Cape Crusaders Two Face’s scared side being the ‘good guy’ actually makes sense because it’s his right side, which in other media was made as Two face’s good side while the left was scared and made into his bad side. So in having the good vs bad duality the same while while switching which side was scared, is extremely impactful as it shows that sometimes (most cases actually) it’s the charming pristine person who’s actually the real monster
To give the decision about not having Two-Face in the Adam West series some historical context. Many areas in the United States had ‘Ugly Laws’ restricting the ability of disabled people, particularly those disfigured, to appear in public. Yes you could be arrested if they didn’t like the look of you. The last of these were repealed in 1974. So some would still be on the books when the Adam West show was filmed. Even where they weren’t in operation it’s far more likely that children back then would not have seen a visibly disabled or disfigured person, given so many were put in institutions.
This reminds me of the uncensored version of the song Arabian Nights from Disney's animated Aladdin film: "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face/ it's barbaric, but hey, it's home". I guess maybe that line is more applicable to the US of the recent past than the Middle East.
One underrated aspect from Beware the Batman’s take on Two-Face is how he’s a foil to James Gordon. They both started out with anti-Batman campaigns. However, Gordon has a true belief in justice and thus can change his stance on Batman, becoming one of his allies and even risking his career for him. Dent only cared about career climbing and boosting his own ego, eventually dooming himself into becoming the thing he swore he would fight against.
I didn't like Beware the Batman's Dent all that much at the time, but in retrospect he makes a large contribution to my favorite of the show's villains - Deathstroke. Slade/Lisslow's true identity is a really fun twist that Dent's characterization makes possible. As Dent's right-hand man, it makes sense for Lisslow to always be around, but without drawing much attention to himself. He's around enough to be familiar to the audience, but slips below their notice because Dent is always the focus of their scenes. His friendly bonding with Bruce over weightlifting and whatnot feels more genuine and natural because Harvey is right there being a jerk. Since the audience sees Lisslow as a decent, familiar guy, they are primed to be concerned when he is apparently kidnapped, to believe him when he claims to be blackmailed by Deathstroke, and to feel bad when he apparently dies. Then, when it is discovered that all of this was a lie, that he was conning EVERYONE in- and out-of-universe for the whole season, it feels really impactful. Harvey's an important part of that setup, essentially running cover for Lisslow, whose constant presence would otherwise seem suspicious. And the heartlessness with which Lisslow manipulates Dent (who, as much of a jerk as he is, seems to legitimately like Lisslow) really contributes to his villain cred. The quality of a twist villain largely hinges on the question "Should I have seen this coming, but didn't?" and Dent and Lisslow really pull that off.
Honestly, my favorite Two-Face moment was in Brave and the Bold, the one you mentioned, were his coin actually lands on the good side. People always say that Two-Face is a villain (which he is, I am not disagreeing with that) and forget that "he does what the coin tells him to do". I find it funny that the short story leans into the fact that his crimes are just dumb luck. I also like that a BTAS comic kinda addresses that in which the doctors rig the coin so it only lands on the good side in an attempt to help Harvey reform.
It IS pretty interesting how more recent depictions of Two-Face lean into him already being corrupt and "two-faced" to some extent before his disfigurement. Like you've pointed out before, in Batman: TAS the police and authority figures were generally presented as honest and well-meaning (with the rare exception, like Gil Mason) because, well, it was a show for a kids' network. That said, the TAS Two-Face is also my personal favourite. I honestly even found him rather relatable as a teenager, since I also struggled with anger issues and often found myself torn between the urge to lash out and feeling guilty about potentially hurting someone if I did...
don't forget that in two face part 2 for BTAS, one of his goons tries to take some lady's jewelry; but two-face makes them flip for it, resulting in him saying to leave it.
Two face has always been such an interesting character tackling DID with his use of a coin going 50/50. From a very popular district attorney to be known as one of Gotham’s most criminal in an instant. Such a tragic story and his new iteration in caped crusader was so interesting.
I think the acid backstory or any other type of more real world disfigurement would have felt out of place in the world of the 66 Batman. That’s why I think it was a clever work around in the Batman vs Two-Face movie to have it be a science fiction personification of evil that corrupted Dent.
Yeah because that makes sense and also something fresh as how could you explain why he is half man half monster because I was the impression that he was a mutant as too why the DCAU version is half blue from his whole body and white hair.
Few things: I would push back against the statement that the B&B version of harv was based on the golden age. In the golden age of comics, Two face had a full arc. Because the only person who could operate on him was a jew stuck in germany, his face remained scared for a while, but Harvey Kent was more than just a one note villian. If his coin flipped on good, he'd donate to charity and help the poor and under priviliged. If it was on scarred, he'd do seemingly random crimes(which of course were based on the number 2). He only appeared in a couple of comics, with the arc ending when Batman get the doctor away from the nazis and cures two-face, which would remain for a pretty long time. It was pretty well written in my opinion. and Harvey even then comes off as sympethic.
Your point at the beginning also speaks to why green lantern became so much more successful after the emotional spectrum was introduced. Since each ring focused on a single emotion, each had a story that led to them embracing that emotion
I'm glad they gave us Two Face in BTAS. He is one of those villains who don't you care for much when you are younger but start to like more as you get older. I really wish they let him be used in The Batman but I'm glad we got their version of Clayface. I really wish we got season 2 of Beware the Batman because I was watching it during it's run. Seeing Harvey be friends with Bruce then turn into Two face was actually nice. I do wish he lived for another season in Batman Caped Crusader but it's okay. I honestly wonder why they keep not using Maroni in connection with his disfigurement since he is the original guy who threw the acid. We only really get Maroni in Gotham and even Harvey Dent appears there, he just disappears and doesn't become Two Face. Honestly I really want to see who is your favorite live action version of Two Face is. Billy Dee Williams, Tommy Lee, The Dark Knight, Gotham or Gotham Knights?
One of the things I liked about Beware the Batman’s Dent is how he called Bruce his best friend in the world, when they were passing acquaintances at best. The sad thing is he wasn’t lying. He just didn’t have any friends.
