Jeffrey Wright Wants The Batman 2 To Examine Commissioner Gordon’s Private Life
2022’s The Batman gave audiences a familiar take on the Caped Crusader’s police force ally Jim Gordon, and for the sequel, actor Jeffrey Wright says he would like to explore the man behind the badge. In an interview for American Fiction, Wright explained that he’d like to examine how Gordon also has to wear a mask, albeit a much more subtle one compared to the bulletproof cowl donned by Robert Pattinson’s vigilante.
“I wondered about his private life and I wonder about people who have the level of responsibility that he has, having that public face of rectitude and goodness,” Wright said to Discussing Film. “I wonder what lies underneath Commissioner Gordon because the Batman wears his cowl but, in some ways, Gordon wears a mask too. Gordon represents justice in a way through his type of righteousness, not sanctimony, and I wonder what might lie behind that mask with the sacrifices that he may have to consider because he gives so much to this public persona and his civic duty. What’s the bearing of all that on him, underneath his mask? Those are questions that might be interesting to pursue, but we’ll see.”
In the comics, Greg Capullo and Scott Snyder’s Batman run fleshed out Gordon further over several storylines, including one memorable flashback during the Zero Year arc that revealed the grim secret behind his signature overcoat. Other comic book creative teams have also put their own spin on Gordon, evolving him into an interesting alternative to Batman who strongly believes in the rule of law.