Gillian B. Loeb (New Earth)

Gillian Loeb was a commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department when James Gordon and the Batman first arrived in Gotham City.

History

Loeb was thoroughly corrupt, and found Gordon's honesty troubling for his operations. Initially, Loeb saw no threat in Batman, believing him to be a simple street vigilante. However, he attempted to launch a full-scale police war against Batman after the latter attacked a dinner party at the former's residence, publicly declaring war on Loeb's criminal and political contacts, promising to bring them all down. The vigilante would prove to be frustratingly elusive until an impromptu rescue on the street led to him being cornered in an abandoned building. Although the situation already seemed hopeless for the Batman when the police surrounded the building, Loeb also ordered it firebombed before he sent in his SWAT strike teams. Batman still escaped, much to Loeb's aggravation.

Eventually, Batman's investigations paired with devastating information unearthed by District Attorney Harvey Dent's prosecution of one of his lackeys, Officer Arnold Flass, would force Loeb to resign. Commissioner Grogan, who Gordon thought was even worse than Loeb, would replace him. Gordon would eventually replace Grogan as Commissioner.

A short time later, Loeb was killed by "The Hangman" for being a known associate of Harvey Dent.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

• Charisma
• Leadership

Trivia

• Commissioner Loeb appears in the 2005 feature film Batman Begins and the 2008 feature film The Dark Knight, played by English actor Colin McFarlane. The character is African-American and there is no direct indication that he is corrupt, although this version is also at odds with Batman, considering him a dangerous vigilante and launching a police task force to arrest him. Many fans believe that this portrayal is more akin to the Commissioner in the comic series at the time, Commissioner Akins, due to McFarlane's ethnicity, appearance and manner.^{[citation needed]}
• Frank Miller has stated that Commissioner Loeb's name had nothing to do with fellow writer "Jeph Loeb," despite the common misconception.
  

Recommended Reading

• Batman: Year One
• Batman: The Long Halloween
• Batman: Dark Victory

Related Articles

• Arnold Flass
• James Gordon
• The GCPD
• Batman

Related

• 11 Appearances of Gillian B. Loeb (New Earth)
• 10 Images featuring Gillian B. Loeb (New Earth)
• Quotations by or about Gillian B. Loeb (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Gillian B. Loeb (New Earth)

Footnotes

GCPD Officer This character is or was an officer of, or held a title in the Gotham City Police Department, in any of its various incarnations. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "GCPD members" and "Police Officers" categories.

Batman Villain(s) This character, team or organization, has been primarily an enemy of the Batman, or the Batman Family as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Batman Villains."