@@SerumLake it's sad but some people end ruining themselves by not being the best people. I will even out myself as being a terrible person when I was younger and still have flaws at the moment . However, I still would have and continue to have a strong connection of friends which means Harvey must have really burned bridges or made it hard to connect with people.
I actually think that could be a misconception like in Disney villains retrospective on Sykes from Oliver and company that Marlon Brando was the first choice.
Two Face is my second favorite Batman Rogue alongside between The Joker. My favorite though will always be Mr. Freeze tragedy on grief but Harvey Dent is a beautiful tragedy. He tries his best to be a hero like Bruce. But he has severe issues and inability to accept identity. He is also one of the few characters that made understand mental health and why its important especially our current times. The sadness that he could've been a hero that helped Bruce. But instead he became a version of himself he resents and despises. Two Face will always be my favorite villains of all time alongside Freeze, Joker, Clayface, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. (And yes Ivy and Catwoman aren't villains anymore but I enjoyed them as villains.)
Yeah one thing is that harvey probably would've been a somewhat of a hero in gotham if he didnt become two face especially that in some universes hes given the nickname (white knight), aside from that one thing I really wanted to see in batman stories. Which is an idea that was wasted (in a good way) is harvey, Gordon, and barman trio. They would've been a great team if Harvey didnt became two face.
Despite not being present that much in Brave and the Bold, I really like that show let Two Face to have heroic moment and team up with Batman to stop his own gang. Many adaptations seems to always have Two Face as villain and his tragic origin forgetting that the point of character is that he's half good and half evil. Depending on his coin, Two Face can be an enemy or an ally. It's this detail that help viewers to feel hppe that someday Harvey might be able to redeem himself.
I hate the "Bat-Embargo", it makes me feel like DC thought we were all too stupid to think a character couldn't be in two places at once. Also, surprised you didn’t mention the Direct to DVD movie Batman VS Two-Face, where he was voiced by Captain Kirk himself! Adam West vs William Shatner, what a combo!
To be fair to DC, there are some people that think Caped Crusader’s Penguin has replaced the comic book Penguin, if some of the comments on my Caped Crusader videos are anything to go by.
I feel like Two-Face, in my opinion, is an example of a tragic character who always gets so close to reform, only for it to be ripped away. Can't remember the name but that one BTAS episode where Harvey was going to get plastic surgery to fix his face, only for it to be interrupted comes to mind. His fates in Caped Crusader and The Dark Knight Returns are also examples of this, as in both cases there was hope for reform and healing, but in the end all that Harvey ended up with was tragedy. Two-Face in general is just a really tragic character when you look at it from that perspective. Also on a slightly less sad note, this video has some really great timing because just yesterday I got this collectible plush from a series called 'Deddy Bears', that's a parody of Two-Face called Two-Fur. According to his profile card, he smells of copper, loves a coin (just one specific coin) and his weakness is making decisions 😂
You don't cover games in your analysis, however I think Batman Arkham Shadow has a very interesting rendition of Two Face. I think it might be one of the most fleshed out interpretations in recent years.
I recent years Two-Face also got the royal treatment in the 2-parter movie *The Long Halloween* (2021/2022), and in the movie *The Doom That Came to Gotham* in 2023. Two-Face was also the only good thing from that crappy 2023 show, *Gotham Knights* , in which he was played by Misha Collins (aka Castiel). It's a shame the show was so bad, because Misha killed it as Dent... what a waste. Between all that plus the excellent HBO Max 2021/2022 audio drama *Batman: The Audio Adventure* , and *Batman: The Caped Crusader* I'd say he's been dealt a really good hand in recent years. I even enjoyed seeing him in *Joker: Folie à Deux* , since I like Harry Lawtey. *Batman: Arkham Shadow* was the cherry on top. A very nice cherry I must add, they did enough to keep you guessing till the very end.... Personally I expected the Ventriloquist/Scarface to play a much bigger role in the Rat King reveal. The way he can imitate other peoples voices, project his own voice, he has several personalities... I really thought it would be an alliance between Dent and Wesker, like in the amazing 2022 fan animated movie *Batman: Broken Promises*
Honestly I love the the BTAS two-face not only because I also grew up on that show and though I watched them on dvd, but because I think that two-face brought the most emotion in the episodes two-face part 1 and 2. He’s scream at the sight of his face will always give me a chill down my spin; and when Batman throws a box of coins to confuse him and he screams as he looks for his coin. Two face has got to be one of my favorite Batman villains and I can’t wait to get my hands on that new comic his in along with seeing what else he’ll hopefully been in.
I like that Brave and the Bold did use Richard Moll for that appearance of Two-Face in "The Fate of Equinox" (the example you used of him attacking his own henchmen and then turning on Batman thanks to the decisions made by his own coin). Just a nice touch that the producers had for lore.
4:41 is a great BTAS episode, maybe my favourite. Two-Face is just so *menacing* in it; he feels like a real threat and he's written so well and in character.
I think the green skin aspect of two face is silly and well I understand that you don’t wanna traumatize people with overly realistic burn trauma. I still think that two face should look like his injuries could be something that could be sustained in real life and green makes it look ridiculous
I think it would be interesting to see two face actually get the psychiatric help he needs from Arkham Asylum and whether or not he has his face repaired he would try and be a better person
Caped Crusader was consistent with how it dealt with all the characters. Similar to how BTAS had them however with a twist to make sure you are not complacent.
I love how the character consistently explores the dichotomy of purity and corruption, and how intentions of purity can be the groundwork of corruption
The Justice League Action version reminds me of the Venture Brothers parody version of Twoface Radical Left. He also talked to himself but was divided politically instead of morally.
i was not really fealling the caped crusader villans (Im a bit of a btas purest) but i really like the idea of the scared side of two face, rather then repersenting harvs ugly side, repersents his broken side. Thats cool
One thing I hope that becomes tradition is old Batman voice actors voicing Two-Face in other projects. Kinda like how old Spider-man voice actors voice Electro in future projects
I'm honestly torn by the design. It's a cool look, but I personally hate the messed up teeth on the damaged side. Bad teeth is one of those things that just really bothers me for some reason.
I find it very sad it two face is in Arkham asylum in justice league vs fatal five and my favourite version of two face is from Batman the animated series and caped crusader.
