News that J.K. Simmons may return to the DCEU Jim Gordon has interesting implications about the Batgirl movie on HBO Max and changes what we know about Ben Affleck's Batman. J.K. Simmons' first appearance as Jim Gordon in the DCEU wasn't until Justice League, but if he's playing the father of Barbara Gordon, that creates an obvious history with Ben Affleck's Batman, meaning Batgirl's presence in the DCEU could have a number of implications for how we see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Affleck's Batman's backstory.
By the time of Batman v Superman, Batman has been operating in Gotham for around 20 years and has a long implied history fighting crime, including supervillains like Joker, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Killer Croc, and more. Robin's costume in the Batcave shows us there was a Robin (which version Justice League is treated as canon), it would still be something new added to the lore, altering what we know about Ben Affleck's Batman.
Granted, Batgirl could also set the character's origins after the events of Justice League, meaning no existing lore is altered, and it also exists after the hopeful turn seen in Batman in Justice League (it happens in both versions of the movie, but it's far more pronounced in the Snyder Cut), which would be a great context for a character like Batgirl, as he'd be a much better mentor than he was in his more cynical, violent days leading to Batman v Superman. It's interesting to note that Joe Manganiello revealed Ben Affleck's Batman solo movie was supposed to include Batgirl, and Snyder said he had plans for her to replace Batman after his death, but it's not clear how seasoned of a crime fighter she would have been or where the Snyder/Affleck timeline placed her origin. Batgirl actor Leslie Grace is 26, so depending on where Batgirl fits in the timeline, it could work any number of ways.
The other interesting thing about this news is it was previously reported that Michael Keaton's Batman might mentor Batgirl. WB's DC plans have been in constant flux for the past 5 years, so it's hard to know if this is a change in plans due to Affleck's willingness to return in Keaton replace Affleck as the DCEU's Batman, in which case he would be Batman alongside J.K. Simmons' Jim Gordon, which would be weird given Michael Keaton is 3 years older than J.K. Simmons. But if the idea of Keaton time-hopping between universes also acknowledges he's that much older than Affleck's Batman, then it may not be an issue, though still an odd dynamic between the Commissioner and Batman.
Clearly, the return of J.K. Simmons has a lot of interesting implications for Batgirl and the larger DCEU (and potentially Snyderverse) canon, although with so many things still up in the air and Warner Bros. penchant for changing their plans, it's hard to determine exactly what it means just yet. Either way, Batgirl potentially adding J.K. Simmons suddenly makes it one of the most interesting DC movies.
