Two-Face
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This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
Real Name: Harvey Dent
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Former Aliases: In the 1995 Warner Bros. film Batman Forever, Dent was also referred to as "Harvey Two-Face".
Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases
Status
Occupation: Reformed criminal; former district attorney
Legal Status: Harvey Dent is a citizen of the United States with a criminal record; Currently reformed
Identity: Public
Marital Status: Divorced
Group Affiliation: No known group affiliation
Base of Operations: Gotham City
Origin
Two-Face was once Harvey Dent, the District Attorney of Gotham City, and a close personal ally of Batman. However, after a criminal, "Boss" Moroni, threw acid in his face, severely disfiguring one half but leaving the other unharmed, he became the insane crime boss Two-Face. Originally, he was one of many gimmicked comic book villains: he plotted crimes around the number two, such as robbing Gotham Second National Bank at 2:00 on February 2. In more recent years, more serious-minded writers have portrayed his obsession with duality and his criminal behaviour as the result of multiple personality disorder.
Although too gruesome for the 1960s television show (Clint Eastwood was proposed to play him at one time, as a former news-anchor who became disfigured when a television exploded in his face) that popularized Batman and much of his rogues gallery, Two-Face has been a prominent Batman foe and was played by Tommy Lee Jones in the 1995 film Batman Forever.
In the comics, Two-Face often formed temporary alliances with Gotham City's other criminals, in particular The Joker and The Penguin.
Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown
Known Relatives: Gilda Dent (ex-wife)
First Appearance: Detective Comics #66 (1942)
History
Originally, the character's name was Harvey Kent, but his name was changed to avoid unnecessary association with Clark Kent. He was nicknamed "Apollo" Kent by the media for his good looks. Dent, Commissioner James Gordon, and Batman once forged an alliance to rid Gotham City of crime. This alliance ended tragically when a crime boss whom Dent was prosecuting threw acid in his face, horribly scarring the left half of his face and his left hand, while leaving the other half undamaged. The post-Crisis version of these events are recounted in the comic book miniseries, Batman: The Long Halloween. In this book, Mafia chieftain Salvatore "The Boss" Maroni was the criminal who disfigured Dent.
The scarring of half his face brought out his latent multiple personality disorder and transformed him into the villainous Two-Face. Obsessed with duality and opposites, Two-Face's trademark was crimes involving the number two. Furthermore, his related obsession with opposites reveals itself in such things like wearing clothes with dramatically different materials on each side.
Another trademark was that Two-Face was not consistently evil; every time he contemplated committing a crime, he flipped a two-headed coin, one side of which was scratched. (The coin was originally the evidence the D.A. Kent used to prove that Moroni was the person who committed the murder for which he was being tried. The coin was a known lucky piece that Moroni always had with him; it placed him at the crime scene. Kent blamed the coin for his disfigurement and, with a dagger, scarred one side to reflect his own disfigurement) Only if the coin came up scratched-side did Two-Face go ahead and commit the crime, never questioning the result of the toss. Recent interpretations portray this compulsion as a struggle between Dent's evil "Two-Face" personality and his former, law-abiding self.
In the 1980s, Frank Miller rewrote Two-Face's origin, making him a victim of bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. [citation needed] Miller also introduced a much stronger aspect to the dual nature, using Two-Face as a metaphor for the charitable and hostile sides of human nature. In this incarnation, Two-Face/Dent was reimagined as a tragic character, with a back story that included an abusive father and struggling through law school. Miller further expanded on the character by making the pre-accident Dent a major heroic figure in Batman: Year One. Dent's past actions and ties to both Batman and Commissioner Gordon make him an unsettling and personal foe for both men.
Throughout the history of the Batman franchise, attempts have been made to repair his facial scars, but they have not yet cured his insanity; he simply destroys the one side of his face and becomes Two-Face once again.
During the aftermath of the earthquake that left Gotham City in shambles, Two-Face kidnapped Commissioner Gordon and put him on trial for his activities after Gotham City was declared a No Man's Land, with Two-Face as both judge and prosecutor. Gordon played upon Two-Face's split psyche to demand Harvey Dent as his defense attorney. In what is arguably one of the most powerful sequences of the storyline, Harvey Dent cross-examined Two-Face and won an acquittal of Gordon.
It was also during this time that Two-Face met the detective Renee Montoya. Montoya was able to reach the Harvey persona in Two-Face, and was kind to him. He fell in love with her, though the romance was decidedly one-sided. After the earthquake that ravaged Gotha, Two-Face outed her as a lesbian and framed her for murder, hoping that if he took everything from her she would be left with no choice but to be with him. Montoya was furious, and the two fought for control of his gun until Batman intervened, putting Two-Face back in Arkham Asylum.
