Jim Gordon

Real name

James Worthington Gordon

Aliases

Commissioner Gordon
Jim Gordon
Gordo
A Damm Good Cop

Affiliation

Gotham City Police Department (formerly)
Batman

Age

50's

Occupation

L.O.D. security guard
GCPD Police Commissioner (formerly)

Relationships

Familial

Barbara Eileen Gordon
(ex-wife)

Barbara Gordon
(daughter)
Unknown man
(ex-brother-in-law)

Other

Batman
(best friend/co-worker)

Cheryl
(former lieutenant)
The Arm
(former best friend)
Harvey Dent
(former friend/campaign manager)
Harley's Crew
(former enemies)
Clone Harley †
(creation)
Nora Freeze
(co-worker)
Bane
(co-worker)

Backstage

❝ My name is Jim. I'm a hardworking detective with a beautiful wife who won't touch me even though I treat her like a queen and do everything for her. EVERYTHING! ❞

— James Gordon

Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon is a major character and occasional antagonist of the T.V. series Harley Quinn. He is the former head of the Gotham City Police Department, one of Batman's closest allies, and the father of Barbara Gordon.

Appearance[]

Jim Gordon's appearance reflects his constant stress and his being near his mental breaking point, with deep, dark bags under his eyes, which are typically very wide open. He wears thick black glasses and has messy brown hair, a mustache with grey stubble all over his face, and a notable cleft chin. He has graying areas over both sides of his hair, which were completely brown when he was younger. He wears a grey shirt with a very loose black tie, a small portion of his white undershirt showing out above his tie; the shirt can be seen only tucked on one side at all times instead of fully either way. He also wears black shoes, a dark green jacket, and brown pants.

Biography[]

Background[]

James Gordon is the police commissioner for Gotham City's law enforcement. However, he has become somewhat mentally unstable over the years, partly due to his thankless job as well as the Joker supposedly paralyzing his partner. He was married to a woman named Barbara with whom he had a daughter, also named Barbara. He and his wife started having marital problems as she distanced herself from him and supposedly has been cheating on him.

Season 1[]

"Til Death Do Us Part"[]

Commissioner Gordon interrogates Harley Quinn on the roof of the Gotham City Police Department building alongside Batman after The Joker has escaped to make her give up where he is, although she refuses. Gordon appears stressed and behaves erratic, beginning by telling Harley she's cancer, getting overly upset when she says Batman fucks bats, and freaking out over resorts never actually being all-inclusive. Months later, Gordon plays with the bat signal while waiting for Batman. When he shows up, he tries to invite him to spend time together, although Batman quickly dismisses him and leaves.

"You're a Damn Good Cop, Jim Gordon"[]

Batman
You used to be such a damn good cop.
Jim Gordon
I damn still am!
Batman
Prove it!
— Batman gives Gordon the "evidence"

Jim Gordon used the Bat Signal to summon Batman to the roof of the police department and then proceeded to tell him about his crumbling marriage and how his wife was sleeping with someone else. Batman insists that the bat signal is only for emergencies, so he takes it away from Gordon and insists they are just coworkers when Jim refers to them as friends. He then told him about Harley's break-in at WayneTech, focusing solely on the damage she could do with the stolen technology. He then gave Gordon "evidence" to interrogate before leaving. The evidence was Clayface's lost Arm, which separated from Clayface and had grown sentient.

Gordon interrogating The Arm — Commissioner Gordon interrogates The Arm

Determined to prove his usefulness, Gordon began interrogating the sniffling Arm about Harley Quinn's whereabouts, although The Arm only wanted to "get back to my dad". Gordon then took a softer approach, urging him to talk about his "dad", but The Arm insisted that he's "not supposed to talk to strangers". Changing tact, Gordon tried to establish some rapport by introducing himself as "Jim", a "hardworking detective with a beautiful wife who won't touch me even though I treat her like a queen and do everything for her. Everything!" to which The Arm pointed out that "she doesn't sound like a friend to me", pleasing Gordon. He then realized he got sidetracked and insisted that this wasn't what they were there to talk about, yet The Arm suggested that "maybe it should be, Jim", so Gordon took The Arm to the roof to talk.

