Batman may be the best detective in the world, but he’s only human. As perfectionist as he is, the Caped Crusader occasionally makes a mistake. On the plus side, this presents an opportunity for his allies to showcase him and get their time to shine.
This sometimes happens with Jim Gordon. He is a longtime police officer (one of the few good ones in Gotham) and regularly assists Batman in his crime-fighting. It goes without saying that he could improve his own heroic sleuthing skills from time to time. After all, he’s been doing this job much longer than Batman.
7/7 Batman: Hus
This comic has many twists. An example of this is when Batman finds his friend’s body with the Joker over it. He then goes blind with anger and nearly kills the clown before Gordon intervenes. It’s a good thing he does too.
There’s more to it than satisfying your revenge. Batman must uphold his moral and ethical code of no killing. It’s essential to his legitimacy as a hero and therefore not worth sacrificing for a bastard like the Joker.
Plus, the temporary reprieve gives Batman something to think about. The whole scenario is too neat as if it’s all arranged. Further investigation leads to the real culprit. Both positive results stem from Gordon’s intervention.
6/7 The long Halloween
This groundbreaking mystery sees a cryptic killer ravage Gotham, executing criminals every holiday. Meanwhile, Batman, Gordon and lawyer Harvey Dent try to bring down the Falcone mob family. None of them can decipher the killer’s identity, which weighs on them both mentally and emotionally.
Gordon eventually introduces Dent as a suspect, but Batman immediately rejects the idea. He doesn’t want to blame his friend, but that mentality clouds his judgment. Falcone escapes every legal trap they devise; even the most steadfast law enforcement officer would grow tired of such rules. Not to mention that Dent isn’t quite stable, especially when Falcone starts firing at him. He clearly has motive and opportunity. Granted, the heroes expose his wife at the end, but it’s still naive not to consider Harvey an option given the clues.
5/7 The Dark Knight
In Christopher Nolan’s second Batman movie, the fury of the Joker tests many characters. The Caped Crusader’s attempts to stop him all end in failure. Such an attack results in Gordon’s death. Finally, Batman decides to give himself up. But before he can do this, Harvey Dent makes himself a target, giving the Dark Knight a chance to catch the clownish crook.
Nevertheless, it is Gordon who catches the criminal and saves Batman. Faking his death solves two problems. First, it puts his family out of danger. More importantly, it means the Joker never sees him coming. That’s more than Batman can say throughout the entire movie.
4/7 Batman: Arkham Knight
The third main line Arkham title undermines Batman’s relationship with his allies, and no character illustrates this more than Gordon. When his daughter, Barbara, is kidnapped by the Scarecrow and the titular Arkham Knight, Jim learns how hard his little girl works for the Caped Crusader. Obviously, he feels hugely betrayed by his friend, cutting himself off from both Batman and the police. This means he disappears from much of the game.
That is, until Batman finally narrows down Scarecrow’s location. He learns that Gordon has found the villain’s base and infiltrated himself. Granted, the Dark Knight still has to save him, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jimbo beat him to the limit.
3/7 black mirror
To be fair, this story isn’t about the mainline Batman. Dick Grayson takes the mantle instead, which explains why he isn’t as sharp. It only makes sense that a seasoned cop like Gordon is better at recognizing danger, especially when it comes from his own son.
The story centers on the return of James Gordon, Jr. He is said to have overcome his psychotic tendencies and comes in search of friendship. His act certainly fools Batman, who teams up with him several times, but Jim Sr. doesn’t take it. He takes a blood test and discovers that his son’s antipsychotic drug is exacerbating his mental problems. It’s an amateurish mistake by Dick that gives Batman a bad name.
2/7 Gotham
In a show about Gordon’s younger days with the Corps, he clearly does most of the detective work. Sure enough, he’s as capable and driven as fans would expect, taking down the town’s crooks and madmen with shocking efficiency. It’s especially admirable given both the rampant corruption and the efforts of a preteen Bruce Wayne to undermine him. This wouldn’t be a big deal if the kid wasn’t such a prominent part of the show.
Unfortunately, the writers repeatedly force little Wayne into conflicts that he absolutely cannot handle. It then falls on Gordon to pick up the pieces and save the idiot. If it weren’t for this good cop, Bruce wouldn’t have lasted two days, let alone made it to his cape-and-cowl stage.
1/7 The killer joke
Few are more tested in this twisted tale than Gordon. The Joker cripples his daughter and then attacks the distraught father with obscene photos of her. The maniacal jester wants to destroy all the rules Gordon has devised in his mind and drive him insane, proving his point that a bad day can destroy any foundation of sanity. Fortunately it doesn’t work.
Gordon still insists that Batman bring in the Joker “by the book.” This is especially powerful given the Caped Crusader conflict here. His eternal battle with the Clown Prince of Crime shakes his normally rock-solid faith in the justice system. It is Gordon who reminds him of their duty. These two detectives solve crimes not to kill criminals, but to enforce the law. This is partly why Batman keeps old Jim as an ally. Not only does he value their friendship, but the experienced agent keeps him on the right track. The fact that he maintains that integrity after going through such a trauma is all the more impressive.
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