I feel like Two-Face might've worked in the 60s show if he had been played up as a Halloween villain. Though I don't know if Halloween specials were as common then as they are now.
I would argue that BTAS didn't really redefine Two-Face, as subsequent adaptations seemed to take much inspiration from it (at least none that come to mind). Long Halloween is far more influential imo as its take on Harvey became the standard going forward for the comics and is the one most often used as a (loose) basis for new versions, like The Dark Knight or the Telltale games
Despite the brevity of his arc, I rather like Caped Crusader's version of Two-Face, as it's the one that actually gives time for him to introspect and not only recognize where he had gone wrong but how much of a part his own actions played in it. I also like that his scarred side didn't represent what was monstrous about him, but instead represented the consequences of his actions.
The joker origins in the killig joke was established in the 80s two face origins goes from the 40s and the adam west show come out in the 60s in fact even other villains like penguin riddler and cat woman had more defined origins years after the adam show
You know, when I was a kid, I had two Batman dreams. In one, a nerdy little neuroscientist obsessed with "Alice in Wonderland" first becomes the Mad Hatter, as Jervis Tetch does... but then evolves into The Riddler, a TV persona who uses mind-manipulation to commit crimes off the air. I had another one like that: Harvey Dent gets some kind of radiation dosage that "inverts" the colors on one side of his body, turning his skin blue and eyes white and irises black, etc. And of course, he becomes the gangster Two Face... until the radiation poisoning starts seeping into the rest of his body, which he finds allows him to restructure his face... thus becoming Clayface. I think if I were to do a Batman show, the whole gimmick would be, "Which villain is this villain going to turn into?" lol
I'm slightly disappointed Aaron Eckhart's role from the Dark Knight didn't get a segment here. I might be biased since it's one of if not my favorite version of Harvey Dent. But overall good video.
I would argue that Ethan/Clyaface 1 in The Batman was a partial stand-in for Harvey. The ally who went along with Bruce's crusade and ended up paying a price. Complete with cures that only took in his final appearance.
I'm honestly glad I'm not the only who did have a liking to Beware the Batman, While I get a lot of the complaints when the series first came out (Most people weren't familiar with Characters like Anarchy or Professor Pig as they are today along with using Katana instead of Dick grayson as batman's early partner) I believe the series would've been really good at season 2, I mean People were mixed to First Seasons of shows like Star wars The Clone wars as an example but It could've been an amazing show had DC and WB not pull the plug due to likely poor toy sells and low viewer numbers. (Same reason why Green lantern the animated series was cancelled) Also While I know you only seem to talk about TV series and stuff I would love to hear your take on Different takes on two-face in the video games like the silly Lego Two-face or Arkham's version of the character, I Mean after watching some clips of Arkham Shadow I can really tell how damn close this take on Two face gets to being almost like the BTAS version of the character and this isn't surprising when you know Rocksteady Writers and Game Artists likely grew up with the show.
"good old bruce always there for me" was just such a sad part in th eoriginal series. always liked him but wish they gave him more chances of doing a good coin flip and turnnig temporarily good
The thing I love about CC’s Two Face is that he’s *actually two faced* In literally every Batman cartoon, including BTAS for the most part, you never get to see Harvey after he changes. It always Big Bad Harv so to speak, meaning he can’t really be two faced because he never has two sides In CC, he actually does! He’ll kill someone because he wants to and then immediately feel regret for it right after, because it’s not just one personality
Another excellent video about one of my favourite villains, thank you! Have you ever listened to Batman the audio adventures? I'd be interested to hear your take on the show and particularly what you make of the portrayal of Two Face in that.
@@Vigilantslayeryeah like fascist police like the Stormtroopers and the Iron Guards, this would probably that Harvey was going too far that he can’t be cured.
The coin tossing version of twoface always really intimidated me as a child because of how genuinely unpredictable he was. Don't get me wrong, other villains like Ivy, Joker, Bane and etc... were quite scary and unpredictable but in their case they have themes and general ways of acting, you kind of know what kind of unpredictable nonsense you can expect from them. With Dent you have no idea what he will do, like you said depending on the flip of a coin he will either beat on his henchmen to help batman or do heinous things. His behavior or at least major decisions are completely dependent on a coin toss and going up against him feels like gambling with your life.
While most of Batman's rogues gallery (at least the more popular ones) have some kind of psychosis driving them (hence why they usually get sent to an asylum upon capture), Two-Face is kind of unusual among them as someone who is *only* memorable due to his psychosis. Not that it's a problem for most depictions of him, but he's otherwise little different from a standard gangster in his fighting style, as he has no special weapons or skills beyond being pretty athletic and able to hold his own in a shootout or hand-to-hand combat when necessary. Once he goes full villain, no matter how eccentric his plans may be, he still generally just gathers some mooks and runs around shooting guns as a very generic way of fighting.
What makes the BTAS one the best is that the guy has totally ideal looks and voice, so him being disfigured has a high contrast, and they did a good job of him subtlety falling into evil (blackmailed for therapy) vs seems to be a trope of newer version of him and other shows generally showing him committing crimes and having a not so subtle bad side to him. Also him being played as generally good makes that one moment where he loses control pre-twoface attacking a guy have more impact, also were episodes were they were not twoface and moreso just a guy bruce knows part of the plot but it having nothing to do with twoface plot but just as a important person who bruce knows building the character. The new series was a downgrade with much more then the peguin, who is generally as you pointed out is a odd inconsistent character anyway (the gotham live action has him as a short guy with a slight limp, the old movie totally deformed danny divito). Though in looking at all the appearances and batman media BTAS (and the ones just after) is overwhelmingly good with every character and other ones cant match it in setting and characters. The new new series might be second best harvy dent and nowhere near worse because the field is littered full of camp and unlikeable two faces. And the new version does have interesting subversions like instead of the coin being marked it not being marked means he is allways giving a illusion of choice which is a pretty big brained subversion on the usual character trait. reminds me of fear and hunger game which has coinflips that decide if you character will live or die, you pick heads or tails but the game is programed in a way to chose the outcome ahead of time and no matter which one you pick it will make that choice the right or wrong one, a subtle choice in programing that is not noticed to the player but it itself who assumes they could be in control with fate and chance when they are not. He is the mad god, he will decide the result of the game of chance others have illusion of playing when he decided outcome ahead of time.
