10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Commissioner Gordon
2. That Thin Blue Line
Shortly after returning to Gotham, the newly promoted Lt. Gordon tore at the corruption within the Gotham City Police Department. As a former special forces veteran, Jim responded to any violent attempt to intimidate him by unscrupulous fellow officers with equal ferocity. Gordon also began an affair with fellow detective Sarah Essen. It was short-lived when this affair was discovered by dirty Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb, who blackmailed Gordon to stay out of his business. Essen left Gotham City for many years.
Jim’s alcoholic brother Roger killed himself and his wife Thelma in a car accident, and James and his wife Barbara adopted their niece, who was also named Barbara. However, as often happens with marriages to police officers, the job and relationships don’t mix, and the marriage fell apart. Young Barbara stayed with Jim and the elder Barbara took James Jr. and moved away.
The unnamed son of two burglars shot previously by Gordon would later return to Gotham City as the first Wraith, the costumed antithesis to all things law and order. He was just the beginning of the costumed craziness that began to seemingly overrun Gotham City and the world, and caused Gordon to have to learn to trust the strange new costumed vigilante in town calling himself Batman.