The DCEU's forthcoming Batgirl movie can explore some of Commissioner Gordon's backstory, specifically with respect to his history with Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader. Batgirl is currently prepping to enter production, with Leslie Grace to portray the crime-fighting heroine Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl. J.K. Simmons will also appear in the movie as Gotham City's police Commissioner Jim Gordon, and his return in the film has raised some interesting questions about its place in the DCEU.
When it comes to Simmons' version of Gordon, while this will be his second portrayal of the character, not much is known about his Gordon yet, due to his only other appearance being a minor one in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Though viewers didn't see that much of Gordon's famous partnership with Batman and only a bit with him meeting the other heroes the Dark Knight had recruited into the Justice League, the fact that it's Simmons' Gordon specifically who will appear could indicate that his past with Affleck's Batman could play into the film.
The infamous reshoots on Justice League would lead the DCEU to evolve and reshape significantly from the film's disastrous release, the resulting fallout from that, and the eventually answered calls for the Snyder Cut's release, though Gordon's role is essentially the same in both versions. During that time, emphasis has been placed on DC movies and TV shows existing as a Multiverse, particularly since the CW's Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover. Because of that mechanism, Simmons' Gordon can now appear in Batgirl at the same time as Jeffrey Wright's version in Matt Reeves' The Batman with no continuity conflict, and by having Simmons return, it also inches the film closer towards Snyder's films and Affleck's Batman.
Affleck will also be seen in The Flash, right alongside the Multiverse-implemented return of Michael Keaton's Batman, and there's been much speculation that Affleck might appear in Batgirl with a Batman appearance confirmed to happen by directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Of course, it's only conjecture right now as to whether or not Affleck will continue in the role after The Flash, but there's no ambiguity that his Commissioner Gordon is the one from DC's Multiverse to appear in Batgirl. This could hint that Gordon's past with Affleck's Batman and his brief meeting with the Justice League might will be referenced as part of his history, Gordon's role in Batgirl likely being more significant appearance than his small role connected to the Justice League's formation.
In addition to Simmons' return as Gordon, Brendan Fraser will also portray the villain of Batgirl, Firefly, who entered the DCEU in a Batman v Superman prequel comic. Gordon and Firefly together suggest that Batgirl might be more of a spin-off from Snyder's movies featuring Affleck's Batman than previously thought. This would make Gordon's history and crime-fighting collaboration with Batman seem at least somewhat pertinent his role in Batgirl and a topic to be explored through dialogue, flashbacks, or some other storytelling device. Despite Warner Bros. desire to leave Snyder's DCEU films in their rear-view mirror, Batgirl offers reason to consider that it might be built on the history of Affleck's Batman, and if so, viewers could get some details on the backstory of Simmons' Gordon in the movie, potentially also including some references to his previous adventures with the Batman portrayed by Affleck.
