As you know, Batman first appeared in the 27th edition of "Detective Comics" publisher DC. At the same time, a completely different character was depicted on the first page of the new edition. It was an incorruptible policeman James Gordon, who became a faithful ally of the Dark Knight. Despite the absence of any superhuman powers, this man became one of the most popular comic book heroes, along with Batman and Robin.
James Worthington Gordon
This brown-eyed brunette with gray hair, who almost always wears glasses and smokes a lot, was afraid and hated by all the criminals of Gotham no less, and sometimes more than Batman. He was the ideal policeman: brave, strong, smart, and most importantly - incorruptible.
The main feature of this hero that distinguishes him from other DC characters is his willpower. Thanks to her, James Gordon overcame the difficulties in which other superheroes were lost. However, the most dangerous opponent of this character was corruption. By the way, it was his anti-corruption position that helped to win the love of readers around the world for this hero.
Gordon's biography before being transferred to Gotham
James was born in the gangster Chicago. In his youth, he served in the US special forces, where he studied martial arts, which in the future he was very useful.
Having become a policeman in his native city, he quickly made enemies not only in the criminal world, but also among dishonest colleagues. After James Gordon began to "dig" under one of the most influential criminal clans in Chicago, he was transferred to Gotham.
In a new place, the life of an honest policeman did not get any better, because the corrupt police in Gotham could not be compared to Chicago. Despite all this, Gordon did not change his principles. Soon, he was assigned to form a group to capture Batman.
Beginning of cooperation with Batman
At first, James did not really trust the Dark Knight and his methods. But soon he, to his horror, became convinced that the masked hero was his only reliable ally in the fight against crime in this city.
Due to the fact that the Gotham Defender is outlawed, an honest policeman had to hide the fact of their cooperation. Soon justice fighters (James Gordon, Batman) were joined by local district attorney Harvey Dent. Together, this trio destroyed the criminal organization Carmine Falcone. In addition, James soon became captain.
Fighting Two-Faced and the Joker
Unfortunately, the victory over the criminal clan Falcone was not in vain. Harvey Dent began to progress schizophrenia, which he struggled with since childhood. During the trial, one of the criminals doused the prosecutor with acid, disfiguring half of his face. All together, Dent went crazy and became a criminal under the pseudonym Two-Face.
Gotham's new enemy gave Gordon and Batman a lot of trouble. However, from time to time they managed to defeat him and send him to a hospital. True, leaving there, Dent again took up the old.
Over time, the talented surgeon Thomas Elliot (aka Hash criminal) was able to not only restore Harvey's appearance, but also help him cope with the disease. Later, Khash wanted to destroy Batman with the help of Two-Faced. But Dent again sided with the law and saved Protector Gotham, thereby restoring his trust and Gordon. However, later he again became on a crooked path.
Another dangerous enemy of the tandem of crime fighters was the clown Joker. Once he took Gordon hostage and began to torture him, trying to drive him crazy. However, Batman managed to stop this in time. James Gordon, having endured all the tests and maintaining his sanity, kept the Knight of Gotham from reprisal against the criminal and sent the latter to the hospital. In the same period, Gordon becomes commissar.
Gordon and the new Batman (Azrael)
Years of dealing with criminals, as well as smoking, led to the commissioner having a heart attack. Because of this, he left the service for a long time.
After recovering and returning to work, Commissioner James Gordon found out that due to an injury to Bruce Wayne’s spine, Azrael is the Protector of Gotham. Unlike Wayne, the new Batman was more cruel, which at first gave good results. However, Gordon did not like the work style of the new Dark Knight, and he did not cooperate with him. Because of this behavior, the new mayor of the city, approving the behavior of Batman, removed James from the post of commissioner.
Realizing that he had stopped deciding something in the fight against crime, Gordon decided to run for mayor. By then, Wayne had regained his strength and, disappointed in his successor, regained the role of Batman. Realizing that it was better than James Gordon to find the police commissioner, he persuaded the latter to withdraw his candidacy and support Marion Grange. Having become mayor, this woman returned Gordon to the place of commissioner.
The fate of the hero
After a powerful earthquake and the machinations of some criminal geniuses, Gotham was destroyed and expelled from the United States. Many of its inhabitants left the city. However, Commissioner Gordon remained. He tried hard to maintain order in Gotham. Due to Batman's long absence, James was forced to team up with Two-Faced. Soon, he tried to kill the commissar, but Gordon was able to play on the split personality of the criminal and save himself.
When Batman returned to the city, his friend could not forgive him for his absence for a long time, but later they could find a common language. Gotham gradually began to recover, and many townspeople returned here. True, among the returnees there were also criminal elements, in particular the Joker.
On Christmas Eve, this villain intended to abduct all the children in the city. Trying to stop him, Gordon lost his wife. Batman appeared on time to keep the commissar from killing the criminal.
Barely recovering from the death of his beloved, James was seriously injured by a former colleague from Chicago, whom Gordon convicted of corruption and brought to trial. Having recovered, James did not return to service, but set off to travel. Later, returning to Gotham, he began to teach at a local university.
After Batman was again forced to leave his hometown, the crime rate began to strictly increase. This made Gordon take up the commissar chair again.
After a while, the Dark Knight returned to his post. Unfortunately, he was not alone: the Joker escaped again and decided to get even with his sworn enemies. During the fight, he intended to poison James Gordon with laughing gas, but the brave commissar managed to survive.
