Sharon 2017 03 01 Public service in popular culture the administrative discretion of commissioner gordon and harvey dent International Journal of Organization Theory amp Behavior 17 3 367 388 doi 10 1108 IJOTB 17 03 2014 B005 ISSN 1093 4537 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jim Gordon character amp oldid 1223197144, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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