Two-Face (Batman '66) is the Silver Age-styled incarnation of Harvey Dent created for the continuity of the 1966 Batman television series. Originally conceived for the 1960s TV show but shelved for decades, this version finally debuted in the 2014 comic 'Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1' and starred in the 2017 animated film 'Batman vs. Two-Face'.
La Scena
The 'Batman '66' incarnation of Two-Face represents two distinct origin moments across its comic and animated media history. In 'Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1'—adapted from Harlan Ellison's unproduced 1960s script treatment—District Attorney Harvey Dent is prosecuting mob boss 'Lucky' Maroni in court. When Maroni throws a bottle of acid to eliminate the prosecutor, Batman leaps forward to shield Dent with his cape. However, acid splashes onto the left side of Dent's face, permanently disfiguring him and causing him to turn to a life of dualistic crime. Alternatively, in the 2017 animated feature 'Batman vs. Two-Face', Dent's disfigurement occurs during a public demonstration of Dr. Hugo Strange's 'Evil Extractor' at Gotham State Penitentiary. Designed to siphon evil from prisoners like the Joker, Penguin, and Riddler, the machine overloads and explodes. Batman attempts to shield Dent with his cape, but liquefied evil gas douses the left side of Harvey's face. The exposure disfigures him and splits his personality, creating a villain obsessed with duality and governed by the flip of a coin.
Significato
Two-Face's inclusion in the 'Batman '66' universe holds profound importance in Batman history and pop-culture preservation. During the original 1966–1968 television show, Two-Face was famously the most prominent classic comic villain left off the screen, as producers deemed his disfigured appearance too gruesome and dark for the show's campy, lighthearted tone. By adapting Harlan Ellison's long-shelved 1966 script outline into a comic almost fifty years later, creators fulfilled a major missing piece of retro Batman lore. Thematically, this version bridges classic Silver Age storytelling with the iconic theatricality of the 1960s show. Furthermore, the 2017 animated feature 'Batman vs. Two-Face' serves as a monumental milestone, marking the final voice performance of Adam West as Batman prior to his death in June 2017. Uniting West's Batman with sci-fi icon William Shatner as Two-Face, the production serves as both a historic crossover and a sentimental farewell to an iconic era of superhero television.
Design
The visual design of Two-Face (Batman '66) translates the character's signature duality into the vivid aesthetic of the 1960s television show. In 'Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1', artist José Luis García-López rendered the disfigured left side of Harvey Dent's face in a vibrant green hue, creating a striking contrast against his unaltered side. His costume reflects this dual nature with an asymmetrical split suit, pairing traditional black-and-white formal attire with a bold, colorful pattern of magenta and orange tailored in classic 1960s fashion. In the 2017 animated film 'Batman vs. Two-Face', his character design was specifically sculpted to resemble a 1960s-era William Shatner, giving Harvey Dent a handsome, leading-man appearance that breaks down into a light purple-and-blue disfigured side. Across all variations, Two-Face carries his primary instrument of fate: a two-headed silver coin with the left side violently scratched and scarred, which he flips to dictate every criminal decision.