A short time later, Two-Face met the brilliant Dr. Thomas Elliot. Although Elliot specialized in neurosurgery, he was competent enough to repair Harvey's face via plastic surgery. [1] This time around, only the Harvey Dent persona existed, and the menacing "Two-Face" persona seemed to be gone forever. Thomas Elliot was also the criminal vigilante known as Hush, and he had hoped to manipulate Harvey into acting as one of his many pawns. With renewed sanity, Harvey stood by the side of law and order, although he liberally took the law into his own hands on two separate occasions. First, he used his ability to manipulate the legal system to free the Joker, and again by shooting Hush/Thomas Elliot thus saving the life of the Batman. [2] Harvey later managed to manipulate the courts into setting him free, as Gotham's prosecutors wouldn't attempt to charge him without a body.
Animated Series
Two-Face as seen on Batman:The Animated Series
In Batman: The Animated Series, Harvey Dent/Two-Face, voiced by Richard Moll, suffered from deep-seated psychological trauma resulting from years of repressing anger, and so developed an alternate personality, known as "Big Bad Harv", who was as evil as his outer appearance was noble. This alternate would sometimes come out in the form of violent bursts of anger. Eventually, Gotham City crime boss Rupert Thorne got his hands on Dent's psychological records and threatened to blackmail him with it. During an encounter with Thorne in a chemical plant, Dent lost his temper, putting his "Big Bad Harv" personality in control, and went on a violent rampage, which eventually resulted in a massive explosion in the plant. The explosion severely damaged the left side of his body, and the stress of the events left "Big Bad Harv" in largely permanent control of Dent's personality. Batman, who as Bruce Wayne was Dent's best friend, was tormented by having to apprehend him again and again, gradually losing hope that he could ever be cured.
Ironically, Two-Face once unknowingly protected Batman's secret identity after Hugo Strange discovered it and attempted to auction it off to Gotham's top criminals. Dent said he knew Wayne personally and found the suggestion that he was Batman absurd.
In later episodes, Dent's personality fragmented a third time, creating a superego personality called "The Judge" that attempted to crush the id that was Two-Face. Dent, looking to eradicate this new threat to him, had no idea that he himself was The Judge.
As in Batman Forever, this version of Two-Face is also directly connected to the origin of a Robin: Tim Drake, whose father was Two-Face's henchman. Tim's father was trying to hide the binary components of a toxic chemical Two-Face planned on using to hold the city hostage, and was promptly murdered by his boss' thugs. Suspecting that Drake knew where the chemicals were hidden, Two-Face scoured the city looking for him. Fleeing for his life, Tim eventually crossed paths with Batman and helped him bring Two-Face to justice, paving the way for his transformation into Robin.
Reportedly, director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer have expressed interest in utilizing the character in a possible sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Liev Schreiber and Denzel Washington have been mentioned as possible canidates for the role. [1] There has been, however, no confirmation of Two-Face's role in the sequels.
Characteristics
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 182 lbs (82.55 kg)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: One side brown, one side white
Skin: One side normal, the other disfigured, often seen as brownish pink.
Unusual Features: One side of Harvey's face is mutilated, and he has Multiple Personality Disorder. In earlier incarnations of the character, the scarred left side of Harvey's face was colored green. Later interpretations of the character however shows his disfigurement as either blue or purple, presumably to simulate the physical appearance of actual burn victims.
Powers
Known Powers: Two-Face does not possess any superhuman capabilities.
Known Abilities: Suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, Harvey is obsessed with duality. He is also a successful attorney, and is proficient in nearly all matters pertaining to criminal law.
Strength Level: Harvey Dent possesses the strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engages in intensive regular exercise.
Miscellaneous
Equipment: Harvey uses a two-headed silver dollar, one side of which is defaced, the other side clean. Flipping the coin directs Harvey when making any significant life decisions. If the coin lands on the scarred side, Two-Face will pursue acts of evil. If the coin lands on the unmarked side, he is compelled to commit acts of good.
Transportation: Various automobiles. Occasionally, Two-Face will drive a "getaway" vehicle painted to reflect his personality (i.e., one side is painted green, while the other may be painted white).
Weapons: Typically Two-Face uses a variety of automatic and semi-automatic handguns to conduct his criminal affairs.
Notes
- The character of Two-Face was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.
Trivia
- In the alternate future setting of The Dark Knight Returns, Dent's face was returned to normal, but at the unforeseen cost of permanently destroying the good-hearted Harvey Dent personality, leaving the monstrous Two-Face in control forever.
Recommended Readings
- Batman #81 (1st Silver Age appearance)
- Batman/Two-Face: Crime and Punishment
- Batman: Two-Face and the Riddler
- Detective Comics #66
Related Articles
See Also
- Character Gallery: Two-Face
- Appearances of Two-Face
External Links
- Two-Face biography page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
- Two-Face profile at Batman: The Animated Series website
- Two-Face profle at Underground Online
- Two-Face at the DC Animated Universe Wiki
References
- ↑ Batman: Hush
- ↑ Batman #619