The Best Gordon Scene In The Batman According To Fans

Spoilers ahead for "The Batman."

 In "The Batman," James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) is Batman's staunch ally. While no backstory is given to explain how the two become so tight in the first place, it's clear that they trust each other more than anyone else in the city. Gordon allows the masked vigilante to come to crime scenes when the rest of the police force is openly skeptical, even hostile, toward the caped crusader. He doesn't even trust the other cops on the police force — with good reason, as it turns out that many are on someone else's payroll. 

During the course of the film, the two have many moments that show they're a good team, as they communicate well and believe in each other's choices. For example, note the scene where they both just leave the Penguin stranded after getting information out of him. Later, they are also on the same page in regard to stopping Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) from killing a man involved in her roommate's death. Then, there are the final scenes in which Gordon saves mayor-elect Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson) and Batman provides a literal beacon of hope as the sea walls of Gotham collapse, flooding the city. 

But for some "The Batman" fans, there's one particular scene that encapsulates the interesting and loyal dynamic between the two, in epic fashion.

The scene happens immediately after a section in the film that features the memorial of the late mayor. Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) attends the service, connecting momentarily with Don Mitchell Jr.'s (Rupert Penry-Jones) young son and saving his life when D.A. Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) literally crashes a car into the service. Colson is forced to do this after his capture by the Riddler (Paul Dano) the previous night, and there's a bomb strapped to him — along with a letter to the Batman. Wayne does an off-screen quick change, returning to the scene to help Colson with a series of riddles he must answer to save his life. Unfortunately, Colson won't reveal what the Riddler is actually trying to get him to say, resulting in a big explosion that tests the capabilities of Batman's bomb-proof suit. The hero is knocked unconscious — but he survives.

However, when Batman awakens, he's in a room at the Gotham City Police Department, and he's surrounded by a whole slew of officers. Somehow, his mask is still intact (perhaps Gordon has a hand in making sure this is the case). When the officers start talking about taking Batman's mask off, he starts to attack them in a fit of rage and desperation. Gordon tells the crew he can get Batman to cooperate if they give him and the vigilante a moment of alone time. After the officers leave, Gordon puts up the appearance of interrogating the Dark Knight while privately whispering an escape route — and then tells Batman to punch him in front of everybody, so that he doesn't get in trouble. Batman does so, knocking Gordon to the floor, and then flees the scene in exactly the way Gordon outlined.

The scene offers a lighter moment in an otherwise grim film, and the rapport between Batman and Gordon is proving to be a popular highlight for fans. On Reddit, viewers of the film discussed the two characters' relationship, with u/bornthisbeige stating, "Can we talk about how great the dynamic between Pattinson and Wright is this entire movie? 'Thumb drive' ... that awesome fake fight in the police station ... all helped to lighten the tone of a very dark movie," with "thumb drive" being a specific reference to one of the movie's darkest jokes. Meanwhile, specifically noting the scene in the police station, u/BigBeanBoy enthused, "The detail of Gordon using the words he wants but the mannerisms of anger to not tip off their partnership was awesome."

It's a great example of the way the Matt Reeves-directed film chooses to portray the characters together. As u/hangaroundtheinkwell said, "Forget Selina, and Bat's chemistry: Batman and Gordon were [BROS]." Other fans loved the way Gordon casually referred to the feared vigilante as either "man" or "chief" on multiple occasions. 

The relationship between Gordon and Batman was a major highlight of Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, which makes it all the more impressive that — due to scenes like this one — others felt that the Pattinson and Wright dynamic was comparable, with some arguing that this version of the characters felt more like an even partnership. 

Of course, there were a few naysayers, as there always are. One Reddit commenter groused that the more equal relationship between the two undermined the Bat's mystique. "The Batman/Gordon as partners vibe felt wrong. The Penguin joked about it. They're not supposed to be partners and it's not an equal relationship. Batman is not supposed to be at Gordon's beck and call, he shows up when he pleases and leaves when he pleases," said u/TheSmith_10. In response, u/LastLetter444 pointed out the relationship "gives him access to crime scenes and the underworld," so there is a narrative reason for Batman to stay so close to Gordon instead of brushing him off, even outside of their clear respect for one another.

Different versions of "Batman" have always interpreted the relationship between Gordon and Batman in different ways. Gordon has always been important to Batman's story, but his role has changed over the years. In the comics, he was initially portrayed as Batman's "boss," in an unofficial way — Gordon even deputized the Caped Crusader so he was not even a vigilante anymore (via Nerdist). The Burton films, meanwhile, sidelined Gordon to the point where it's easy to forget he was even part of the films, in sharp contrast to more recent comic books — and the legendary "Batman: The Animated Series" — where Gordon and Batman are depicted as the closest of friends, albeit prickly ones. Nolan's vision resembled their dynamic in "Year One," where the friendship is genuine, but Batman is clearly the one in charge, while Gordon (Gary Oldman) has to accept whatever strategy Batman decides on. Gordon, while still being very important to the story, was more of a sidekick than an equal, and definitely not Batman's superior. 

Despite some negativity, Jeffrey Wright's version of Gordon in "The Batman" has already become a clear fan favorite. u/dev1359 called Wright's interpretation "easily my favorite live action take on Gordon." u/FlyByTieDie believes Gordon here has become the "super cop" he is portrayed in the comics, also praising the "partner/colleague" dynamic. Others praised the fact that rather than being forced into the movie, Gordon proved just as necessary to move the plot along, and was painted as being equally intelligent and equipped as his costumed friend.

Wright himself has weighed in on the partnership of the two (per Comic Book Resources), referencing a comment by former Gordon actor Gary Oldman in regard to the character's role as a Watson to Batman's Sherlock Holmes — a common (and accurate) comparison. Wright also pointed out that this is an early point in the character's career, just as it is for the title hero: in "The Batman," Gordon isn't a commissioner yet, limiting his power to effect change on the corrupt police force. "So it gave the character the opportunity to really dip his hands into the muck, and be up to his elbows, and be very much in the thick of things," the actor explained.

This implies, perhaps, that the relationship could get less buddy-buddy in future years, as both grow into new roles, but whether this actually happens remains to be seen, presuming that this darker and grimier version of Batman's story leads to a sequel.