With the upcoming release of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, a bunch of new actors will be offering up their take on familiar faces from the DC Comics universe. Robert Pattinson is the new Bruce Wayne, Zoë Kravitz is the new Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis is the new Alfred Pennyworth, and Jeffrey Wright is the new Jim Gordon.While Batman fans don’t get as protective about how Gordon is played than the Bat himself or his iconic rogues’ gallery of villains, he’s an integral part of Caped Crusader lore. From Pat Hingle to Gary Oldman, the previous actors to play Commissioner Gordon have left some big shoes for Wright to fill.The first live-action project to feature Commissioner Gordon was the 15-part movie serial Batman and Robin from 1949. He was played by Lyle Talbot, one of the earliest stars of the sound era who began his career as a matinee idol, then went on to star in B-movies alongside Ed Wood before becoming a renowned character actor. In addition to playing the first live-action incarnation of Gordon, Talbot also played the first live-action Lex Luthor in 1950’s Atom Man vs. Superman.
When the Adam West-starring TV series brought a decidedly camp Caped Crusader into the mainstream in the ‘60s, Neil Hamilton took on the role of Commissioner Gordon. This version of Gordon not only has a Bat-Signal to beckon the Dark Knight; he also has a Bat-Phone with a direct line to the Batcave, the Batmobile, and even Bruce Wayne’s personal study, so he can pretty much always get a hold of Batman. In keeping with the lighthearted tone of the series, the show often poked fun at Hamilton’s Gordon for his reliance on Batman.
Hamilton reprised the role on the big screen in 1966’s Batman: The Movie, but since that movie featured just about every Batman villain imaginable running amok on the streets of Gotham, Gordon only appears briefly to inform Batman and Robin about the coalition of bad guys.When Tim Burton brought a markedly darker take on the Bat to the big screen in 1989’s Batman, he cast Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon opposite Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne. Gordon has a real arc in the movie, initially dismissing Batman as a lawless vigilante (or even a rumor) and eventually appreciating the impact of his heroism on the city after he defeats the Joker.
Like Michael Gough’s Alfred, Hingle’s Gordon continued to appear after Burton and Keaton stepped down and Joel Schumacher took over the series with a complete tonal overhaul. In Batman Forever, he was shown to be friendly with Val Kilmer’s Bruce without realizing he’s the alter ego of Batman. In Batman & Robin, Poison Ivy uses her pheromones to make Gordon fall in love with her and give her the keys to the police station. Although the movie features Batgirl (played by Alicia Silverstone), she’s not Jim’s daughter Barbara Gordon; instead, she’s Alfred’s niece, Barbara Wilson.
After the critical and commercial disappointment of Batman & Robin, Christopher Nolan saved the franchise with his gritty reboot Batman Begins. On top of exploring the Bat’s origin story in more depth than ever before, Batman Begins introduced Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon. While he was overshadowed by Christian Bale’s growly Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning Joker, Oldman’s nuanced, understated turn as a workaholic family man trying to serve justice in a lawless city is one of the strongest performances in Nolan’s trilogy.
Following the conclusion of The Dark Knight trilogy, the next actor to play Jim Gordon in live-action was Ben McKenzie in the TV series Gotham. Whereas Gordon is usually a supporting player in Batman-centric stories, Gotham was the first live-action project to put him in the spotlight. In the show’s first season, the soon-to-be police commissioner is introduced as a rookie detective surrounded by corruption at Gotham P.D. He interviews a young Bruce Wayne following his parents’ murder in the pilot episode.
While Gotham was still on the air, the DC Extended Universe introduced its own version of Commissioner Gordon. In both the theatrical version and the long-awaited director’s cut of Justice League, J.K. Simmons’ Gordon only makes a brief appearance to provide some exposition about the Parademons and the final Mother Box. But Simmons is set to reprise his role in the HBO Max Batgirl movie, so the DCEU still has a chance to make use of his talents.
These actors have all left Wright with some pretty big shoes to fill, but he’s no stranger to taking on beloved franchise roles that a bunch of other people played before him. In Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies, Wright played 007’s CIA contact Felix Leiter. Like Commissioner Gordon, Leiter’s primary role in the plot is to provide the hero with exposition about his mission. Wright offered a fresh spin on the character, shared terrific chemistry with Craig’s Bond, and culminated his arc in a heartbreaking death scene. If he can bring some of that energy to Gordon, then the role is in safe hands.