The Dark Knight Batman survives the fall, but Dent doesn't

[Bat101]

At the end of TDK, both Harvey and Batman fall from the warehouse building. It has been confirmed by reputable online sources that Harvey doesn't survive the fall, yet Batman does. Did Batman survive the fall because of sheer luck, his armored suit, or something else?

 

[JaD]

Harvey was tackled and fell, probably awkwardly (breaking his neck in the process). Batman hung to the ledge, then fell on his back.

 

[Secret_Riddle]

Batman has many pounds of bullet proof armour on.

Obviously that would soften the impact quite a bit.

Dent has no armour, and has many third degree burns and an obvious reduction in his bodies capability to absorb and deal with damage. I'm sure his immune system alone was garbage after an untreated accident like that.

As the above poster stated, the angle of impact also probably contributed to Dent's death.

 

[Zacky]

He also had Armour on.

 

[Bat101]

Batman has many pounds of bullet proof armour on.

Wouldn't landing on the ground with hard armor in between be more painful than without it?

 

[Bat101]

He also had Armour on.

I thought the armor would increase his weight and therefore make the landing more painful.

 

[Saint]

It's obvious: Dent just landed awkwardly--probably on his head. How you land can be the deciding factor in a fall.

 

[The Jester]

well, remember batman aslo fell off a penthouse ledge while trying to catch a woman than landing on the hood of a car.

so he's used to it ;D

 

[Mollins]

Dent landed on his neck, snapping it

 

[Anita18]

All of the above?

 

[ronny]

Dent was being held up by sheer force of will alone. Half his face was gone, he wasn't taking medication, bits of flesh were flaking off, he was in a car crash, he was rushing around going on a city wide killing spree. The fall was just the crescendo of a whole lot of problems Dent was having.

 

[Jonathan Crane]

Who ****ing cares?!

It's just the movie, Jesus...

 

[ronny]

Who ****ing cares?!

It's just the movie, Jesus...

I don't know, I find it interesting to discuss this stuff and see other peoples opinions on the matter. With a film as good as The Dark Knight there's a lot of room to chat about various little observations.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Lots of factors.

One, Batman tackled Harvey, in effect basically throwing him to the ground. That, combined with the fact that Harvey probably landed awkwardly, killed him.

Batman on the other hand, fell about 6 feet less then Harvey did, because he was hanging from the ledge, his momentum was softened a bit by hitting the boards on the way down, he has armor on, and he wasn't thrown off the ledge like Harvey was.

 

[Anita18]

I don't know, I find it interesting to discuss this stuff and see other peoples opinions on the matter. With a film as good as The Dark Knight there's a lot of room to chat about various little observations.

I'd rather be discussing stuff like political implications, but Mister J just makes fun of me for trying.

 

[Mister J]

I make fun of everyone. It's what I do.

 

[ronny]

I'd rather be discussing stuff like political implications, but Mister J just makes fun of me for trying.

The problem with the political debate is that people always make comparisons between Batman and Bush. If we're assigning characters to real persons then people must put much more thought into it all.

 

[Anita18]

Actually, I'm much more fascinated by the theme of manipulation in TDK than any political stuff (because people are always gonna go for the obvious), but manipulation is way more abstract.

 

[Drizzle]

I think it's a combination of Batman's armor saving him and Dent landing on his spine/blunt trauma force.

 

[ronny]

And you really don't think that Dent's pre-existing physical state had anything to do with it?

 

[deathfromabove]

symbolism anyone?

both harvey and bruce were pushed to their limits. the joker had led both men to the breaking point. they both lost the love of their life. both had endured more than most men could handle. harvey couldnt bear it and he fell from grace. bruce is the goddamned batman and he endured. that is why he survived the fall and harvey did not.

 

[Kud-Dukan]

Batman survived because he needed to learn to pick himself up...

Seriously though, the armor must have provided some protection, but he survived because he is Batman. t:

 

[the_tortel]

I think that there was less speed to batty's fall, that helped too

dent was pushed, so probably fell back, and maybe on his neck

 

[Schlosser85]

I just figured the explanation was that Batman has body armor on, while Two-Face was only wearing a suit.

 

[Axtech]

It's entirely possible for two falls from the same height to result in different injuries. Dent could have landed on his head, snapping his neck, while Bats landed on his back. Not to mention the fact that Harvey was shoved off, clearing the beams that Bats smashed through, slowing his fall. Oh, and of course there's the fact that Batman was wearing a full suit of armor, including a helmet.

I guess my answer is all of the above. I really don't understand why people have trouble grasping the fact that one died and one survived...