❝ All I ask is that occasionally when my wife is emotionally distant during sex, he listens. Not to the sex, but to me talking about the... ❞

— Gordon about Batman

You're a Damn Good Cop, Jim Gordon — Gordon imagines a friendship with The Arm

Gordon told The Arm all about his troubles, even about Batman taking away the Bat-Signal and not being there for him emotionally, and The Arm comforted and supported him, touching Gordon when he stated that he seemed like a really good cop, calling him his friend. Gordon was overjoyed by this, imagining a deep friendship with The Arm. Still, he tried to leverage their new friendship to convince The Arm to reveal Harley Quinn's location. The Arm asked him if he was pretending, and although Gordon admitted that he was initially, he said they were true friends now as The Arm listened to him and didn't judge him. The Arm then agreed to reveal the location but was interrupted by the arrival of Harley Quinn and Clayface.

They both demanded Gordon turn over The Arm, who begged Gordon not to let them take him because he was "epidence". Gordon assured The Arm that he was far more than that and vowed not to let them touch him. Gordon spun around and started shooting at Clayface and Harley. Harley tried to reason with him, but he told them that he was "my friend. My only friend", at which point Harley brought up Batman, but Gordon insisted that Batman had abandoned him, so The Arm was all he had. Running out of options, Harley came out from behind cover with the device she stole from WayneTech, threatening to press the button and blow the place up if he didn't relinquish The Arm. Rather than give in, Gordon simply shot at Harley, who pressed the button in a panic and vanished into thin air, shocking Gordon.

Jim and Batman — Jim Gordon and Batman reconcile

With Harley gone, however, Gordon could hold Clayface at gunpoint, who tried to reason with The Arm. Soon enough, Batman arrives with Harley to talk to Gordon, and although Gordon initially said that The Arm was his new friend, Batman apologizes. Gordon immediately apologized back and hugged him, insisting their friendship went beyond the crime-fighting. They could lean on each other emotionally, and Batman said, "Sure," and put back the Bat Single. He then turned to the Arm, thanking him for all he had done, and urged him to return to Clayface. With everything back to normal, Batman and Gordon turned to arrest Harley and Clayface, but Doctor Psycho and Poison Ivy showed up to save them. As they fled, Gordon had a free shot, but lowered his weapon, thinking of The Arm.

"Devil's Snare"[]

From atop the Gotham City Police Department roof, Gordon watches as the mutant trees wreak havoc on Gotham Park. Noting how fortuitous it was to cancel the Jazz Fest event there, he proclaimed bombing the place would be best. Batman appears and dissuades him as innocent lives would be lost. However, Gordon insists that they do with the tanks paid by the taxpayer money finally be used. Still, Batman reveals that Scarecrow has unleashed his toxins around Gotham, forcing civilians into the park for safety, which Gordon curses. Batman assures Gordon he'll take care of Scarecrow while he evacuates the civilians at the park, while the Justice League will soon arrive. Understanding, Gordon alludes to using the tanks, but Batman bluntly dismisses that idea, much to Gordon's dismay.

Later, a Reporter interviews Gordon about the mutant trees wreaking havoc at Gotham Park, and he upsettedly reveals that tanks won't be used to destroy them.

Afterward, Batman contacts Gordon to update him about Scarecrow, but he catches Gordon riding a tank, which he insists on using to handle the situation. The conversation abruptly ends after Scarecrow ambushes Batman from behind, and Gordon tells the two men and Cheryl that they'll take care of the mutant trees. That was until Harley appeared, stole the tank the police were riding in, and left them all behind while gagged and hogtied.

With the appearance of Joker's tower, Gordon coordinates his fellow police officers inside their tanks to use them to dispose of Joker's tower. But before they can, a mutant tree appears, tosses a tank aside, and into the one Harley had stolen.

"The Final Joke"[]

Flashing the Bat Signal in the sky, Gordon is approached by Batman, who asks what the problem is. Gordon interjects his relationship with his wife. Their conversation is interrupted by Harley, who proposes that she and Batman team up to take down the Joker. Batman refuses, stating he works alone, and Gordon interjects, but is hushed by Batman. Harley mentions that nobody knows Joker better than them, and Gordon giddily leaves to fetch a file on Joker. Soon, Gordon returns with the "file" only to reveal that the Joker had replaced it with a musical greeting card featuring him surfing on a surfboard.

A week after Batman and Harley's failed attempt to defeat the Joker, Gordon is seen being arrested by Joker's goons in Joker-themed police riot outfits.

