'Gotham': Ben Mckenzie Talks About Jim Gordon Learning To Turn To The Dark Side Of Gotham CIty

The latest “Batman” spin-off series “Gotham” has been renewed for a second season. The hit drama series dwells on the rise to power of the character known as Commissioner Jim Gordon in the “Batman” comics and films. The story of a young Gordon making his way up the ranks deals with the intricacies of the city’s political and criminal systems, which the character is starting to realise are sometimes one and the same. Ben Mckenzie, who plays Jim Gordon in the series, talks about how Jim is starting to accept the dark side of Gotham City in the second half of the season. [Warning: Spoilers Alert!]

In the first few episodes, Detective Jim Gordon is a fresh-faced police officer who is determined to stick to what is righteous. He refuses to walk the line between what is legal and what is morally questionable that may be a means to an end in the process of preventing crime. His partner Harvey Bullock forces him to see how having some friends in the underworld is sometimes an asset to bring down the bigger enemies.

Mckenzie spoke to IGN and explained how his character Jim is now seeing how dealing with some shady characters can help him do more good for the city. In the latest episode where Jim needed to find evidence on a dirty cop inside the force, he asked his old friend Oswald Cobblepot for help in getting information from the underground narcotics ring. He was able to get what he needed and he is starting to realise the benefits of turning to the dark side once in a while.

“The more he learns about how Gotham actually works, the more hardened he becomes,” says Mckenzie. Jim, he says, is starting to learn that to get things done, there could be some roughing up or some palms that need to be greased.

When it comes to dealing with Penguin who will later become one of the iconic villains in the “Batman” story, Mckenzie feels that having a friend who is in touch with the workings of the criminal world will help his character along the way. After Jim refused to execute Penguin early in the season, Penguin has started to see Jim as a true friend.

Mckenzie also spoke about his character’s relationship with the young Bruce Wayne who he feels is now frustrated with Jim. He says that Jim showing looser morals in his attempt to solve the murder case of the Wayne couple will play a part in Bruce eventually developing into Batman. Jim’s rise to his position as Police Commissioner and the birth of some of the other well-known villains in the “Batman” franchise will be featured in the upcoming episodes and Season 2 of “Gotham,” which airs Monday nights on Fox.

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