James Gordon

Jim Gordon

**James Gordon**is a character in *Batman: Shadow War*and *Batman: Red War.*He is the Commissioner of the GCPD, the father of Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl and a long-time ally of Batman.

## Biography

### Early Life

James Gordon grew up in a bad neighborhood, leading to him have a rough childhood. He had to learn to fight to protect himself. He eventually became a police officer who was transferred from the Chicago Police Department to help the Gotham Police Department secure their city from an economic downfall. After the depression came to the end with the help of billionaire Thomas Wayne, Gordon was on duty when Thomas and his wife, Martha, were mugged and killed outside the Monarch Theater by a criminal named Joe Chill, and responded to the situation. He did his best to comfort the couple's eight-year-old son Bruce after the murder, and Bruce later recognizes him as one of the few honest cops in the city and would always remember his kindness as it gave Bruce the strength he needed after his parents' death.

After several years on the police force, he was promoted to Captain. Gordon refused to take bribes from the mob like the rest of the GCPD.

## Personality

Unlike many of the GCPD, James Gordon is a sincerely honest cop with a high ethical and moral center with a strong desire for justice. He is able to maintain a strong idealistic mindset regarding his principals, truly believing justice can be achieved within the law without turning dirty. Whilst idealistic, Gordon could turn pessimistic regarding Gotham's justice system, believing a higher power outside of the law could be used to clean the city.

Gordon, however had a flaw of allowing his ideals to compromise his views on the larger scale of things. He could be short-sighted, naive and put way too much faith in the system. He failed to realize how broken the GCPD was, continuing to believe that cops were good, either that everyone possessed the same sense of right and wrong as he does or that having a badge necessarily means they work within the law. Gordon held a low view of vigilantes, believing that they were the worst kinds of criminals as they were the kind who believed that they were justified in their illegal actions. Unbeknownst to him, he would become close friends and partners with a vigilante later on.

Multiple times, Gordon proved that he was stubborn and has demonstrated his bravery and sheer fearlessness in the face of danger. However, his stubborness does not make him incapable of changing his opinions. Gordon eventually comes to understand that justice can be achieved outside of the law and that, despite most of the cops being corrupt and the citizens are in fear of criminals, they can stand up if they have something to believe in them. When angered, Gordon becomes reckless, emotionally blinded, vengeful and dangerous.

## Abilities

* **Gifted Intelligence:**James Gordon is exceptionally intelligent, particularly in the fields of leadership, tactics, criminology and detective analysis, to the point that he is a reliable informant.
	+ **​Expert Criminologist:**James Gordon is an extremely skilled and experienced criminologist, having great insight and experience into Gotham's criminals.
	+ **Expert Detective:**James Gordon, due to his decades of fighting crime, is an extremely skilled and experienced detective.
	+ **Expert Leader:**James Gordon, as the Commissioner of the GCPD, is a superbly skilled leader, having led the corrupt police force in the extremely crime-ridden Gotham City for decades.
* **Expert Combatant:**Having served in the U.S. Armed Forces, James Gordon is a highly skilled armed and unarmed hand-to-hand combat.
* **Expert Marksman:**James Gordon is very proficient with firearms.
* **Indomitable Will:**James Gordon has tremendous determination and strength of will, which make him an extremely formidable opponent, one who absolutely refuses to hunker down and give up, even when placed against seemingly insurmountable odds. Hence, he has led the corrupt GCPD in the extremely crime-ridden Gotham City for decades, earning the respect and admiration of many.

### Equipment

* **Tactical Vest:**When on dangerous missions and events, James Gordon will wear an armored tactical vest to protect himself from gunfire.
* **Colt M1911:**James Gordon's signature weapon is his Colt M1911 pistol.
* **Remington 870 Shotgun:**James Gordon occasionally uses a shotgun.
* **Colt M4 Carbine:**James Gordon occasionally uses a carbine rifle.
* **Handcuffs:**When arresting suspects, James Gordon carries handcuffs with him.
* **Radio:**James Gordon uses a radio to communicate with his officers.
* **Police Baton:**When needed, James Gordon will use a police baton to apprehend a suspect.
* **Flashlight:**James Gordon carries a standard flashlight.
* **Taser:**James Gordon will occasionally use a taser to incapacitate and arrest criminals.