Season 2[]

"New Gotham"[]

Damian as Batman — Gordon is unimpressed by "Batman"

After the disappearance of Batman and the destruction of Gotham City, Gordon became dejected and took to waiting around the Bat-signal in vain, hoping for Batman's return. One night, Robin arrived dressed as Batman, intending to "take up the mantle" of Batman, but Gordon threw his alcohol bottle at him in mockery. Robin did manage to tell Gordon that Batman was missing; however, this caused him to panic, and he noted that Batman was not responding to any texts. Despite Gordon's insistence, Robin refused to share Batman or his contact info.

With no other option, Gordon attempts to rally the GCPD to take back Gotham City, only for Two-Face and his goons to arrive and commandeer the entire organization, forcing Gordon to flee and lay down fire to cover his retreat. He vows revenge before leaving the city with the bat signal, only to end up having his tires blown out by spikes thrown by Bane's goons - his policemen, now working for the criminals. They rob him and flee, leaving Gordon broken and dejected, throwing his badge into the Gotham harbor.

Gordon returns to his wife Barbara, finding solace in her comfort. He rallies himself and begins a plan to rebuild, using Barbara's brother's scuba gear to recover his badge from the harbor, using his house as the new GCPD headquarters, and deputizing Barbara herself to be a husband and wife policing pair an "unbreakable bond" as he puts it. However, at that exact moment, Barbara finally says she wants a divorce and turns off the lights, ripping Gordon's newfound motivation out from under him and leaving him in a pit of despair.

"Riddler U"[]

Just before the Riddler took over, a depressed Jim Gordon snuck into his daughter Barbara's dorm at Riddler University. He walked into her room just as she was being tied up by a plant with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, who were undercover as college students. He found the situation suspicious, but Barbara told him it was just an "internet thing" that he wouldn't understand, so he grabbed a beer before returning to crying in the shower. Later, Gordon was eating old chips from his chest hair while Barbara tried to convince him to get dressed and help her take down the Riddler, although he insisted he couldn't do anything with Batman still missing.

"Batman's Back Man"[]

Gordon
What, have you you been in a coma these last few months?
Bruce Wayne
No. I've been doing stuff.
Gordon
Ah! [chuckles] You playboys, always doing stuff. Must be nice

After waking up from his months-long coma, Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, sets up a meeting with Jim Gordon at his mansion to discuss what to do about the chaos in the city. He quickly believes Batman's lie about "doing stuff" and jumps right into a list of things he wants Bruce to pay for "so I can take back the city", including both an entire bankrolled police force and personal frivolities for himself. When he hesitates to fund his personal projects, Gordon exclaims that he is the only one who can save the city since Batman's gone. Shocked, Bruce asks if no other heroes are left in the city. At this point, Gordon shows him the handful of amateurs who are trying: the Macaroni, an Englishman with a mechanical powdered wig, and Batgirl, taking up the mantle of Batman. Gordon shows clear disdain for both of them, claiming no one dares to fight back against the uprising of villains without Batman.

Batgirl and Gordon start working together — Gordon teams up with Batgirl

Later, Batman, finally back in his suit, meets Gordon at their old meeting spot on the roof of Gotham City Police Department. Although Gordon is confused by his sitting down, he is excited by his return and starts planning how they will return to Gotham together. However, Batman soon explains he is currently unable to work (hence why he is sitting) and needs some time to heal. Gordon desperately exclaims that the city "needs the bat" and that he needs a partner, both of which Batman agrees with, introducing him to Batgirl. Although Gordon is skeptical, he reluctantly agrees to their new partnership and shakes Batgirl's hand.

"All the Best Inmates Have Daddy Issues"[]

In the past, Gordon lost against then Harvent Dent in push-ups but challenged him to squats. This is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Arkham's newest psychiatrist, Harleen Quinzel, who is entrusted with figuring out where the bomb was placed in Gotham by Joker. An alarm goes off, caused by Poison Ivy, who attacks the inmates there, but is incapacitated by a guard using a flamethrower. Harleen had apprehensive thoughts about the flamethrower's usage, but Gordon insisted that she focus on getting the bomb information from Joker.

Inside an office, Gordon was displeased with Harleen's performance and wanted her to quit, but she asked for a second chance. Dent leans toward it, but Batman appears and interrogates Joker as Gordon, Dent, and Harleen all watch but get nowhere. Once Harleen leaves to talk to Ivy, Gordon asks Batman what his plans for the rest of the night are.

Once Harleen gets into Joker's chamber again, she manages to get him to reveal the location of the bomb, which is "Little Italy", and Gordon sends a bomb squad there. He then follows Batman there, but no bomb is discovered. Gordon later gets informed that the bomb wasn't in Little Italy, the location, but inside a person named Luigi.

