James Gunn's DCU may have hinted at several major Batman characters in Lanterns' premiere. DC Studios is saving Batman's DCU debut for The Brave and the Bold, which won't be released until 2029 or later. However, as the studio focussed on the Elseworlds tale of The Batman: Part 2, the DCU is still making strides toward the Caped Crusader's arrival, such as featuring Gotham City in Creature Commandos and now in a much bigger way in this year's Clayface. The body horror spin-off will soon be the DCU's next major release (coming to theaters on October 23), as HBO's Lanterns has just got its eight-episode run underway.
In Lanterns' series premiere, when John Stewart arrives at the police department to see Hal Jordan, Kerry Macdonald's Kerry Kane was on the phone with an unknown character when she refused to "talk about an active investigation" and signed off the phone by saying, "Tell Barb I say hey." Fans have begun to theorize that Kane may be speaking with Gotham's Commissioner Jim Gordon, whose first wife and daughter are both called Barbara, or Barb for short.
That may seem unsubstantiated at first, until considering a recent interview with Hal Jordan performer Kyle Chandler, published by The National. The DCU's veteran Green Lantern actor confirmed that Kerry Kane is "from Gotham," which opens up a host of Batman-related possibilities for her character.
For now, audiences still haven't met the DCU's Jim Gordon, the GCPD detective-turned-commissioner who acts as a constant ally to Batman and a rare honest, uncorrupt cop in Gotham City. The role is now played by The Last of Us actor Jeffrey Wright in The Batman franchise during his detective days, following in the footsteps of Gary Oldman, J.K. Simmons, and Ben McKenzie.
But Jim isn't the only Gordon with a crucial part in Batman canon, as his daughter, Barbara, also has a crucial place as Batgirl, the longtime girlfriend of the first Robin, Dick Grayson, and, after she was crippled by the Joker in The Killing Joke, the Dark Knight's girl in the chair and hacker ally, Oracle.
The surname Kane will be rather familiar to the Dark Knight's dedicated fans, as it just so happens to be the maiden name of Bruce Wayne's mother, Martha. Some may also recall that another Batman-adjacent character with that surname is Kate Kane, Bruce's cousin on his mother's side, better known as Batwoman.
The connection between Lanterns' original sheriff and Gotham City elevates the chances that not only could she have been speaking with Batman's GCPD liaison, Jim Gordon, but that she may be related to the Kanes. Although the latter theory takes a blow, given that the Kanes are wealthy Gotham socialites, it's tough to see what one of their own might be doing as the sheriff of Sheridan County.
Kane isn't the first major DCU character to have left Gotham behind, as Peacemaker Season 2 confirmed that Amanda Waller's daughter, Leota Adebayo, and her wife had done the same, and even inexplicably planned to go back.
How James Gunn's DCU Will Use James & Barbara Gordon
DC Studios has already confirmed that the DCU's Batman will be established with an "extended Bat Family" when he debuts in The Brave and the Bold. It seems almost certain that fans will meet a new Commissioner Gordon in the DCU's future, and Barbara Gordon, perhaps operating as Batgirl, may join him.
Fans came close to seeing the father-daughter Gordons share the screen in Batgirl, played by J.K. Simmons and Leslie Grace, an HBO Max original DCEU movie that was sadly cancelled due to a "strategic shift." When audiences meet the DCU's Gordons, they will likely be brought to life by brand new actors.
As the DCU will enter Batman's story far into his superhero career, possibly well over a decade, this take on Jim Gordon is bound to be season and already acting as GCDP commissioner. That makes an older actor like Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston, a longtime fancast, the perfect choice to bring the role to life.
Meanwhile, as Batman will already be onto Damian Wayne's Robin in The Brave and the Bold, Dick Grayson, and with him his similarly-aged love interest Barbara Gordon, should be into their late teens and early 20s. That may also mean that Babs' days as Batgirl are well behind her when the DCU picks up, as she should already be crippled at the Joker's hands and transitioned into tech wizz Oracle.
Later this year, Clayface will offer the first true look into the DCU's Gotham and even the GCPD through Max Minghella's detective John Borrelli. Perhaps Clayface's original cop character will namedrop Gordon as his boss or a colleague, even if his debut is probably held back until The Brave and the Bold.
