Overview[]
Commissioner Gordon
"I won't let some Washington bureaucrat with his hand halfway up Hammer Industries' ass dictate consequences to me!" 
Jim Gordon has the unenviable position of being the Police Commissioner of Gotham City. With a clean-cut, moral disposition, he has become a renown figure of justice and respected reputation. He is the epitome of the blue collar, working man's authority, complete with a shiny badge and trench coat. Some might say he is completely surrounded by corruption, but incorruptible.
Sheet[]
Character Sheet
Abilities: Skill
Combat: 5, Criminology: 6, Investigation: 6, Law: 5, Leadership: 6
Advantages:
Allies, Bat-Fam Connections, Commissioner, Reputation, Resources
Flaws:
Divorced, Duty, Enemies, Family, Public Figure, Smoker
Languages: English
Abilities
Skill: Combat (5)
Jim Gordon has a sharp right fist. He has been professionally trained at the Police Academy and has combat experience. This experience comes from not being a desk officer, but a field detective running (huffing and puffing), jumping, and duking it out hand to hand. In addition, he has police training that gives him good skill with pistols, rifles, and semi-automatic weapons, as well as most any gun that the police use.
Skill: Criminology (6)
Jim Gordon has so much professional level experience that he is regarded as an expert in the field of criminology. His plans and research are of the highest caliber and he is rarely unprepared. He has been awarded an honorary degree in Criminology by Gotham State University.
Skill: Investigation (6)
Jim Gordon is the top civilian investigator not currently a superhero. He has professional experience, education, and the resources to prove it. Not even a lot of superheroes can say that. His expertise is in criminal investigations and associated crimes. The knowledge to investigate is procedural and Jim Gordon uses that experience as one leadership aspect he has on the police force.
Skill: Law (5)
Jim Gordon is not a registered lawyer, but his knowledge of the law and its applications is so extreme that he might as well be. He knows just what the flaws and weaknesses of each law is, because he sees people fighting to subvert the law every day. However, his proficiency is in police procedures and extensive police law policies. He can manage the police and interpret the law as an expert with this in mind.
Skill: Leadership (6)
Jim Gordon has command and authority about him, as well as the professional ability to be a leader to many people. His expertise is in leadership of the police force and associated city personnel to get many jobs done. He may be the most blue collar project manager around, but his ability to administer what needs to be done is of great expertise.
Advantages
Advantage: Allies
Jim Gordon may have the best resources and allies of any public figure. His call for resources could theoretically extend to other cities and people, such as Chicago and California. He even has allies in government, friends and associates he has made friends with on the job. Many of his best allies do not fit the normal mold and are superheroes, such as Batman, Robin, and a host of others. Anyone who comes to Gotham is seemingly his ally by default and often works with him because of his reputation.
Advantage: Bat-Fam Connections
As special note, Batman is a personal contact to Jim Gordon. This is noted by the working relationship the two have had and the fact that Jim Gordon has a spotlight to call on the superhero. Unfortunately, he cannot publicly brag about having Batman as an ally or having a Bat-Signal on the roof. The advantages to having Batman as a close ally help crime and many investigations that the police cannot handle alone. This advantage also funnels to support connection with other superheroes too. He also has the great and powerful Oracle as a resource. It is funny how she always has the right resources to help him and the best advice to offer, like an old companion who knows him. He does not have unlimited access to her or her databases, but the information he can gain is valuable and extensive.
Advantage: Commissioner
As the elected Commissioner, he has ultimate command over the police forces in the city of Gotham. The resources extend to all police equipment, personnel, and associated assets, which he can call on at a moment's notice. This position also allows him access to buildings and politicians associated with government.
Advantage: Reputation
Commissioner Gordon is a blue-collar man, but his class and authority give him a sterling reputation. This reputation gives him a lot of pull in Gotham and in other cities where he is a known public figure. This is notable because it can allow him to call in favors when the police need help.
Advantage: Resources
The variety of resources available to Jim Gordon are large. He has many police resources and personnel, but also equipment, guns, vehicles, money, and favors, which he can call on. He has equipment at police headquarters to choose from and he allocates much of the police resources to a variety of different investigations. Much of the information associated with the city can be accessed by the Commissioner with his police clearance. He also has access to the other city resources, such as medical resources, planning resources, and the office of the Mayor.
Flaws
Flaw: Divorced
A divorced father, Jim Gordon sometimes still wears his wedding band in denial of what his duty to career has cost him. He often uses this as a shield toward any advances, in order to not have to deal with romantic involvement.
Flaw: Duty
Gordon has rich politicians, over-dramatic committees, and unsympathetic lawmakers to report to. He has many things to balance in his life. He often has to make others happy before himself. Gordon even has to justify the existence of his job and his budget on many occasions. This duty or responsibility influences others too, as his duty, budget, and responsibility usually extend to others.
Flaw: Enemies
An enemy of corruption and evil alike, Gordon can't help but have a mass of enemies. These begin with criminals and the mob, who he fights against daily. Enemies of Batman also happen to be Gordon's enemies by default, as he seems to be regarded as Batman's associate more often than not.
Flaw: Family
His family is often a target by criminals. This has been the case before and causes him much grief. He is often depressed by what he cannot provide his family and how his efforts fail to help them.
Flaw: Public Figure
Jim Gordon is a public figure in his position as Commissioner. His moves, comments, and actions are noted by the media. If he cusses someone out in public, it gets a story in the paper. This may be an influence on his personality.