For him not appearing in Batman 1966, it's also because doing make up for him may have been a bit too daunting, and sometimes dangerous to the actor; see the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, for why certain early makeup procedures can be very painful. I'm fine with DCAU Harvey Dent's two appearances prior to the Two-Face two-parter. Enough time for me to get attached to the poor good man who'll become that infamous multi-faceted rogue. (And besides, he does appear a buncha times in The Batman Adventures 1992 tie-in comics.) Good old Richard Moll. He even made for a great antagonist in the LucasArts FPS Outlaws, alongside John de Lancie as one of his right hand men. Highly recommend that game, though expect the usual 90s gaming quirks due to it sharing the same game engine as Star Wars: Dark Forces. 5:10: Implied on him becoming more unhinged after the events of the Black & White comic "Two of A Kind". 6:23: Struggling, sure, but progressing noticeably into near-recovery. Him being quite a chipper friend to Starboy is a sign of hope, after all. Why need Two-Face in The Batman 2004? We already got Ethan Bennett/the first Clayface. 7:46: Yes, the same task force that helps out Superman and Metropolis in the DCAU. Unfinished. Those are the ultimate flaws of Beware the Batman and characters like its Harvey Dent. A real good show, believe me, but like The Spectacular Spider-Man and even The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Surtur still being out there and the lack of Ragnarok, anyone? What happened to Kang the Conqueror? How's Maria Hill's Superhero Registration Act?), am not fond of rewatching aimless wastes. As an inversion, one might argue that Justice League Action is also unfinished, which means it's also not worth checking out... not really, what we got is already good enough. It's just that it's not as superlative as Teen Titans, The Batman 2004, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold to me. If there's one thing I'll say about Beware the Batman, which also ties in with how Two-Face is sympathized across many tales: *I'm sorry, and we should have been more helpful and more forgiving before your fall.*
I'm always more of a fan of him being at least a bit sympathetic. I think making Harvey just any run of the mill corrupt politician or lawyer makes his turn into Two-Face less interesting overall.
A serious commrnt, now. I'm not sure about your interpretation of the Dark Knight Returns. My reading is he tels Batman, that they said theyvtried to cure him, he is stil a monster and both sides now match. His gang refers to hin as just Face. Is your view he is still Two-Face, but the outer face is all good and the inner person is all bad and that is why he is Two-Face, still?
The essence of "If you can't make it better, don't do it", is something I feel most media should aspire after. Like, *can* you make a better avatar tla? No. So stop wasting time and money at it. *Can* you make a better avatar lok? Yes. So, try *that* instead if they insist on remakes.
@@lycaonpictus2008 I enjoy the games, not a big fan of some of the grimy character designs, but they make sense for the world they created. Arkham Knight would've been better if Paul Dini was involved, there I said it! :D
@SerumLake yea I’ve heard that a lot lol. Paul Dini is a great writer. And I personally do like the aesthetic and design of the Arkham games quite a bit.
And happy holidays versus 🆚Christmas 🤶versus 🆚New Years party 🎉🎈partys etc 🤶! Don't forget to thanks friends versus 🆚family love ❤💕loved 🥰☝ones and strangers etc a happy christmas 🤶🎄v?
Cape Crusaders Two Face’s scared side being the ‘good guy’ actually makes sense because it’s his right side, which in other media was made as Two face’s good side while the left was scared and made into his bad side.
So in having the good vs bad duality the same while while switching which side was scared, is extremely impactful as it shows that sometimes (most cases actually) it’s the charming pristine person who’s actually the real monster
Exactly. Having the humility to acknowledge your flaws and failures, even when they may seem gruesome, is the real path to redemption.
"Why couldn't you save me?" is a line that will forever be in my head when it comes to Two-Face
"Why couldn't you save us, son?"
The same words cross Harly's about the Joker.
To give the decision about not having Two-Face in the Adam West series some historical context.
Many areas in the United States had ‘Ugly Laws’ restricting the ability of disabled people, particularly those disfigured, to appear in public. Yes you could be arrested if they didn’t like the look of you.
The last of these were repealed in 1974. So some would still be on the books when the Adam West show was filmed.
Even where they weren’t in operation it’s far more likely that children back then would not have seen a visibly disabled or disfigured person, given so many were put in institutions.
thank goodness i didnt live in the usa then i would never be able to leave the house
There's also possibly make-up risks and restrictions, plus expenses.
If they had used the Two-Face concept idea from the Star Trek episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," it would have solved the Fright Factor.
This reminds me of the uncensored version of the song Arabian Nights from Disney's animated Aladdin film: "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face/ it's barbaric, but hey, it's home". I guess maybe that line is more applicable to the US of the recent past than the Middle East.
Two-Face Part 1 has a moment that firmly stuck in my mind as a child: The bit where he first saw his new face. I never forgot that scream
One underrated aspect from Beware the Batman’s take on Two-Face is how he’s a foil to James Gordon. They both started out with anti-Batman campaigns. However, Gordon has a true belief in justice and thus can change his stance on Batman, becoming one of his allies and even risking his career for him. Dent only cared about career climbing and boosting his own ego, eventually dooming himself into becoming the thing he swore he would fight against.
I didn't like Beware the Batman's Dent all that much at the time, but in retrospect he makes a large contribution to my favorite of the show's villains - Deathstroke.
Slade/Lisslow's true identity is a really fun twist that Dent's characterization makes possible. As Dent's right-hand man, it makes sense for Lisslow to always be around, but without drawing much attention to himself. He's around enough to be familiar to the audience, but slips below their notice because Dent is always the focus of their scenes. His friendly bonding with Bruce over weightlifting and whatnot feels more genuine and natural because Harvey is right there being a jerk. Since the audience sees Lisslow as a decent, familiar guy, they are primed to be concerned when he is apparently kidnapped, to believe him when he claims to be blackmailed by Deathstroke, and to feel bad when he apparently dies. Then, when it is discovered that all of this was a lie, that he was conning EVERYONE in- and out-of-universe for the whole season, it feels really impactful.
