Warning: Spoilers for Batman #157
Batmanlore is facing a massive change now thatCommissioner Gordonis taking on a new role in Gotham City. Jim Gordon uprooted the DC Universe’s status quo when he stepped down as the GCPD’s police commissioner in 2020, but after years of retirement, he’s finally returning to the force. However, he isn’t getting his former title back, and the new commissioner in charge will likely relegate Batman’s longtime ally to a much less prominent position.
InBatman#157 by Chip Zdarsky, Tony S. Daniel, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, Batman convenes with Gordon in the wake of the Court of Owls' retreat back underground, as his friend is picking up the pieces after being manipulated intocommitting a murder. After everything that’s happened, Gordon has decided that a lifestyle change is in order.
Gordon tells Batman that he’s “thinking of reapplying to the force”, setting the stage for his long-awaited comeback to the Gotham City Police Department.After all these years, his return kicks off an exciting new era for this fan-favorite character.
Jim Gordon Is Returning to Gotham’s Police Department, But Not As Commissioner
With Vandal Savage In Charge, Gordon Isn’t Getting Special Treatment
Since Gordon decided to retire from the Gotham City Police Department during 2020’sJoker Warevent, the force has replaced him with other contenders to fill in as commissioner. For a while,Renee Montoyatook Gordon’s spot in the GCPD. Unfortunately, her tendency to slip back into her vigilante tendencies as the Question caused her to be too distracted from the role. Hersecret identity has now been exposed, causing her to move from Gotham to the Justice League’s Watchtower for the time being. Back in the city,Vandal Savage has risen to power in her and Gordon’s absence.
Gotham’s Quietest Hero Just Got a Kryptonian Upgrade, But It Comes at a Cost
The Question might be Gotham City’s “quietest” hero, but now Renee Montoya has a most unlikely upgrade, and it might come with at a terrible cost.
Vandal Savage began his journey to the top of Gotham’s police department in a back-up story fromBatman#140entitled “The Savage Garden of Gotham”, written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Mike Hawthorne. He killed a burglar in front of the city’s wealthy elite as a demonstration of his power, catching the attention of theCourt of Owls' Leonid Kull. Impressed by the villain’s ruthlessness, Kull advocated for him to pursue a role in the force.Vandal Savage was then sworn in as the new CommissionerinBatman#147, becoming the official replacement for Jim Gordon.
Will Jim Gordon Work His Way Up to Being Commissioner Again?
Batman’s Closest Ally Could Potentially Take Back His Classic Role
While Gordon won’t be Gotham’s commissioner again for the foreseeable future, there’s still a chance that he could eventually climb back up the ranks and ascend to the top like before. He’s well aware that Vandal Savage won’t make things easy for him, of course, as he informs Batman that he will likely be forced into beat cop duty again at the start. Nonetheless, there’s no reason to doubt that he could pull it off. For the time being, though,Commissioner Gordonhas yet to earn back his iconic title and will instead be fulfilling a less glamorous role inBatman’s canon.
