James “Jim” Gordon is no stranger to crime and justice in the DC Universe. As one of Batman’s most trusted allies, Gordon has proved himself time after time as a loyal friend and helper to the Caped Crusader, and the ever-growing roster of Gotham City heroes.
With Gordon’s lengthy time as a police officer in Gotham City, it’s no surprise that the Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department has made quite a few mistakes. It’s what makes him human, and relatable to audiences that don’t have billions of dollars and the rigorous training to become The Batman.
9 Shaving His Mustache
2014 saw Gotham City once again at the heel of The Joker’s mayhem with Batman: Endgame. This time, Joker is finished with games and seeks to kill The Batman once and for all. After the dramatic events of this comic, Gotham was left without a Batman, since Bruce Wayne and Joker had supposedly died together in a final battle.
With Gotham needing the Caped Crusader, James Gordon stepped into the cowl. Supported by an opportunistic entrepreneur, and the GCPD, Gordon did the unspeakable act of shaving his mustache, an iconic piece of his wardrobe since his debut in 1939’s Detective Comics issue #27.
8 His Dependency On Batman
Gotham City is no stranger to falling into the hands of the most diabolical villains. When the Dark Knight is overtaken by grief and leaves Gotham City, he soon returns to find himself outlawed in Batman: City of Bane. Bane and the other Rogues Gallery members have overtaken Gotham once more, and rule it with an iron fist.
The fact that Batman had left Gotham, and almost immediately the GCPD and James Gordon had become overrun and useless in protecting their city, shows a complete overdependence on the spandex-wearing superhero.
7 Shooting Joker’s Kneecap
In the comics, a gigantic event occurred in Batman: No Man’s Land. This storyline ran for almost the entire year of 1999 and featured Batman and company in a Gotham City after it had been declared as no longer part of the United States of America. This is due to the many disasters that occurred in Gotham City, leaving it a lawless wasteland with divided territories. This comic is due for the animated treatment that many of the best DC animated movies have.
In this comic, The Joker kills Sara Essen, the wife of James Gordon. In a rage, Gordon strikes Joker with his revolver and contemplates shooting him in the head. Yet, Gordon shoots his knee, ensuring he will never walk again, revenge for the fate of Barbara Gordon. By not killing Joker, Gordon proves he is better than him, but at the cost of his wife’s life, and perhaps many others to come.
6 Stopping Batman’s Justified Murder
In Batman: Hush, Batman witnesses The Joker in an alleyway crouched over the dead body of his childhood best friend, Thomas Elliot. This sends Batman into a fit of rage, where he beats Joker bloody and begins to strangle him. Not even Harley Quinn can save Joker, and it seems the Clown Prince of Crime will die. Until he feels the barrel of a gun against the back of his skull.
Gordon intervenes with Batman’s attempt to murder Joker. After all the pain and suffering Joker has caused Gotham, and Batman, he is ready to end it. Yet Gordon forces him to stop and claims he won’t let Joker ruin Batman’s life by murdering him and being no different from him. This touching moment between partners can’t escape the idea that Joker will just be freed and kill again.
5 Let The Villains Take Over Arkham
Batman is called upon to visit Arkham Asylum, the famed mental institute that houses Gotham’s criminals. The asylum has had a maddening riot, in which the most dangerous super-villains have taken over the institute. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth features James Gordon informing Batman of the inmates’ control over the asylum.
The comic takes place on April 1st, and Commissioner Gordon’s mistake comes from letting this happen in the first place. The inmates of Arkham had taken over and threatened to kill the innocent staff unless Batman meets them inside. His failure to ensure the safety of the staff and the controlling power of the guards is his fault, as he should have had the manpower necessary to contain Gotham’s supervillains.
4 Killed Harvey Dent’s Child
The comic Flashpoint was the prelude to DC Comics’ reboot titled The New 52! In Flashpoint, Barry Allen wakes to find himself in a changing world. Part of this new universe is that Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne were never killed in Crime Alley, but their son Bruce Wayne was. This leads to Martha becoming The Joker, and Thomas becoming Batman.
In the Flashpoint continuity, James Gordon appears in Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance. As part of an investigation, Gordon finds Joker pointing guns at a child at the abandoned Wayne Manor. When Gordon takes the kill shot, he doesn’t realize that it was a child strapped to a chair with her mouth taped shut, meaning Gordon has just killed an innocent child. Before James can do anything else, Joker slits his throat from behind him.
3 Not Figuring Out His Daughter Is Batgirl
In the 2021 comic series The Joker, James Gordon reveals to Barbara Gordon that he knows that she was Batgirl and that he has known her for a long time. He says “I can hear Joker laughing at me every night. I can hear him right now.” Gordon is one of many characters that has been a victim of Joker’s evils, yet he remains strong.
James’ mistake was not confronting Barbara about it sooner. For the safety of his daughter, and to perhaps prevent the horrible act that Joker committed on Barbara in Batman: The Killing Joke, in which he shot her in the spine and stripped her to try and drive James Gordon insane.
2 The Horrific Train Tragedy
After a fierce shootout with Professor Pyg and his henchmen, Gordon chases down a subject through the train tracks of Gotham’s underground. These events occur in Batman: Eternal, and show James Gordon’s incompetence in the beginning issue. Gordon takes a shot at the henchman, but misses, and hits the high voltage transformer.
This transformer causes a massive explosion and knocked everything offline. The worst part is that it caused two trains to collide with full force, killing and injuring many of Gotham’s innocent citizens. This horrible tragedy concludes with James Gordon’s arrest as police commissioner.
1 Let Deadshot And Deathstroke Kill Many
In Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles, once again Gotham City is in the midst of a war between the super villains that reside there. Joker has the city wired with bombs, and Riddler has guards everywhere with guns pointed at civilians. The city is at a stalemate as the two villains start their war.
Deadshot and Deathstroke, two of the best mercenaries in the world, began fighting and killing many innocent people in the process. The GCPD and James Gordon were nowhere to be seen, and after five days of the murder, Batman finally stepped in to end it.