Harvey's an important part of that setup, essentially running cover for Lisslow, whose constant presence would otherwise seem suspicious. And the heartlessness with which Lisslow manipulates Dent (who, as much of a jerk as he is, seems to legitimately like Lisslow) really contributes to his villain cred. The quality of a twist villain largely hinges on the question "Should I have seen this coming, but didn't?" and Dent and Lisslow really pull that off.
Honestly, my favorite Two-Face moment was in Brave and the Bold, the one you mentioned, were his coin actually lands on the good side. People always say that Two-Face is a villain (which he is, I am not disagreeing with that) and forget that "he does what the coin tells him to do". I find it funny that the short story leans into the fact that his crimes are just dumb luck. I also like that a BTAS comic kinda addresses that in which the doctors rig the coin so it only lands on the good side in an attempt to help Harvey reform.
It IS pretty interesting how more recent depictions of Two-Face lean into him already being corrupt and "two-faced" to some extent before his disfigurement. Like you've pointed out before, in Batman: TAS the police and authority figures were generally presented as honest and well-meaning (with the rare exception, like Gil Mason) because, well, it was a show for a kids' network. That said, the TAS Two-Face is also my personal favourite. I honestly even found him rather relatable as a teenager, since I also struggled with anger issues and often found myself torn between the urge to lash out and feeling guilty about potentially hurting someone if I did...
don't forget that in two face part 2 for BTAS, one of his goons tries to take some lady's jewelry; but two-face makes them flip for it, resulting in him saying to leave it.
Absolutely, it wasn’t part of the original plan (and wasn’t Rupert Thorne’s so taking it wouldn’t have hurt him)
Two face has always been such an interesting character tackling DID with his use of a coin going 50/50. From a very popular district attorney to be known as one of Gotham’s most criminal in an instant. Such a tragic story and his new iteration in caped crusader was so interesting.
I think the acid backstory or any other type of more real world disfigurement would have felt out of place in the world of the 66 Batman. That’s why I think it was a clever work around in the Batman vs Two-Face movie to have it be a science fiction personification of evil that corrupted Dent.
Yeah because that makes sense and also something fresh as how could you explain why he is half man half monster because I was the impression that he was a mutant as too why the DCAU version is half blue from his whole body and white hair.
Few things:
I would push back against the statement that the B&B version of harv was based on the golden age. In the golden age of comics, Two face had a full arc. Because the only person who could operate on him was a jew stuck in germany, his face remained scared for a while, but Harvey Kent was more than just a one note villian. If his coin flipped on good, he'd donate to charity and help the poor and under priviliged. If it was on scarred, he'd do seemingly random crimes(which of course were based on the number 2). He only appeared in a couple of comics, with the arc ending when Batman get the doctor away from the nazis and cures two-face, which would remain for a pretty long time. It was pretty well written in my opinion. and Harvey even then comes off as sympethic.
I wish beware the bat continued. I would have loved to see what their version of Two-Face looked like without the bandages.
You’ll want to check out next week’s video then 😎
Two Face: GET OUT OF MY FACE CLOWN!!!
Joker: Which one?
🤣🤣🤣
Your point at the beginning also speaks to why green lantern became so much more successful after the emotional spectrum was introduced. Since each ring focused on a single emotion, each had a story that led to them embracing that emotion
I'm glad they gave us Two Face in BTAS. He is one of those villains who don't you care for much when you are younger but start to like more as you get older.
I really wish they let him be used in The Batman but I'm glad we got their version of Clayface.
I really wish we got season 2 of Beware the Batman because I was watching it during it's run. Seeing Harvey be friends with Bruce then turn into Two face was actually nice.
I do wish he lived for another season in Batman Caped Crusader but it's okay.
I honestly wonder why they keep not using Maroni in connection with his disfigurement since he is the original guy who threw the acid. We only really get Maroni in Gotham and even Harvey Dent appears there, he just disappears and doesn't become Two Face.
Honestly I really want to see who is your favorite live action version of Two Face is. Billy Dee Williams, Tommy Lee, The Dark Knight, Gotham or Gotham Knights?
One of the things I liked about Beware the Batman’s Dent is how he called Bruce his best friend in the world, when they were passing acquaintances at best. The sad thing is he wasn’t lying. He just didn’t have any friends.
@@SerumLake it's sad but some people end ruining themselves by not being the best people. I will even out myself as being a terrible person when I was younger and still have flaws at the moment . However, I still would have and continue to have a strong connection of friends which means Harvey must have really burned bridges or made it hard to connect with people.
Fun fact: Clint Eastwood was slated to play Two-Face in the '66 series.
I actually think that could be a misconception like in Disney villains retrospective on Sykes from Oliver and company that Marlon Brando was the first choice.
Two Face is my second favorite Batman Rogue alongside between The Joker. My favorite though will always be Mr. Freeze tragedy on grief but Harvey Dent is a beautiful tragedy. He tries his best to be a hero like Bruce. But he has severe issues and inability to accept identity. He is also one of the few characters that made understand mental health and why its important especially our current times. The sadness that he could've been a hero that helped Bruce. But instead he became a version of himself he resents and despises. Two Face will always be my favorite villains of all time alongside Freeze, Joker, Clayface, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. (And yes Ivy and Catwoman aren't villains anymore but I enjoyed them as villains.)
Yeah one thing is that harvey probably would've been a somewhat of a hero in gotham if he didnt become two face especially that in some universes hes given the nickname (white knight), aside from that one thing I really wanted to see in batman stories. Which is an idea that was wasted (in a good way) is harvey, Gordon, and barman trio. They would've been a great team if Harvey didnt became two face.
Despite not being present that much in Brave and the Bold, I really like that show let Two Face to have heroic moment and team up with Batman to stop his own gang. Many adaptations seems to always have Two Face as villain and his tragic origin forgetting that the point of character is that he's half good and half evil. Depending on his coin, Two Face can be an enemy or an ally. It's this detail that help viewers to feel hppe that someday Harvey might be able to redeem himself.
