Jeffrey Wright Slams Backlash to Him Playing Commissioner Gordon in ‘The Batman’ as ‘F–ing Racist and Stupid’: ‘It’s Absent All Logic’

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/jeffrey-wright-backlash-commissioner-gordon-batman-racist-1236505496/

49 comments

  1. >During a recent interview with Collider, the “American Fiction” star discussed the negative reaction from some who thought a Black man shouldn’t play the leader of Gotham’s police force. Wright slammed the push back as “the dumbest thing” and absent of “all logic.”

    >“I really find it fascinating the ways in which there’s such a conversation, and I think even more of a conversation now, about Black characters in these roles,” Wright said. “It’s just so fucking racist and stupid. It’s just so blind in a way that I find revealing to not recognize that the evolution of these films reflects the evolution of society, that somehow it’s defiling this franchise not to keep it grounded in the cultural reality of 1939 when the comic books were first published. It’s just the dumbest thing. It’s absent all logic.”

    >Wright went on to say that the reason Batman has endured as an essential character in popular culture is because he was created to be “open-ended,” giving future storytellers the freedom to put their own spin on the Caped Crusader.

    >“I feel that I own these stories as much as anyone. Perhaps now, because I’m a part of them, I have the most skin in the game,” he added. “[Batman creators] Bob Kane and Bill Finger are two Jewish guys up in the Bronx, imagining heroes and villains in a city that looked like the city around them at the time, but I think what they imagined was open-ended. I think that the success and the longevity of these stories and characters are owing to the openness of their imaginations and what they created.”

  2. Yeah there’s no reason Gordon has to be white so I agree with him. His ethnicity is never relevant to anything.

  3. Ive never seen any such backlash. I thought he was great as Gordon.

  4. If Jeffrey Wright is in your movie, you count your fucking lucky stars. He was great as Gordon.

  5. People who have an issue with Jeffrey Wright getting cast in anything are not real nerds

  8. Unless a character has to be a certain race or from somewhere because it’s cannon it really shouldn’t matter about skin color.

  9. Still wish we could have seen Billy Dee Williams become Two-Face…

  11. Who says there was backlash on his casting? The problem with The Batman is the recency bias and glazing. It’s a good movie but it’s not the best fucking thing in existence.

  12. Also underrated as Felix Leiter in Bond movies

  13. Racists are so fucking dumb. Tired that they think it’s ok to still spout their bullshit.

  14. “It’s absent all logic” — something his westworld character would say

  16. he absolutely owned the role. the most comic-accurate gordon we’ve seen thus far.

  17. Nobody complains about nick fury so what’s the issue?

  18. Admittedly I’m not in every part of the internet but I don’t remember a ton of backlash when he was cast? I was hyped as fuck for him, didn’t realize anything more than the small vocal minority had issues.

  19. I forgot that the right freaked out about this. He is such a good Gordon. He is right there with Gary Oldman. Both nailing the role.

  21. Huh? I saw nothing but praise for his Gordon. Even the most rage baity/culture grifter YouTubers never said anything about his casting. At least not that I saw. I could be wrong but he was almost universally praised in all the circles I frequent.

  23. Im so tired of this shit

    Black commissioner Gordon – racists whine

    Black elves in Lord of the Rings show – Racists whine

    Black actor playing Sea Snake and his kingdom in House of Dragon – Racists cry

    So fucking stupid – let Racists cry they are SCUM

  24. Imagine talking shit about a generational talent like Jeffrey Wright. Anyone making that point has certified donkey brains.

  25. Was there backlash?

    Or is he arguing against himself?

  26. I didn’t even know anyone didn’t like him as Gordon, I thought he killed it.

  27. Who the hell didn’t like him in Batman? I never hear anyone dislike him in the role

  30. Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent in Batman ’89. He was supposed to reprise the role, but Schumacher took over and gave the role to Tommy Lee Jones.

    This casting looks like it is correcting/erasing Schumacher’s errors.

  31. I’ve loved this dude since Basqiat, he can do no wrong.

  32. There was backlash for this casting? He’s a great actor and I thought he was great as Gordon. Don’t know how anyone would be upset about this role.

  35. I gotta say, as far as casting goes, this was pretty flawless. Jeffery Wright as Gordon looks exhausted and overwhelmed, which is perfect for his character and the setting by the time Batman shows up to help.

  36. He was easily the best part of that movie. Getting really tired of asshole racists.

  37. Great actor Jeffrey Wright is, he did really well playing Gordon. I really hope we can see him back as Gordon.

  38. De anyone complain about Fishburne or Pierce playing Perry White?

  39. Jeffrey wright can play whoever he wants, he’s an excellent actor.

  40. He did a very good job! And that should be all that matters

  41. This is not a Snape type deal. In the books Snape is described as basically the complete opposite of who they cast for him. The lore specifically describes Snape in a way. Pale and hollow. It’s how Snape is supposed to be. I have never seen Batman lore explicitly state being white is part of Gordon’s character. Fury was white but SLJ absolutely killed it

  42. The movie had many issues but this was definitely not one of them

  43. There was backlash? He was awesome. I can’t think of anything with Jeffrey Wright where I didn’t think, “Man, he was awesome in that.”

  44. Remember that time Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent and no one cared, in fact, a lot of people thought it was cool?

    That was 36 years ago. What happened to that America?

    Hint: it is now completely backwards and has embraced racism wholeheartedly.

  45. How is anyone complaining about Jeffrey Wright in any role? Dudes money

  46. Funny it never even crossed my mind he’s not white. Ha.

    My thought was just “Fuck yeah, Jeffrey Wright.”

  47. Perfect as Gordon.

    His reaction to “thumb, drive” was perfect

  49. Wasn’t Harvey Dent black in the og tim Burton batman movie?

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