Jim Gordon may have often been the most morally upright man in Gotham, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take a lot of lives along the way. From episode one of Gotham, Gordon was a man on a mission: to uphold law and order. Over time, that mission grew to encompass cleaning up the rampant corruption in the city that regularly threatens said laws. But as often happens, Gordon spending time in Gotham’s shark-infested waters led to him getting a bit looser on the topic of acceptable use of force.
To an extent, it’s hard to blame him. Unlike real-life, where those being targeted by the police are often much less heavily armed than they are, it seems like every criminal in Gotham City has a machine gun supplier on standby. Most of Gotham’s criminals also have no hesitation about killing people either, and if Gordon ends up dead, there’s no telling how many crimes won’t get solved and innocents won’t get saved as a result.
That said, there are certainly people Gordon ended up killing that he probably didn’t have to, or wouldn’t have had to if he had made a different choice along the way. Such questions are what make Gotham‘s version of Gordon quite the complex, multi-faceted character. He’s a moral man at his core, but when pushed, can lash out in a big way. Here’s all the people who’s time on Gotham ended at the hands of the eventual police commissioner.
Richard Gladwell
Richard Gladwell, or whatever his real name was, was a hitman working for crime boss Sal Maroni that killed a man named Richard Gladwell and took his identity. He was sent to kill Mayor Aubrey James, but was shot to death by Gordon and Bullock.
Isaac Steiner
Appearing in season 1, Isaac Steiner was a university professor that was working with a former student to unleash a street drug called Viper on Gotham’s populace, in the misguided hope of taking down the company that originally made it. While on Viper, an unnaturally strong Steiner attacked Bullock and Gordon, and ended up shot to death.
Gerald Crane
After losing his wife in a fire due to his own fear of it, Dr. Gerald Crane vowed to cure the condition, even if he had to kill people and harvest their adrenal glands to accomplish that goal. He’s ultimately shot to death by Gordon and Harvey Bullock, but his son Jonathan Crane would come back later as The Scarecrow for revenge.
Trope
Trope was the third member of the Red Hood gang to wear the titular covering during the season 1 Gotham episode revolving around it. He’s shot dead by Gordon and Bullock after a botched bank robbery.
Jason Skolimski
Played by future This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia, Jason Skolimski operated as a serial killer called The Ogre within Gotham season 1. He develops a fascination with Barbara Kean, and by forcing her to kill her parents, sets her on the path to evil. Gordon shoots him in the head, and he definitely deserved it.
Odgen Barker
Early in season 2, Gordon ends up in the position of needing a favor from Penguin. In return though, Penguin asks Gordon to collect a debt on his behalf from a nightclub owner named Odgen Barker. The debt was owed to Carmine Falcone, but Penguin has taken over. Barker refuses, a firefight ensues, and Barker gets put down.
Evan Pike
Evan Pike was a member of the Pike family of arsonists, who were hired to do an important job by Butch Gilzean. Along the way, the police get involved, and Evan gets killed by Gordon and Captain Barnes after trying to open fire on them. One of the bullets hit an explosive he had on him, obliterating the young criminal.
Billy Boy
Appearing in season 2, Billy Boy was an assassin working on behalf of a villain called The Lady, sent to kill Jim Gordon after Tabitha Galavan put a contract out on his life. Billy’s specialty was strangling with piano wire, but he failed to properly tune Gordon’s demise, who shot him in the head after Billy threatened to kill another officer.
Theo Galavan
Like many villains on Gotham, Theo Galavan did his best to present a friendly face, until he suddenly revealed his true colors to others. He even spent some time as Gotham’s mayor, a job that’s sure had a lot of crooks in it. This is actually a partial kill for Gordon, as Penguin helps a little by shoving an umbrella down his threat after Gordon shoots him. Theo would later be resurrected as well.
Mario Calvi
Mario Calvi, born Mario Falcone, was the son of notorious mob boss Carmine Falcone, and ended up winning the heart of Lee Thompkins during one of the many periods where her and Jim had drifted apart. Lee and Mario got married, but Mario became infected by Alice Tetch’s blood, and Gordon killed him to protect Lee. Not that she saw it that way.
Fish Mooney
Fish Mooney, memorably played by Jada Pinkett Smith, was one of the original big-time players in Gotham’s underworld, starting the series as Penguin’s boss. Despite her infamy, she was actually killed by accident, as Gordon was under the influence of the Tetch blood virus, and couldn’t control himself during a brawl.
Anubis
Jim Gordon isn’t usually the type one would expect to kick a dog, but in Anubis’ case, he’s sure willing to let him fly out a window to its death while chasing a bone. Anubus is a sort of dog-man that travels with a character called The Hunter, and is hired by Ra’as al Ghul to track down a boy named Alex Winthrop in season 4.
The Hunter
The Hunter, as mentioned above, serves as the handler for Anubis, and is also on the hunt for Alex Winthrop on behalf of Ra’as al Ghul. The Hunter also gets dispatched with a bone, which sounds weird, but they were at the Gotham Natural History Museum at the time.
Griffin Krank
One of Gotham’s large pool of assassins, Griffin Krank’s mild-mannered appearance belied his ability to kill people using custom toys designed for death. He was hired by The Riddler to kill Lee Thompkins, and as one might expect took a bullet from Jim Gordon for his troubles.
Ramos Silva
When Gotham entered the No Man’s Land arc in season 5, at times it was all-out war between the gangs, and of course also the police. Ramos Silva led a gang called the Undead, and after crossing paths with Gordon, really wanted his head. Instead, he shot her in hers.
