Jim Gordon Should Be Batman's New Alfred, And DC Knows It
Warning! Spoilers for Joker #2 ahead!
Former Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordon has shown in the new Joker ongoing series that he should step into the role that Alfred previously filled for Batman. Both men have suffered through major tragedies lately and need each other more than ever before. After the death of his trusty butler and companion at the hands of Bane, Batman has been adrift. He has moved out of Wayne Manor and is becoming more and more isolated from his Bat-Family, instead turning to more questionable allies like Ghost-Maker and Harley Quinn.
Gordon lost his position as Commissioner after losing his mind during an attack by the Batman Who Laughs. Not long after, his son James was killed during the events of Joker War, an incident that he initially blamed on Batgirl. The one thing that Gordon has not lost, however, is his drive for justice. He has recently been contracted to track down the Joker, who has disappeared into the wind after his war on Gotham City. While Gordon has sought help and advice from his old friend Batman, he is very much going about this mission alone. He has chosen not to divulge to Batman the fact that once he finds the Joker, he intends on killing him.
Alfred was much more to Batman than someone who fixed his meals and made excuses when Bruce Wayne had to dash out of a fancy party to fight crime. He was a father figure, a medic, a mechanic, a sounding board for Batman’s thoughts and theories on whatever particular crime he was working on. He was Batman’s “Man in the Chair” who as always in his ear while the Dark Knight was on the streets and rooftops. With his decades of experience as a police officer and years of working within the concrete garden of nightmares that is Gotham City, Gordon is the natural choice to take on those duties. He has the knowledge and expertise that could help Batman, but more importantly he has Batman’s trust. Throughout all the horrors that the two have faced, he has stayed by Batman’s side and earned his loyalty. Gordon has even stepped into the role of Batman while Bruce Wayne was out of commission.
The biggest obstacle that Batman would have to overcome in bringing Gordon into the fold is divulging his secret identity. But that should not be as big of a deal as it was in years past. While Gordon was on the payroll of the Gotham City Police Department, it made sense that Batman would keep his identity of Bruce Wayne a secret. It provided Gordon with plausible deniability so that he could claim he did not know who Batman really is, while also protecting Bruce from anyone in the police department finding out his secret. But Gordon is no longer a cop. Considering the fact that Batman’s secret identity has been discovered by an untold number of criminals and street urchins, entrusting his secret to one of his oldest and most trusted friends should not be that big of a deal. Gordon recently revealed that he knows his daughter Barbara is Batgirl, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Gordon could have deduced Batman’s identity as well. In fact, back in the late ‘90s storyline “No Man’s Land,” Batman unmasked and tried to tell Gordon who he really was. But Gordon, who was upset at Batman at the time, turned his back and refused to look at his face. He added at the time that he may have even figured out who Batman is,
While Barbara Gordon has reclaimed her identity as Oracle and has recently been serving as Batman's "Man in the Chair," she has a lot on her plate. In addition to running her own team of heroes and providing support to other allies, Barbara also plans on stepping into the role of Batgirl from time to time. Gordon, on the other hand, has a lot more free time, and would be able to provide excellent tactical support while Batman is in the field. Most importantly, the two would be able to provide companionship, support and moral guidance to each other that they are both sorely lacking. Alfred often served as a conscience for Bruce. The only other person who has come closest to filling that role has been Gordon. Throughout their long and storied careers, both Batman and Gordon have almost reached their breaking point. In their darkest moments, when they have each considered taking that step too far and killing a villain for good, the other has been there to talk them down and bring them back into the light. In their grief and loneliness, both are now once again on a path to reach that point of no return, proving that Batman and Commissioner Gordon need each other now more than ever.