Supervillain Origins: Two-Face
Inspired by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this villain made his debut appearance in 1941 as Gotham City’s District Attorney. Despite being a good-hearted man dedicated to the law, he harbored a dark side due to being abused by his father as a child. Developing schizophrenia, his dual personality remained hidden until a mob goon splashed acid on his face. Severely disfigured, his suppressed emotions bubbled to the surface. This split his mind into two conflicting polar opposites that required a coin flip to make decisions. Join WatchMojo.com as we explore the comic book origins of Two-Face.
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Supervillain Origins: Two-Face
This hideously deformed Batman villain can’t make up his mind without the help of a coin. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origins of Harvey Dent, otherwise known as Two-Face.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline, which unfolded in 1942’s Detective Comics #66, and was expanded upon in Batman Annual #14 Eye of the Beholder.
Inspired by the poster for the 1941 film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this character made his debut as Harvey Kent the following year. However, DC soon changed his last name to Dent, as to not confuse the character with that of Superman’s alter ego.
In this debut appearance, Two Face was depicted as an attorney who became disfigured and feared becoming outcast by society and his fiancée. When this happened, he experienced a nervous break down and took to crime. Using a coin flip, he either donated his ill-gotten gains to charity, or kept it for himself.
Despite this introduction to the iconic villain and his frequent appearances in Batman-related comics, his origin was only fully expanded upon in 1992’s Batman Annual #14.
In that story Harvey Dent was depicted as not just being a legal representative, but Gotham City’s most heroic District Attorney. Destined for greatness, he had dedicated himself to cleaning up the streets by means of the law and the courtroom.
An intelligent and good-hearted man, Harvey harbored a dark side due to being abused by his father as a child. These beatings were always determined by a coin flip, and he quickly decided that the game was rigged.
Developing schizophrenia, his dual personality remained locked behind a passion for the justice system. He went on to become Gotham’s elected District Attorney, a dangerous position with few friends. As a result, he formed a pact with then-captain Jim Gordon and Batman. Together, they worked to gather evidence in order to prosecute mob boss Marioni.
Meanwhile, he discovered that his father’s coin wasn’t rigged, sparking the beginning of a mental breakdown. This erupted to the surface when a mob goon splashed acid on his face during a court hearing. This left Harvey hospitalized, and severely disfigured. It even burned one side of his father’s silver dollar coin that he had kept in his pocket.
With all of his suppressed emotions bubbling to the surface, his mind split into two conflicting personalities. Polar opposites, decisions could only be made by a flip of the coin.
Leaving behind his legal career, Dent took to crime as Two-Face. As this criminal mastermind he struggled with reform while fighting Batman, an old friend who continued to hope for the attorney’s redemption.
One of the caped crusaders most tragic foes, Two Face has appeared in various media over the years. Among these, he is best known for his comical portrayal by Tommy Lee Jones in “Batman Forever”, and the much more serious and true-to-character take on the fallen hero by Aaron Eckhart in 2008’s “The Dark Knight.”
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