The personal life of the valiant commissioner James Gordon
In heart affairs, this hero was not very lucky. Back in Chicago, he married Barbara Eileen. Soon after moving to Gotham, a son was born to the couple - James Gordon the Younger.
Due to constant employment, the relationship of the spouses has cooled. Moreover, James made an affair with his colleague Sarah Essen. Despite the erupted feeling, the hero did not dare to leave the family. However, the corrupt colleagues of Gordon, learning about the office romance, tried to blackmail him. Upon learning about this, Sarah left the city so as not to be the "Achilles heel" of her lover.
The commissioner himself refused to comply with the demands of the blackmailers, and the wife of James Gordon found out about everything. To still make the cop dance to his tune, the criminals stole his son. But Batman managed to save the boy and punish the bastards. By the way, it was after this incident that friendship began between Gordon and Wayne.
After everything experienced, Barbara Eileen decided to take a break in relations and, taking her son, left Gotham. However, this did not save the Gordon’s marriage, and soon they divorced.
After the Joker captured and tortured the commissioner, Sarah returned to the city. An affair renewed between her and James, and they soon got married. The union of James and Sarah was very harmonious, but when Gordon was removed from the post of commissar, replacing him with his wife, problems began in the marriage. Fortunately, the Gordons were able to overcome them.
After the earthquake in Gotham, it was Sarah who persuaded her husband not to leave the ruined city. But only after the Joker returned there, she died from his bullet.
Gordon later agrees with his ex-wife Barbara Eileen again, but their common child, who returned to Gotham, causes his father a lot of problems.
Barbara Gordon
Gordon once had a brother Roger, but later he died with his wife Thelma. After their death, the thirteen-year-old Barbara remained an orphan. James adopted a niece.
Having moved to Gotham, the girl was carried away by Batman, dreaming of fighting crime herself. When Barbara grew up and wanted to work in the police, the adoptive father ridiculed her desire. To spite him, she appeared at a police ball in a homemade Batgel costume. Thanks to the appearance at the celebration of the murderer Moth, the girl was able to prove herself, and after a while Wayne accepted her into the Bet squad, revealing her identity.
Barbara Gordon was the first Batgel until she was accidentally captured by the Joker. He tortured the girl in front of her adoptive father in order to break him. After these events, Barbara remained confined to a wheelchair. But this did not stop her from fighting crime.
Possessing a photographic memory, the girl under the pseudonym Oracle created a unique computer database that brought considerable benefit not only to Batman, but also to the Suicide Squad, as well as other heroes. Later, she retired and, hiding from everyone, simply watched through the Internet for the activities of friends and enemies.
After the Joker killed Sarah, Commissioner Gordon wounded him in the leg, thus avenging Barbara's paralysis.
When James again met with his ex-wife and her half-brother returned to the city, the girl suspected something was wrong ...
James Gordon the Younger
The son of a good commissar did not at all look like a father. Even in early childhood, he was distinguished by a malicious disposition and did not get along well with others. After killing her friend, Bess Barbara began to suspect her stepbrother of this. However, she had no evidence. Having become an Oracle, the girl watched her brother, but did not tell her father about it.
When James the Younger returned to Gotham, he told dad about his mental problems. But he reassured him by taking a new effective medicine. Tormented by doubts, the commissioner asked his daughter to do an analysis of the drug and found out that he does not treat the psychopathy of his son, but rather strengthens it. Moreover, Gordon the Elder and Barbara found out that the guy gave this medicine to infants in order to turn them into psychopaths.
While the commissioner tried to stop his son, he abducted his half-sister and tried to kill her, but was stopped by Wayne and sent to a hospital.
Commissioner Gordon at the restart of the Batman franchise
In the new version of the comic book about the adventures of the Dark Knight from the publisher DC, a slightly modified James Gordon appears before the readers. The biography of this hero in the general mass remained the same.
However, now he has no children, no wife, and in addition, from a graying brunette, he turned into a red-haired one.
James Worthington Gordon on television
There are three of the most successful Batman adventure series in which sufficient attention has been paid to Commissioner Gordon.
In the late 40s, the Batman and Robin series, consisting of 15 episodes, was filmed. In it, the role of James Gordon was initially played by Ed Wood, and then was replaced by Lyle Talbot.
In the 60s, the Batman television series was best known. In it, the role of the courageous commissioner was played by Neil Hamilton.
Since 2014, the Gotham television series has enjoyed great success for several seasons. In it, events unfold after the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents.
Although young Batman is an active participant, James Gordon still plays the main role. “Gotham” (actor
Benjamin Mackenzie plays the role of the future commissar) is the story of the formation of the Dark Knight's personality, but so far the main character of the project is Commissioner Gordon.
The character of James Gordon in the movie
Unlike television, Batman has a lot more to do with movies.
In four films about Batman 80-90s. the role of Gordon went to Pat Hingle, despite the fact that he is not painfully similar to this character.
But in the Nolan trilogy with Christian Bale in the title role, he was very similar to his prototype from the comics, James Gordon. Actor Gary Oldman magnificently embodied this character on the screen.
Recently, DC set about creating its own cinema universe (similar to Marvel). In addition to several films about the alien from Krypton and the Suicide Squad, they soon plan to release the picture “Justice League”. In this project, the role of the commissioner went to recently received Oscar Jay Kay Simmons.
Character James Gordon over the years of its existence has become a cult. In the updated Batman comic book series, this hero is also present. However, no one knows how his biography will turn out this time. Fans of Gordon hope that this time their favorite will suffer less at the hands of villains. Whether their expectations will be met, time will tell.