I hate the "Bat-Embargo", it makes me feel like DC thought we were all too stupid to think a character couldn't be in two places at once.
Also, surprised you didn’t mention the Direct to DVD movie Batman VS Two-Face, where he was voiced by Captain Kirk himself!
Adam West vs William Shatner, what a combo!
To be fair to DC, there are some people that think Caped Crusader’s Penguin has replaced the comic book Penguin, if some of the comments on my Caped Crusader videos are anything to go by.
I feel like Two-Face, in my opinion, is an example of a tragic character who always gets so close to reform, only for it to be ripped away. Can't remember the name but that one BTAS episode where Harvey was going to get plastic surgery to fix his face, only for it to be interrupted comes to mind. His fates in Caped Crusader and The Dark Knight Returns are also examples of this, as in both cases there was hope for reform and healing, but in the end all that Harvey ended up with was tragedy. Two-Face in general is just a really tragic character when you look at it from that perspective.
Also on a slightly less sad note, this video has some really great timing because just yesterday I got this collectible plush from a series called 'Deddy Bears', that's a parody of Two-Face called Two-Fur. According to his profile card, he smells of copper, loves a coin (just one specific coin) and his weakness is making decisions 😂
You don't cover games in your analysis, however I think Batman Arkham Shadow has a very interesting rendition of Two Face. I think it might be one of the most fleshed out interpretations in recent years.
It’s incredible how it took until the VR spin-off to make Arkham Two-Face actually interesting.
I recent years Two-Face also got the royal treatment in the 2-parter movie *The Long Halloween* (2021/2022), and in the movie *The Doom That Came to Gotham* in 2023.
Two-Face was also the only good thing from that crappy 2023 show, *Gotham Knights* , in which he was played by Misha Collins (aka Castiel). It's a shame the show was so bad, because Misha killed it as Dent... what a waste.
Between all that plus the excellent HBO Max 2021/2022 audio drama *Batman: The Audio Adventure* , and *Batman: The Caped Crusader* I'd say he's been dealt a really good hand in recent years.
I even enjoyed seeing him in *Joker: Folie à Deux* , since I like Harry Lawtey.
*Batman: Arkham Shadow* was the cherry on top. A very nice cherry I must add, they did enough to keep you guessing till the very end.... Personally I expected the Ventriloquist/Scarface to play a much bigger role in the Rat King reveal. The way he can imitate other peoples voices, project his own voice, he has several personalities...
I really thought it would be an alliance between Dent and Wesker, like in the amazing 2022 fan animated movie *Batman: Broken Promises*
"its alright to late I'm already born"torn!
Caped Crusader hands down is my favorite Two-Face now.
Two Face is equal parts scary and intriguing.
Merry Yule, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you all this year.
Honestly I love the the BTAS two-face not only because I also grew up on that show and though I watched them on dvd, but because I think that two-face brought the most emotion in the episodes two-face part 1 and 2. He’s scream at the sight of his face will always give me a chill down my spin; and when Batman throws a box of coins to confuse him and he screams as he looks for his coin. Two face has got to be one of my favorite Batman villains and I can’t wait to get my hands on that new comic his in along with seeing what else he’ll hopefully been in.
I like that Brave and the Bold did use Richard Moll for that appearance of Two-Face in "The Fate of Equinox" (the example you used of him attacking his own henchmen and then turning on Batman thanks to the decisions made by his own coin). Just a nice touch that the producers had for lore.
Richard Moll only voiced him for one line in the episode “Chill of the Night!” All his other BTB&TB appearances he was voiced by James Remar.
By far the best version of two faces Batman The animated series. We got to see him and got to know him before he became two-faced.
Great video, I hadn’t really thought about the different versions outside BTAS.
Two-Face Part one is no "I've got Batman in my basement." 😀
4:41 is a great BTAS episode, maybe my favourite. Two-Face is just so *menacing* in it; he feels like a real threat and he's written so well and in character.
I think the green skin aspect of two face is silly and well I understand that you don’t wanna traumatize people with overly realistic burn trauma. I still think that two face should look like his injuries could be something that could be sustained in real life and green makes it look ridiculous
Another banger; keep them rolling mate.
thank you, so long as you all keep watching them I'll keep making them!
It is cool how when caped crusader swapped the morality of the two sides, they also swapped what side got scarred.
I think it would be interesting to see two face actually get the psychiatric help he needs from Arkham Asylum and whether or not he has his face repaired he would try and be a better person
Caped Crusader was consistent with how it dealt with all the characters. Similar to how BTAS had them however with a twist to make sure you are not complacent.
You should've also talked about Two-Face from Batman: The Long Halloween.
That was a direct to DVD film, I’m only talking about the TV shows. I know that may seem pedantic, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
I love how the character consistently explores the dichotomy of purity and corruption, and how intentions of purity can be the groundwork of corruption
BTAS is still my favorite
The Justice League Action version reminds me of the Venture Brothers parody version of Twoface Radical Left. He also talked to himself but was divided politically instead of morally.
I actually thought the show was more Justice League Unlimited if it was on comedy mode too long
i was not really fealling the caped crusader villans (Im a bit of a btas purest) but i really like the idea of the scared side of two face, rather then repersenting harvs ugly side, repersents his broken side. Thats cool
Honestly BTAS and Caped Crusader used him the best
Just discovered your channel this year Serum love the content. Keep it going. I was wondering what your outro song is. It really captivated me.
It’s a track from Apple’s royalty-free content creator library. It’s only 15 seconds long so I thought it’d make the perfect outro jingle!
I like the Adam west animated Two Face
One thing I hope that becomes tradition is old Batman voice actors voicing Two-Face in other projects. Kinda like how old Spider-man voice actors voice Electro in future projects
I'm honestly torn by the design. It's a cool look, but I personally hate the messed up teeth on the damaged side. Bad teeth is one of those things that just really bothers me for some reason.
I find it very sad it two face is in Arkham asylum in justice league vs fatal five and my favourite version of two face is from Batman the animated series and caped crusader.
I feel like Two-Face might've worked in the 60s show if he had been played up as a Halloween villain. Though I don't know if Halloween specials were as common then as they are now.
