Batman: Every Live-Action Commissioner Gordon Ranked Worst To Best
How does Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon rank among the rest?
In the history of Batman lore across comics, TV, film, and video games, there are few characters more iconic than Commissioner Jim Gordon - Batman's reliable right-hand man and link to the more traditional arm of law enforcement.
Batman's dynamic with Gordon, as two sides of the same detective coin, has been explored with considerable depth in more recent Batman films in particular, but looking back over more than a half-century of live-action Jim Gordons, how do they all shake out?
With Jeffrey Wright recently delivering his own stamp on the iconic Gotham PD cop in Matt Reeves' The Batman, what better time to pore back over the character's history on both film and TV and separate the strongest portrayals from the weakest.
We as Batman fans are at least lucky enough that no single live-action version of Jim Gordon is truly bad, and at worst simply a case of a talented actor being wasted on material that just doesn't work.
On the opposite end, we've got unforgettable portrayals, including a #1 pick that's effectively become the definitive iteration of the character throughout all Batman media...
7. J.K. Simmons - DC Extended Universe
DC fans certainly rejoiced when the great J.K. Simmons was cast as the DC Extended Universe's Jim Gordon, yet as perfect a choice as Simmons was for the role, he ultimately ended up playing an incredibly small part in both versions of Justice League.
Despite getting supremely jacked for the role - causing Simmons to earn the hilarious nickname "Gym Gordon" among fans - little of the actor's physicality actually played into his take on The Commish.
While rocking one hell of a mustache and getting a few worthwhile scenes opposite Batman (Ben Affleck), the DCEU Gordon mostly feels like a thin sketch rather than a complete character.
We get to see flecks of a more senior, world-weary Gordon operating in Gotham, as fits perfectly within Zack Snyder's more dour tone, but audiences are mostly left to fill in the blanks themselves due to the scarcity of his presence.
At least with Simmons set to appear in the upcoming Batgirl film, there's a good chance he might jump up a few places on this list. The look and the casting are spot-on, but we've barely spent any time getting to know him.