"There's No Place to Go But Down"[]

To be added

"Inner (Para) Demons"[]

Gordon goes after Harley — "I'm coming for you, Quinn"

Following the high of his victory against Two-Face, Gordon called up the President of the United States. He told him that he had single-handedly taken down the Injustice League and requested that he allow Gotham to be part of the United States again. However, the president pointed out that one supervillain was still running amok, Harley Quinn. Despite Gordon's claims that she was nothing to worry about, comparing her to his own problem with anal polyps, the president insisted that she was a menace and that he would only allow Gotham to rejoin the United States once she was taken care of, which Gordon vowed to do.

❝ Well, I made my decision! And I never back down from my decisions. It's a terrible quality that has ruined most of my personal relationships, so bring it! ❞

— Commissioner Gordon

Gordon got ready for the fight by loading up on guns when Batgirl arrived to warn him against going up against Harley as she was gathering an army. Gordon seems to understand but then immediately concludes that he needs an army as well, and although Batgirl tries to clarify, he charges off and closes the door in her face. He then goes to city hall and gives an impassioned speech that inspires the citizens of Gotham to rise and take back their city, forming an army. As a portal opens over Gotham Mall, Commissioner Gordon is closing in on the mall with his own army of tanks, police, and angry militia. Harley, who has fallen out of the portal, warns Gordon to back off as she has a "flying army from a hell planet," but as Gordon insists on staying firm, an army of Parademon is unleashed from the sky. The tanks under Gordon's command unleash hellfire into the sky even as the Parademons literally tear the tanks apart and cut through his army like butter.

As the chaos escalates with fires burning all around, Gordon himself only barely manages to kill a single Parademon with a volley of strategically aimed shots and finds himself cornered and disarmed as Harley arrives to kill him. However, before she can do that, she is talked down by Poison Ivy, who makes her realize this is not really what she wants. So she gives the city over to Gordon, who declares victory and says, "This is why you don't back down, people," even as a sea of horribly injured people look up at him from a chaotic wasteland.

"Dye Hard"[]

To be added

"Lovers' Quarrel"[]

Gordon and Batgirl covered each others' eyes when Poison Ivy's memory of sleeping with Harley during "Bachelorette" was projected onto the sky over Gotham City by a vengeful Doctor Psycho.

"Something Borrowed, Something Green"[]

To be added

The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour[]

"Journey to Love"[]

To be added

"Journey to Love Part 2"[]

To be added

"Journey to Love Part 3"[]

To be added

"Journey to Love Part 4"[]

A defeated Gordon watches the news from his sofa and finds out Harley and Ivy are hiding in Detroit.

"Journey to Love Part 6"[]

What do you have to say for yourself, Jim? — Gordon interviewed by Tawny Young

Gordon gets an anonymous text from someone telling him they know where Harley is and that he has a place on a flight to Detroit that will leave in an hour. Later, Gordon arrives at the site where Harley and Ivy have just helped defeat Mephitic. He angrily prepares to arrest Harley but is stopped by Livewire, providing a distraction that allows Harley and Ivy to escape again. Tawny Young then turns to interview him, calling him "Gotham's blunderous Commissioner Gordon" and asks what he has to say for himself, although he remains quiet and sulking.

Season 3[]

"Harlivy"[]

In the weeks since the wedding, Gordon has started his mayoral campaign with Two-Face as his campaign manager. He attended a debate against the current Mayor where he was questioned by his lieutenant, Cheryl, about how he would solve Gotham's myriad of issues, including sinkholes, toxic puddles, and children driving busses. As Cheryl accused him of misspending (although Gordon noted that it was the current Mayor who approved his budget) and the audience boos at him, Gordon tried to insist Gotham's real problem was criminals like Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Then, he vowed to bring them to justice, although he was met by more booing. He left the stage, telling Two-Face he thought it went well.

**Two-Face**: "Something about this doesn't seem right".
**Gordon**: "Hold on, let's hear them out".

Later, Gordon and Two-Face made a plan to capture Harley and Ivy. They planted a phone in Arkham Asylum for King Shark and Clayface to find, and just like they planned, they then called Harley to come and break them out. After watching the security cameras, they spotted "Harley" and "Ivy" on the roof and confronted them with the GCPD. However, Two-Face sensed something was amiss when they began aggressively flirting, so he shone his phone's flashlight at them, revealing they were well-known adult film actresses Kylie Kryptonite and Britney Bionic posing as Harley and Ivy. Meanwhile, Harley and Ivy managed to break their teammates out without detection.