## Quotes

* "I want him brought in...and I want it done by the book! By the book! You have to! We have to show him our way works!"
* "I hate this. Whenever we jail him, I pray Please, God, just keep him there. And then when he escapes, it's Please don't let him do something too awful this time. I hate it!"
* "Thanks...but tonight, I could use something a little stiffer."
* "I thought you'd be interested."
* "You scum!"
* "You're just one man?"
* "I've gotta get one of those."
* "You really started something. Bent cops running scared, hope on the streets..."
* "I never said thank you."
* "A hero...not the hero we deserved but the one we needed. Nothing less than a knight. Shining."
* "There's a point far out there, when the structures fail you. When the rules aren't weapons anymore, they're shackles, letting the bad guy get ahead. One day, you may face such a moment of crisis. And in that moment, I hope you have a friend like I did! To plunge their hands into the filth, so that you can keep yours clean!"
* "I'm no rat! In a town this bent, who's there to rat to, anyway?"
* "He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight."
* "We were in this together, and then you were gone. And now there's evil rising from where we tried to bury it. The Batman has to come back."
* "Gotham needed a hero."
* "I never cared who you were...but shouldn't the people know the hero who saved them?"
* "I'm in charge here, not Roman Sionis."
* "Sometimes I think this whole city's a crime scene."
* "From the first day I put on the badge, I was told things could never change. Gotham was corrupt. GCPD was corrupt. Criminals and lowlifes ran things. You just showed me different."
* "Gotta keep fighting, never stop. What I try to live by. Maybe if I'd been younger, I could have been like you. Always wanted to be a hero."
* "I know how you feel right now. And I promise you, however dark and scary the world might be right now...there will be light. There will be light, Bruce."
* "You think you know who I am, what I'm capable of? You have no idea."
* "You'll have to wait and see."
* "You make a life of crime sound very noble."
* "Fear doesn't need conquering. Fear tells you where the edge is. Fear is a good thing."
* "You want to say that a little louder? Not everybody heard."
* "The city's sick. Sick in a way I hadn't realized."
* "I should put a bullet in your head right now."
* "This city...the law, the crime here, they're all...twisted up in each other like a maze. I came here to be a cop. This city needs something else."
* "Listen to me. I'm a cop. So far, you haven't broke any laws."
* "One last chance! Nobody moves!"
* "Ah, crap."
* "Nearer the mark."
* "Ah, it's good to be back."
* "Not cookies, necessarily. Pie. Any kind of pie."
* "The victim deserves justice."
* "You'd do the same thing."
* "You son of a bitch!"
* "I hate stakeouts."
* "If that were true, you'd be the Commissioner."
* "I'm just doing my job."
* "I know what kind of man you are."
* "Go to hell."
* "I don't think Gotham's running out of monsters anytime soon."
* "Guess you're gonna have to trust me."
* "The badge holds expectations. People want a hero, and I'm not."
* "Wars are fought at one battle at a time."
* "Well then, word of advice: lose the jealousy. It's weak."
* "You didn't. Not when it mattered."
* "I considered you a friend."
* "Next time, you can get punched in the face."
* "I think we can forget about backup."
* "It's in my blood. My father spent his entire life fighting for the city. He never took the easy way out. I can't."
* "Nothing that happened today changes that."
* "Because I'm against dirty cops!"
* "I'm gonna find you."
* "You're bluffing."
* "Let them come. There are still good people out there. They need to know we're here, willing to fight."
* "He has an army. It would be suicide."
* "Keep your voice down!"
* "Son, if you're gonna stick a gun in my face, you should at least know that you're doing it wrong."
* "This is how it happened. This is how the Batman died."
* "There is no such thing as a Bat Man."
* "He is the worst kind of criminal. The kind who thinks their actions are justified. Who acts completely outside the system."
* "Never."
* "Attention, Death Row inmates. Please remain calm, and stay in your cells. A police operation is in progress, and anyone outside of their cells could be considered a danger to the force."
* "I'm taking you in!"
* "I know everyone's still in shock over what happened to Commissioner Loeb, but we need to stay focus on our primary targets for tonight."
* "My side? My side works within the law. My side doesn't leave suspects with broken bones, and missing teeth. We've earned Gotham's respect."
* "Keep your distance. Don't provoke him. The bomb squad is nearly here."
* "Hold your fire! If he moves, take him down!"
* "You've got nowhere to run."
* "He's a cop, Harvey. He'll do his job."
* "Let me guess, he got away."
* "I'm not big on taking orders from wanted men."
* "They put me in charge of a station full of rotten cops. And I can't change them, anymore I can change this...this damn city."
* "I'm sure we'll think of something. Maybe if you gave us your cell number?"
* "You don't have to tell me."
* "Batman, they're all in here. From petty thieves to the worst of the worst. And almost every one of them has a grudge against you."
* "Where's our backup?"
* "And I'm talking to myself. Again."
* "Now that's what I call backup."
* "It's been a helluva night."
* "I'm not a rookie, I can handle myself."
* "I don't like leaving you here."
* "What the hell happened in there?"
* "Batman? What happened?"
* "Hey kid, is he alright?"
* "You look terrible."
* "I know you blame yourself. Don't. It wasn't your fault."
* "When this mess is cleared up, we need to talk about the other problem. Remember?"
* "Tonight, Gotham's relying on one man to save us all."
* "Now the real work begins."
* "We're the same, Bruce. We'd do everything for our family."
* "I'm just glad you made it out okay. Sorry I got to go. Stay safe, Barbara."
* "Hey, Batman...every damn time."
* "Friend of yours?"
* "Stubborn like her old man."
* "Thank you, Bruce. For everything."
* "I was thinking, I may never get a chance to tell you this...to say sorry."
* "You know, you see a lot in this job, a lot of pain, a lot of suffering. But I'll never forget taking a witness statement from a eight year old boy who'd just seen his parents gunned down."