Flaw: Smoker
Jim Gordon is a smoker and that can't be good for his heart.
History[]
James Gordon was born in Chicago and the majority of his family was involved in law enforcement. His father was a noted cop and Jim was encouraged to follow in his footsteps. As a result, Jim only became a mildly successful cop, but not an outspoken one, which prompted him to wallow in the middle of the ranks for years. In fact, it was only because of something negative that he was ever noticed. Jim instituted a complaint and began investigating a corrupt cop, fed up with the wild and blatant disregard for ethics, rules, and the law itself.
The corruption went deeper than he expected and Gordon was quickly discredited for rocking the boat. At the time of his trouble, he was expecting his first child. His life was turned upside down by a collection of corrupt cops and his wife Barbara began experiencing complications with her pregnancy thanks to stress. Higher ups made sure Jim got an offer to move to Gotham City to join that city's police force to get him out of the way. To some extent, Jim believed that he deserved the time in Hell for all his mistakes, as Gotham certainly was Hell, so he accepted immediately. He didn't think of the move as an achievement, nor did he think much of Gotham City at first glance, as the city was well known for its crime and corruption, even more so than Chicago.
Lieutenant Gordon became the partner of Detective Flass, but came under careful scrutiny of Commissioner Loeb, who began watching him closely, thanks to his whistleblower reputation. Loeb avoided most serious scrutiny of his own position with carefully placed bullets and in one year, no less than three charges of conspiracy and money laundering were brought against him, then dropped, frustrating District Attorney Harvey Dent.
The Commissioner and Flass tried to get Gordon on the "team", but only fueled his honesty and sense of justice. But Gordon tried to fit in nonetheless, until Gordon finally had enough of the corruption when a dirty Priest tried to bribe his officers and issued an angry lecture.
On his way home to Barbara and his little baby, Flass joined thugs to jump Gordon and beat him up, taking some sick pleasure in using a baseball bat on Gordon. They did just enough to keep him out of the hospital, but perhaps they should have done more, because Gordon hunted down Flass and did the same to him. Eye for an eye. Gordon now knew what it took to be a cop in Gotham City.
He took a no nonsense approach to corruption and became a popular figure in the media, but the majority of the police were still against him. Gordon was next assigned lead in the case investigating the vigilante known as "Batman". When Batman began making a difference, Loeb personally ordered that his men firebomb a building with Batman while the police were outside. That succeeded in only producing injured cops, not a Batman corpse. As the commissioner took over more investigations, Gordon spent more time with Detective Essen, a woman he perhaps should have avoided, as that close time turned into close feelings.
After Gordon came down on Flass for the final time, Commissioner Loeb threatened to blackmail him with pictures of his affair with Essen. Gordon's only choice was to tell his wife the truth and brace himself. Flass and the Commissioner plotted against his wife and new baby after the blackmail failed, almost killing them both, before being taken down by the Batman. Afterward, life smoothed out somewhat.
Loeb was forced to resign after public scandal and Gordon became a central figure in the clean-up of the Gotham City police. He also took lead on many high profile cases, such as the murder of Dick Grayson's parents, gun runners, drug trafficking on the Lower East Side and the Joker, leading to his promotion to Commissioner.
While Commissioner Gordon fought the mob, Jim Gordon's wife left him out of unhappiness and moved across the country. The couple tried reconciliation a few times, but none stuck. It was about a year later that Jim adopted Barbara and oppressed her with his goals for her education. He then tried to mend some relationships and build the best police force he could by hiring the best people around.
Logs[]
The following logs feature Jim Gordon:
- 2013.03.23 - Alea Iacta Est
- 2014.01.05 - Plague of Bats
- 2014.01.08 - The Resignation of Jim Gordon
- 2014.01.24 - Restless Gordon
- 2014.01.31 - A Dirty Deal
- 2013.06.30 - Father, Daughter
- 2013.06.30 - Sunday Night Fight Night
- 2013.08.16 - Dead Men Don't Play Fair
- 2013.08.26 - Rescuing Shelby Knox
- 2013.10.05 - A Spoiled Dare
- 2014.05.04 - Clean as Crystal
News[]
The following news stories feature Jim Gordon:
No news stories currently listed.
Associations[]
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Batman / Bruce Wayne Jim Gordon has an association with each of this person's personas - both with Bruce Wayne the millionaire playboy extraordinaire, and as Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight vigilante. He does not, however, know that the two are one and the same. |
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Jubilation Lee Jim Gordon knows Jubilation only as an acquaintance, though he suspects she may be one of those with 'metahuman' abilities. |
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Edward "The Riddler" Nygma The recently reformed (according to him) Nygma recently led the GCPD to uncovering a major conspiracy in the city. In return, Gordon has extended the olive branch to the puzzle-obsessed former criminal, seeing him as a potentially useful ally, analyst and informant. |
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Poison Ivy Jim Gordon has not only encountered Pamela as a law enforcement officer trying to take her down for her criminal activities, he has also visited her while imprisoned in Arkham Asylum, and held conversations with her in an effort to better understand her motives. |
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Selina Kyle Jim Gordon has a friendship with Selina Kyle, but he is not aware of her secret identity as Catwoman. They were once captured and mistreated by the Joker. |
Wanted[]
| Jim Gordon's Wanted List |
OOC Information[]
Actor: Gary Oldman
RP Likes: Angsty - Dark - Gritty - Heroic - Romantic - Social