Jim Gordon
How could you do this to me?
Two-Face
Do you know what my name is?
Jim Gordon
[Gasps] Harvey Dent!
Two-Face
Right, but my moniker?
Jim Gordon
Ohh! [Chuckles] I still don't get it.

Following that failure, Gordon got a lecture from the Mayor over his failure to capture Harley and Ivy, again, as well as half the GCPD getting suspended over the photos they posted with the porn actors on social media. When he threatened to take his batch, Gordon confidently affirmed he would be the one to take the Mayor's job after the election. However, at that moment, Two-Face arrived as the Mayor revealed him as his new campaign manager. Gordon was shocked at his betrayal, not seeing the connection to his name. He angrily threw his campaign pin out the window, resulting in a series of events showcasing Gotham's previously mentioned problems, causing a metal pole to fly through the window and impale the Mayor. Two-Face then turned to Gordon, telling him he had just become available again.

"A Thief, a Mole, an Orgy"[]

To be added

"Joker: The Killing Vote"[]

To be added

Season 4[]

"Getting Ice Dick, Don't Wait Up"[]

To be added

"Metamorphosis"[]

To be added

"The Most Culturally Impactful Film Franchise of All Time"[]

To be added

"Killer's Block"[]

To be added

Personality[]

❝ What would Commissioner Gordon be like if he was the Commissioner of the Gotham Police Department, saw what he saw every day for 27 years, and never went to therapy? What would that look like? He'd be so fucked up and constantly on edge. He's got a thankless job. He's doing the day-to-day grunt work, filling out all the paperwork, and he's oftentimes maligned. That ultimately drives a man to madness. His marriage is falling apart, he's drinking too much, and he has no real friends. ❞

— Justin Halpern^[1]

The show shows how being in charge of Gotham City would take a toll on someone. Unlike most media, where Gordon remains tough as hell in the face of overwhelming adversity, this Gordon is a deeply stressed-out mess of a man who's always on edge.

Gordon is also less generous than most versions, as he admitted he only became a cop to shoot bad people and accidentally innocent people. However, he said accidentally, which means he clearly tries to avoid shooting and killing innocent people, encased by his look of regret when he says this. He is also very resourceful and manipulative, as shown when he tricked Ivy into thinking the plastic plants she was surrounded with were real plants. He also equipped those same plants with knockout gas, and he was also resourceful because the cops he led into the wedding were armed with laser guns.

❝ Tell my daughter... I love her. ❞

— Gordon prepared to sacrifice himself^[src]

After Gotham is destroyed, with villains taking over the city, many of his enforcers siding with criminals, and Batman missing, Gordon eventually hits rock hard. He abandons his job as a cop as well as Gotham, moving to his daughter's room in college, and becomes a problematic alcoholic, drinking every time whenever he can. However, after he learns Batman is back, and Batgirl has joined to fight crime, Gordon eventually starts to regain his sense of justice. When Two-Face attacks him and his daughter at his place and is cornered by who was once his friend and coworker, and after seeing a picture of his daughter, Gordon chooses to stand up one more time and get things done, being more than prepared to die.

Later, to make the city part of the US again, he develops an unhealthy obsession with arresting Harley and Poison Ivy, to the point of doing a mad pursuit across the country, doing whatever means necessary, not caring if innocent people get hurt in the middle. Gordon would abandon this obsession to focus on something that would benefit him even more, becoming a mayor, so he starts a campaign to be elected, but ultimately chooses to step down as he realizes how far he is going to get votes with the help of Two-Face.

Now, working as a security guard for the Legion of Doom, Gordon seems to have become more balanced and is not biased with villains; he bonds King Shark with the fact both are fathers, Gordon helps Nanaue taking care of his children, and he would also give him some advice to be a good single father. However, he still has low self-esteem, trying to hide that he is currently homeless and sleeps in the LOD headquarters. His relationship with his daughter has become more distant since they now work in different organizations, and after Nightwing's death, their relationship became strained since Gordon didn't call her and wasn't there to support his daughter, a fact Barbara would later point out to his father. Nevertheless, Gordon still loves Barbara and is seen as very concerned after she's hospitalized due to being shot from the waist by Joker. After Harley delivers him to the villain, Gordon is smiling, prepared to torture him as vengeance for what he did to his daughter, showing he's developed some sadism.