The Batman (2022): Every Live-Action Jim Gordon, Ranked
Not every hero wears a cape and a mask, some are just good people trying to do the right thing. Some of them wear badges, much like James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department. Before any Robin or Batgirl was fighting crime, it was Jim Gordon who worked alongside Batman in protecting Gotham.
As a result of this iconography, Jim Gordon has been a part of almost every live-action portrayal of Batman and his universe. Even if he's only in the story for a bit part, fans love seeing the character. That leads to a question: which live-action version of Jim Gordon was the best?
6 Pat Hingle - Burtonverse (1989-1997)
There are many things from the Tim Burton Batman movies that still hold up today but Jim Gordon is not one of them. This isn't anything against Pat Hingle who was a talented actor but his version of Jim Gordon is treated as an afterthought. Rather than the good cop trying to bring justice to Gotham, his Gordon is mostly just there to turn on the Bat-Signal after being overwhelmed by criminals.
Many times, it feels like Hingle's Gordon doesn't even try to do his job. Anytime a criminal arrives, Gordon instantly turns on the Bat-Signal and lets Batman take over. There's no comradery with Batman or Bruce Wayne and in most of the Burtonverse, Gordon has less than 15 minutes of screentime per film.
5 Neil Hamilton - Batman (1966-1968)
Though this version of Gordon also suffers from letting Batman do all the work, there is more to their alliance. Adam West's Batman and Neil Hamilton's Gordon have more banter and chemistry together with Gordon actually acting more like an actual police Commissioner.
On top of that, his constant reliance on Batman's aid fits the campier Silver Age style that the 1966 Batman series aims for. Oddly enough, the 1966 series splits Gordon into two characters: Jim Gordon who sticks mainly to his office while police work in Gotham is usually carried out by Chief Miles O'Hara.
4 J.K. Simmons - DC Extended Universe (2017-2022)
Currently, J.K. Simmons has only had one movie to show off his version of Jim Gordon and that's in a very brief appearance in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Since this is a universe where Batman has been operating for twenty years, this is the most veteran version of Jim Gordon yet. The DCEU Jim Gordon is so used to Batman that he's no longer phased when superheroes appear and disappear.
There is implied history between him and Ben Affleck's incarnation of Batman that feels genuine, he has the classic look of a Jim Gordon, and proves to be a stand-out performance in Zack Snyder's Justice League. This is why fans are excited to see Simmons return as Gordon in Leslie Grace's Batgirl and possibly other future DCEU installments.
3 Ben McKenzie - Gotham (2014-2019)
Ben McKenzie is the complete opposite of J.K. Simmons. This is a young Jim Gordon beginning as a detective in a corrupt police force akin to Batman: Year One. With multiple seasons, Ben McKenzie (who was also once the voice of Batman himself in Batman: Year One) was able to develop his Gordon and shine as the main character this time around.
Bruce Wayne was more of a subplot whereas Gordon and his introduction to the madness of Gotham City take the focus. His chemistry with Detective Harvey Bullock made for some of the best character-driven episodes of Gotham. He's also one of the few times fans got to see Gordon interacting with a version of Alfred Pennyworth. Ben McKenzie's Gordon also perfectly set up the altruistic cop who would become the best commissioner in the city's history.
2 Jeffrey Wright - The Batman (2022)
Where most movies have Batman working alone and reporting to Jim Gordon, Matt Reeves' take in The Batman has Batman and Gordon as partners. Both are going into dangerous situations together, interrogating together, and investigating together.
In a way, it's like a buddy-cop pairing but with Batman. Jeffrey Wright is far more hands-on, willing to fight alongside Batman but also gives witty remarks here and there. Some of the funniest moments in The Batman come from Jim Gordon with Wright giving a stellar performance that sets up Jim Gordon to evolve and become the Commissioner in future films.
1 Gary Oldman - Nolanverse (2005-2012)
It's Gary Oldman, so no matter what it was always going to be a top-notch performance. Thankfully, Gary Oldman's Jim Gordon was another one of many elements that made Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy so effective. The bond between Batman and Gordon in the Nolanverse is a partnership but they are more like best friends.
Their relationship feels genuine with Jim Gordon proving to be an honorable cop and with three movies, fans got to see him earn and take on the title of Commissioner Gordon in a way that feels natural. He, like Simmons and Wright, also has that classic comic-accurate Jim Gordon design: glasses, mustache, trenchcoat, and even the hairstyle.