Two Face is Always Conflicted | Villain Comparison Series

In this video I wanted to take a look at the various versions of the character Two-Face that have appeared in animated series over the last 30 years. Two-Face is an interesting villain because he made his first animated appearance in 1992's Batman the Animated Series, despite being created in the 1940s, because he was considered too gruesome.

One of the things that really leapt out at me about the various versions of the character is how influential the BTAS version was, and how most shows go out of their way to try to distinguish themselves from him.

And, hey, this gives me the chance to talk about the most overlooked Batman cartoon, Beware The Batman!

#two-face #batmantheanimatedseries #batmancapedcrusader #thebatman #batmanthebraveandthebold #bewarethebatman #HarleyQuinn #JusticeLeagueAction

Chapters:
0:00 Why Two-Face Was Confined To The Comics
2:10 Batman the Animated Series' Two-Face
5:10 The New Batman Adventures' Two-Face
6:36 Why Two-Face Wasn't In The Batman
6:53 Batman: The Brave and The Bold's Two-Face
7:33 Beware The Batman's Two-Face
10:14 Justice League Action's Two-Face
10:36 Harley Quinn's Two-Face
11:53 Batman Caped Crusader's Two-Face
15:05 Which Version of Two-Face Is The Best?

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[sarahelroub]

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

[devinsauls]

"Why couldn't you save me?" is a line that will forever be in my head when it comes to Two-Face

[deltamills]

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.

[MsJayteeListens]

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The last of these were repealed in 1974.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.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

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.

[ΕυάγγελοςΦώσκολος]

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.

[jacktoma]

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.

[kaylaturnis]

Two Face: GET OUT OF MY FACE CLOWN!!!
Joker: Which one?
🤣🤣🤣

[BrandonJames]

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.

[ShamanEffect]

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

[henrybelman]

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.

[MegaFafnir]

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 at and feeling guilty about potentially hurting someone if I did...

[Primordial_Synapse]

Fun fact: Clint Eastwood was slated to play Two-Face in the '66 series.

[IAmBored]

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.)

[tayojones]

I wish beware the bat continued. I would have loved to see what their version of Two-Face looked like without the bandages.

[babysinclairfan]

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

[alexandrefrauches]

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.

[leithaziz]

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.

[mandalorianhunter]

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?

[bigjohnsbreakfastlog]

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.