They probably weren’t
I would argue that BTAS didn't really redefine Two-Face, as subsequent adaptations seemed to take much inspiration from it (at least none that come to mind). Long Halloween is far more influential imo as its take on Harvey became the standard going forward for the comics and is the one most often used as a (loose) basis for new versions, like The Dark Knight or the Telltale games
Despite the brevity of his arc, I rather like Caped Crusader's version of Two-Face, as it's the one that actually gives time for him to introspect and not only recognize where he had gone wrong but how much of a part his own actions played in it. I also like that his scarred side didn't represent what was monstrous about him, but instead represented the consequences of his actions.
My favorite Two Face is the William Shatner version.
Excellent video
The joker origins in the killig joke was established in the 80s two face origins goes from the 40s and the adam west show come out in the 60s in fact even other villains like penguin riddler and cat woman had more defined origins years after the adam show
W-wait, I never noticed this- They renamed Jack Drake to Stephen Drake?
MERRY CHRISTMAS, SERUM LAKE!!!!
Merry Christmas to you too
You know, when I was a kid, I had two Batman dreams. In one, a nerdy little neuroscientist obsessed with "Alice in Wonderland" first becomes the Mad Hatter, as Jervis Tetch does... but then evolves into The Riddler, a TV persona who uses mind-manipulation to commit crimes off the air.
I had another one like that: Harvey Dent gets some kind of radiation dosage that "inverts" the colors on one side of his body, turning his skin blue and eyes white and irises black, etc. And of course, he becomes the gangster Two Face... until the radiation poisoning starts seeping into the rest of his body, which he finds allows him to restructure his face... thus becoming Clayface.
I think if I were to do a Batman show, the whole gimmick would be, "Which villain is this villain going to turn into?" lol
I'm slightly disappointed Aaron Eckhart's role from the Dark Knight didn't get a segment here. I might be biased since it's one of if not my favorite version of Harvey Dent. But overall good video.
I would argue that Ethan/Clyaface 1 in The Batman was a partial stand-in for Harvey. The ally who went along with Bruce's crusade and ended up paying a price. Complete with cures that only took in his final appearance.
I'm honestly glad I'm not the only who did have a liking to Beware the Batman, While I get a lot of the complaints when the series first came out (Most people weren't familiar with Characters like Anarchy or Professor Pig as they are today along with using Katana instead of Dick grayson as batman's early partner) I believe the series would've been really good at season 2, I mean People were mixed to First Seasons of shows like Star wars The Clone wars as an example but It could've been an amazing show had DC and WB not pull the plug due to likely poor toy sells and low viewer numbers. (Same reason why Green lantern the animated series was cancelled)
Also While I know you only seem to talk about TV series and stuff I would love to hear your take on Different takes on two-face in the video games like the silly Lego Two-face or Arkham's version of the character, I Mean after watching some clips of Arkham Shadow I can really tell how damn close this take on Two face gets to being almost like the BTAS version of the character and this isn't surprising when you know Rocksteady Writers and Game Artists likely grew up with the show.
The duality of one is what breaks the mind to who the one who judges themselves. Whether heroes or villians justice or vengeance, kill or live?
What about the one from the movie where he transforms into a portal to another dimension?
The Doom That Came To Gotham? That’s a direct to DVD film, and I’m only talking about tv series. I had to draw a line somewhere.
"good old bruce always there for me" was just such a sad part in th eoriginal series. always liked him but wish they gave him more chances of doing a good coin flip and turnnig temporarily good
The thing I love about CC’s Two Face is that he’s *actually two faced*
In literally every Batman cartoon, including BTAS for the most part, you never get to see Harvey after he changes. It always Big Bad Harv so to speak, meaning he can’t really be two faced because he never has two sides
In CC, he actually does! He’ll kill someone because he wants to and then immediately feel regret for it right after, because it’s not just one personality
Now imagine if Spider-Man got this kind of treatment where things are subversive
Another excellent video about one of my favourite villains, thank you! Have you ever listened to Batman the audio adventures? I'd be interested to hear your take on the show and particularly what you make of the portrayal of Two Face in that.
The task force from Beware the Batman makes a appearance in Batman:The Telltale Series
He is kinda similar, yeah.
@SerumLake Yeah The group from the Telltale Series was more like a corrupt government
@@Vigilantslayeryeah like fascist police like the Stormtroopers and the Iron Guards, this would probably that Harvey was going too far that he can’t be cured.
The coin tossing version of twoface always really intimidated me as a child because of how genuinely unpredictable he was. Don't get me wrong, other villains like Ivy, Joker, Bane and etc... were quite scary and unpredictable but in their case they have themes and general ways of acting, you kind of know what kind of unpredictable nonsense you can expect from them.
With Dent you have no idea what he will do, like you said depending on the flip of a coin he will either beat on his henchmen to help batman or do heinous things. His behavior or at least major decisions are completely dependent on a coin toss and going up against him feels like gambling with your life.
BTAS gave us probably the best version of Two Face in animation
Deep and Complex character that is close ally of Bruce while being a enemy to Batman
While most of Batman's rogues gallery (at least the more popular ones) have some kind of psychosis driving them (hence why they usually get sent to an asylum upon capture), Two-Face is kind of unusual among them as someone who is *only* memorable due to his psychosis. Not that it's a problem for most depictions of him, but he's otherwise little different from a standard gangster in his fighting style, as he has no special weapons or skills beyond being pretty athletic and able to hold his own in a shootout or hand-to-hand combat when necessary. Once he goes full villain, no matter how eccentric his plans may be, he still generally just gathers some mooks and runs around shooting guns as a very generic way of fighting.
What makes the BTAS one the best is that the guy has totally ideal looks and voice, so him being disfigured has a high contrast, and they did a good job of him subtlety falling into evil (blackmailed for therapy) vs seems to be a trope of newer version of him and other shows generally showing him committing crimes and having a not so subtle bad side to him.
Also him being played as generally good makes that one moment where he loses control pre-twoface attacking a guy have more impact, also were episodes were they were not twoface and moreso just a guy bruce knows part of the plot but it having nothing to do with twoface plot but just as a important person who bruce knows building the character.
