Gillian B. Loeb

Character History
Loeb is introduced as the commissioner of Gotham City's Police Department at about the time Batman begins his war on crime. He is corrupted under the influence of Carmine Falcone and immediately considers then-Lieutenant James Gordon's honesty a threat. However, he does not immediately share the same opinion about Batman, since the masked vigilante is targeting only low level criminals, and is popular with the public. One night, however, Batman attacks his house during a dinner party, which includes guests from Gotham's criminal underworld, and publicly announces that he intends to bring them down as well.

Enraged, Loeb orders Gordon to arrest Batman immediately. However, the vigilante proves frustratingly elusive, until one night in which the police corner him in an abandoned building following an impromptu rescue on the street. Loeb orders a bomb dropped on the building and a SWAT unit conducting an armed search of the rubble. As morning breaks, however, Batman escapes, much to Loeb's aggravation.

When Gordon begins surreptitiously helping Batman, Loeb blackmails him with evidence of his extramarital affair with Sgt. Sarah Essen.

Eventually, Batman, Gordon, and District Attorney Harvey Dent expose Loeb's ties to the Falcone mob, and he is forced to resign. Another corrupt officer, Grogan, replaces him. Gordon becomes the department's commissioner a few years later.

In Batman: Dark Victory, Loeb returns, hoping to use the Hangman killings as an excuse to try to get the city council to remove Gordon from his position as commissioner. His overall goal is to regain his former position, and justifies taking over due to his "experience". However, before his plans can be fulfilled, he becomes a victim of the Hangman Killer himself.

In other media
See: Gillian B. Loeb (Colin McFarlane)