I wonder why it took so long for somebody to start this thread...
Hmm.... my thoughts exactly. But I figured that they were reserving this space for new characters? Nevertheless, glad it's here
I wouldn't go that far, but their relationship being fractured certainly makes a lot of sense story-wise.
It does actually. One of the highlights of this is again present in the source material. I keep veering off to
Dark Victory these days in almost every one of these discussions, but the dynamics introduced in that book and in
The Long Halloween are so beautifully written and falls so true to the interpretations in these films that I can't imagine these characters without similar scenarios. For example, in DV we see Gordon's wife having left him, the new role as commissioner consuming all of his time, energy and spirit, the loss of Harvey, Batman becoming more brooding, it's all there. So when Barbara does come back there is a sense of redemption, a sense of normalcy coming back.
There's this inconsistency in the comics that I never quite understood. Whenever I'm reading stories set in the early-years we see Jim with his son feature prominently, with Barbara Ann as his wife and they seem to be a struggling family emotionally who still sticks together. In the more mainstream, latter-day stories, however, the son is all but absent. Babs never mentions her brother/cousin (whatever continuity you want to believe in) and the fate of Jim's first wife is pretty much an off-panel phenomenon. I know they separated, but whatever became of her? Whatever happened to Jim Jr.? And of course, Sarah is prominent as well. I loved the way she was reintroduced in the 90s (wasn't it shortly after
Knightfall?) So to say that I'd want her back is an understatement. Her inclusion could be a very welcome contrast to the ally in Harvey Dent. Sarah could be the by-the-book tough cop, another contrast to Selina's bad-girl personality, and someone who really pushes for the truth behind the Two-Face murders.
But maybe we don't need all that.
If I were writing the script for TDKR, Gordon's relationship with his family is something I would certainly address. Too much had happened to his family in TDK to simply sweep under the carpet in TDKR. At least, that's my opinion.
They don't necessarily have to split, but there should at the very least be tension between Gordon and his wife. Because I simply have to believe that a mother who witnesses her children held at gunpoint (and seeing one of them almost knocked off a building) would do everything in her power to remove them from that environment.
If this issue isn't addressed in some capacity in TDKR, I'll be quite disappointed. And it would certainly lessen the impact of those scenes in TDK - knowing that no ramifications came of them.
Yes, I'm sure that certain issues from TDK need to be directly addressed, and will be addressed, quite prominently. They could handle this off-screen, but like you said, if I had any say in the script I'd really like to see what became of Gordon's family life.
One thing that I kept getting back at was the last scene in TDK. It wasn't just the Dynamic Trio breaking apart, not just the symbolic and real death of Two-Face and all that. Yes, it's all there, but the inclusion of Gordon's family in the context of the comics and the last film is eminent as well:
The entire shot of Batman saving Gordon's son from falling (if we can overlook the 'why do we fall' angle for once) always reminds me of the same shot from
Batman Year One, where 'Batman' rescues the kid from falling while Jim runs after the perps sent by corrupt commish Loeb. In addition to that, if we look at the entire Gordon Family and the story of how Bruce became Batman because of losing his own family, we actually witness the Dark Knight finally accomplishing what he had set out to do: prevent the same tragedy that befell the Waynes. He saves another child from losing a family, another father and mother from witnessing ruin in the hands of a desperately demented man with a gun.
It all falls back to a man with a gun.
So yes, even if we didn't have TDKR, the two films are a solid absolute on their own. But I am curious to see how Gordon's story will play out now. Maybe they can take inspiration from DK:R, certainly there are many themes around the films that took ideas from that novel, but nothing was taken from that Commissioner Gordon.