The new series was a downgrade with much more then the peguin, who is generally as you pointed out is a odd inconsistent character anyway (the gotham live action has him as a short guy with a slight limp, the old movie totally deformed danny divito). Though in looking at all the appearances and batman media BTAS (and the ones just after) is overwhelmingly good with every character and other ones cant match it in setting and characters. The new new series might be second best harvy dent and nowhere near worse because the field is littered full of camp and unlikeable two faces.
And the new version does have interesting subversions like instead of the coin being marked it not being marked means he is allways giving a illusion of choice which is a pretty big brained subversion on the usual character trait. reminds me of fear and hunger game which has coinflips that decide if you character will live or die, you pick heads or tails but the game is programed in a way to chose the outcome ahead of time and no matter which one you pick it will make that choice the right or wrong one, a subtle choice in programing that is not noticed to the player but it itself who assumes they could be in control with fate and chance when they are not. He is the mad god, he will decide the result of the game of chance others have illusion of playing when he decided outcome ahead of time.
I love your videos
The most fun version will always be Tommy Lee Jones from Batman Forever
Too bad he wasn’t like his role in the Eyes of Laura Mars
For him not appearing in Batman 1966, it's also because doing make up for him may have been a bit too daunting, and sometimes dangerous to the actor; see the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, for why certain early makeup procedures can be very painful.
I'm fine with DCAU Harvey Dent's two appearances prior to the Two-Face two-parter. Enough time for me to get attached to the poor good man who'll become that infamous multi-faceted rogue. (And besides, he does appear a buncha times in The Batman Adventures 1992 tie-in comics.)
Good old Richard Moll. He even made for a great antagonist in the LucasArts FPS Outlaws, alongside John de Lancie as one of his right hand men. Highly recommend that game, though expect the usual 90s gaming quirks due to it sharing the same game engine as Star Wars: Dark Forces.
5:10: Implied on him becoming more unhinged after the events of the Black & White comic "Two of A Kind".
6:23: Struggling, sure, but progressing noticeably into near-recovery. Him being quite a chipper friend to Starboy is a sign of hope, after all.
Why need Two-Face in The Batman 2004? We already got Ethan Bennett/the first Clayface.
7:46: Yes, the same task force that helps out Superman and Metropolis in the DCAU.
Unfinished. Those are the ultimate flaws of Beware the Batman and characters like its Harvey Dent. A real good show, believe me, but like The Spectacular Spider-Man and even The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Surtur still being out there and the lack of Ragnarok, anyone? What happened to Kang the Conqueror? How's Maria Hill's Superhero Registration Act?), am not fond of rewatching aimless wastes.
As an inversion, one might argue that Justice League Action is also unfinished, which means it's also not worth checking out... not really, what we got is already good enough. It's just that it's not as superlative as Teen Titans, The Batman 2004, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold to me.
If there's one thing I'll say about Beware the Batman, which also ties in with how Two-Face is sympathized across many tales: *I'm sorry, and we should have been more helpful and more forgiving before your fall.*
Two-Face does play a "bigger" role in "The Mask of Matches Malone!" But I can understand why you did not mention it.
You really should’ve brought up telltales two face. Probably the most tragic version of the character
It ain’t a animated series but would be interesting if you took a look at Arkham Shadow’s two face.
I don't know if he's made enough appearances to justify one of these, but could you do one on Hugo Strange?
Hes My Fav Batman Bad Guy
I'm gonna miss caped crusaders two-face
Natila Ambrugia correct song 🎧🎶?
he’s so babygirl 🥰🥰🥰
I'm always more of a fan of him being at least a bit sympathetic. I think making Harvey just any run of the mill corrupt politician or lawyer makes his turn into Two-Face less interesting overall.
For this ⬆upcoming (Christmas 🎅 Christmas 🤶 🤶) tv 📺episode review?
Sounds like you might have a lot to talk about with Beware the Batman
I'm curious what you think of Telltale's Two-Face. I'm still tickled how you called Telltale's Penguin "Twilight Penguin."
Yes that if you choose to save he will still be a A-hole that he brought these fascist police into Gotham city and that he was a overgrown simp
I didn’t think that the scenario where you saved Harvey was as strong as the one where he became disfigured.
He wouldn't be two face if he wasn't conflicted.
Sorry, Dark Knight fans, but BTAS still has the best version of Two-Face.
A serious commrnt, now. I'm not sure about your interpretation of the Dark Knight Returns. My reading is he tels Batman, that they said theyvtried to cure him, he is stil a monster and both sides now match. His gang refers to hin as just Face.
Is your view he is still Two-Face, but the outer face is all good and the inner person is all bad and that is why he is Two-Face, still?
Yeah that was my take because, in his mind, his face was entirely disfigured and Harvey Dent was gone.
I had a question are you taking a look at? Batman. VS TWO- FACE card good if excuse me, my English not good I speak Swedish.
From?
You can't half-ass Two-Face.
10:36
To be fair, like, everyone on that show is extraordinarily unlikable.
It was 2019 6:30
Whoops!
Serum Lake Water 💦?
The essence of "If you can't make it better, don't do it", is something I feel most media should aspire after. Like, *can* you make a better avatar tla? No. So stop wasting time and money at it. *Can* you make a better avatar lok? Yes. So, try *that* instead if they insist on remakes.
Have you ever played the Batman Arkham games?
All of them except for the recent VR one.
@@SerumLake nice. What are your thoughts on the Arkham Universe?
@@lycaonpictus2008 I enjoy the games, not a big fan of some of the grimy character designs, but they make sense for the world they created. Arkham Knight would've been better if Paul Dini was involved, there I said it! :D
@SerumLake yea I’ve heard that a lot lol. Paul Dini is a great writer.
And I personally do like the aesthetic and design of the Arkham games quite a bit.
Hes peak
LOL 😂😆and yikes 😳as well?
And happy holidays versus 🆚Christmas 🤶versus 🆚New Years party 🎉🎈partys etc 🤶! Don't forget to thanks friends versus 🆚family love ❤💕loved 🥰☝ones and strangers etc a happy christmas 🤶🎄v?
Im so bleeping and 🩸🤬bleeding 🩸ready?