10 Things Every DC Comics Fan Forgets About Two-Face

2. Origin Changes

Two Face
DC Comics

The origin of Two-Face has remained mostly unchanged throughout the various comic “Ages” but nothing remains the same forever. In the very beginning, Two-Face was named Harvey Kent. The last name was changed to Dent to avoid confusion with Superman’s alter-ego, Clark Kent. This version was later retconned to have been cured and was now the friend of the retired Bruce Wayne on Earth-Two.

The most well-known origin of Two-Face saw crusading and attractive District Attorney Harvey Dent was hammering mob boss Sal Maroni on the witness stand. The mobster threw acid at Dent’s face but Batman deflected the shot so it only struck the left side. This drove Dent insane and he took Maroni’s lucky two-headed coin, scarring one side as his own, and used it to make decisions between doing good or evil.

In the New 52 continuity, Dent is the lawyer for the McKillen crime family. Twin sisters Shannon and Erin place a contract on Commissioner Gordon and this prompts Bruce Wayne to fund Dent's run for District Attorney. The sisters are prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison. Shannon commits suicide and Erin escapes as her corpse. Erin breaks into Dent’s house, kills his wife, and pours acid on his face, creating Two-Face.

Contributor
Contributor

John Wilson has been a comic book and pop culture fan his entire life. He has written for a number of websites on the subject over the years and is especially pleased to be at WhatCulture. John has written two comic books for Last Ember Press Studio and has recently self-published a children's book called "Blue." When not spending far too much time on the internet, John spends time with his lovely wife, Kim, their goofy dog, Tesla, and two very spoiled cats.