James Gordon (Earth-Two)

James Gordon
Mainstream Universe‎, 1930s-1950s
Real Name	James Gordon
Other Aliases	Mysteryman
Relatives	Barbara (wife), Tony (son), 1854 Captain of the Mississippi River showboat River Queen John Gordon (Great-Grandfather)
Affiliation	Batman I, Batman II, Batwoman Justice Society of America of Earth-Two (ally)
Status
Identity	Public Identity
Citizenship	American
Marital Status	Married
Occupation	Police officer (attained the rank of Commissioner)
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6' 0"
Weight	250 lbs (113 kg)
Eyes	Brown
Hair	White
Origin
Universe	Earth-Two
Creators	Bill Finger
First Appearance	Detective Comics #27 (May, 1939)
Appearance of Death	All-Star Comics #66 (June, 1977)

     

This fellow they call "The Bat-Man" puzzles me!

— Commissioner Gordon

History

Born on January 5, 1900 , James Gordon was selected as Police Commissioner of Gotham City because of his honest intent and good service record as a line police officer. He graduated from law school at the age of 24 and married his wife on October 11, 1926. The two soon had a child named Tony.

However he was completely ineffective against the open crime lords and gangsters who controlled the political and governmental basis of the city and government. It was because of that he allowed the justice seeking vigilante Batman to do what he could not -- openly fight crime in an effective and at times brutal way in order to slow the crime activities of Gotham's underground.

In 1941, after Batman is threatened with arrest during the trial of Bruce Wayne, Gordon rises to his defense and declares "I speak for the Batman - the friend of the people! Yes, he works 'outside the law,' as you call it, but the legal devices that hamper us are hurdled by this crimefighter so he may bring these men of evil to justice. The eminent District Attorney calls him a meddler with a theory...Washington, the Wright Brothers, Lincoln, Edison and others, they were 'meddlers,' too who proved their theories. They made sacrifices so that we might enjoy the security and comfort we do. The Batman has done that too! This man who has saved a nation's gold reserve, fought fifth columnists and saboteurs, beaten the Joker, the Puppet Master, and other crime geniuses...This man who daily risks his life to save others - who never carries a gun - who is aided by his young friend, Robin, fights crime with the courage and zeal born of love for his fellow man. This is the Batman!" With a handshake, Gordon then officially appoints Batman "an honourary member of the police department".

Mysteryman

At one point, Gordon briefly adopted the secret identity of Mysteryman to help Batman on a case.

File:James Gordon (Earth-Two) 001.jpg

Mysteryman in Action

Paraphernalia

Equipment

None

Transportation

No exotic transport devices, though did ride in the Batmobile on select occasions

Weapons

No exotic weaponry, common handguns

Notes

• This version of James Gordon (Earth-Two), including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

Related

• 302 Appearances of James Gordon (Earth-Two)
• 14 Images featuring James Gordon (Earth-Two)
• 13 Quotations by or about James Gordon (Earth-Two)
• Character Gallery: James Gordon (Earth-Two)