Two-Face is a pure badass, the best Batman villain

[Nathan Petrelli]

Yes, much more bad ass than the Joker. We all know he killed kids, so what? Two-Face turned good, got himself all fixed up, was blamed for murders he didn't even do and then poured acid on himself and "re-sculpted" himself with a scalpel all with a smile on his face for jesus sake! He also doesn't fake his insanity like The Joker so he will go to Arkham instead of jail, he is actually a nutt-job. Two-Face is the greatest Batman villain ever.

Don't get me wrong, I love The Joker as much as the next guy. But Two-Face is much more psychotic. Let's not forget that he CHOSE to be Two-Face by the flip of a coin.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Hmmmmm. Bit of a random rant here, but okay.

In my eyes, The Joker is still not just the greatest Batman villain, but the ultimate comic book villain. However, if I were to rank my all-time favourite comic book characters - heroes and villains alike - the list would probably read #1 - The Joker, then #2 - Two-Face. Both are classic characters, I love them both.

I think, however, that The Joker has more classic storylines than Two-Face. While a lot of Two-Face's best stories are alternate takes on his origin, The Joker's not only had a great "origin" story like "The Killing Joke", but he's been part of iconic tales like "A Death In The Family", "The Laughing Fish", "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" etc etc.

That said, though with movie season approaching, we're getting another alternate origin (Two-Face: Year One) and a one-shot (Joker's Asylum), I still think there's a niche for a great Two-Face story that I'd like to see filled in future. Perhaps a multi-issue arc in either "Batman" or "Detective Comics" revolving around Two-Face as the central villain. "Face The Face" doesn't count, as he doesn't really become Two-Face again until near the end.

 

[Nathan Petrelli]

I agree with you 100%, The Joker is the ultimate comic book villain, but I think his place could be taken so easily by Two-Face if he was given more attention instead of just his origin.

I'm also hoping The Dark Knight will open new doors for Two-Face, he isn't used to his full potential, he is probably the most sadistic villain that Batman has faced. Because really, the flip of a coin is just as unpredictable as The Jokers mind.

 

[Cobblepot]

 

[Keyser Soze]

I agree with you 100%, The Joker is the ultimate comic book villain, but I think his place could be taken so easily by Two-Face if he was given more attention instead of just his origin.

I'm also hoping The Dark Knight will open new doors for Two-Face, he isn't used to his full potential, he is probably the most sadistic villain that Batman has faced. Because really, the flip of a coin is just as unpredictable as The Jokers mind.

I'm not quite sure if Two-Face is the most sadistic villain in Batman's rogues gallery. He isn't someone who strikes me as enjoying cruelty. He has his own (incredibly twisted) moral code which he sticks by. He rarely seems like someone to needlessly kill innocents for the hell of it. Several stories I've read have shown him encountering people he could easily have killed if he wished, but he leaves them alone, not even feeling the need to flip his coin to make this decision as they haven't crossed him, and don't fit into his plans. And even if you do fall foul of Two-Face, at least you have a 50/50 chance of surviving. Which is more than you'd probably get with The Joker.

The appeal of Two-Face, for me, isn't necessarily how evil or sadistic he is. That's what The Joker's there for. It's the tragedy and pathos inherent in the character, the fact that he has the potential for good as well as for evil.

Is That Brian Bolland's art on the cover? It looks like it.

 

[Cobblepot]

Yes it's Bolland

 

[Nathan Petrelli]

I'm not quite sure if Two-Face is the most sadistic villain in Batman's rogues gallery. He isn't someone who strikes me as enjoying cruelty. He has his own (incredibly twisted) moral code which he sticks by. He rarely seems like someone to needlessly kill innocents for the hell of it. Several stories I've read have shown him encountering people he could easily have killed if he wished, but he leaves them alone, not even feeling the need to flip his coin to make this decision as they haven't crossed him, and don't fit into his plans. And even if you do fall foul of Two-Face, at least you have a 50/50 chance of surviving. Which is more than you'd probably get with The Joker.

The appeal of Two-Face, for me, isn't necessarily how evil or sadistic he is. That's what The Joker's there for. It's the tragedy and pathos inherent in the character, the fact that he has the potential for good as well as for evil.



Is That Brian Bolland's art on the cover? It looks like it.

That's the beauty of it, he isn't evil like the Joker, he is a psychopath. I think it is pretty sadistic to have a gun pointed at somebodies head while you flip the coin to choose their fate, the end result doesn't really define it, its the whole process of doing it which shows how sadistic he is.

 

[Cobblepot]

But he isn't flippin the coin to be sadistic, he's flippin' cos he needs to.

 

[Nathan Petrelli]

But he isn't flippin the coin to be sadistic, he's flippin' cos he needs to.

So you are saying that if you were on your knees begging for your life and a guy had a gun to your head and he was going to kill you depending on the result of a coin toss, not his own choice, you wouldn't find it naturally sadistic. Just because he had to flip the coin?

 

[The Joker]

Two Face has been shown to have morals and values and a good side to his nature. He has struggled with his dark side.

The Joker has no morals, no values, and nothing is sacred to him. He is evil to the core, totally psychotic, and would killl anyone or anything if he thinks it's funny or will amuse him for a even a moment. He's murdered waaaaaaay more people than Two Face has. Caused more destruction and terror than Two Face has.

 

[Batman]

I think Two-Face's impact has been hurt in recent years because he's become a cliche. Whatever psychotic act he commits, it's always overshadowed by the fact that he's suddenly 'cured' of his condition, only to become Two-Face all over again in some screwed up circle of repetitiveness.

If he could be used as a villain, like he's supposed to be, and not as a recovering psychotic turning back into a psychotic, I think he could very well pose a threat to Batman on a level higher than most of his enemies.

 

[BubbaGump]

If he could be used as a villain, like he's supposed to be, and not as a recovering psychotic turning back into a psychotic, I think he could very well pose a threat to Batman on a level higher than most of his enemies.

Rucka and Brubaker were really moving his character forward in Gotham Central and along comes Loeb to blame him for another series of crimes (the THIRD time by the same WRITER) and fix his face...yet again.

Two-Face isn't the greatest Batman villain (that goes to the Joker just for sheer volume of terror), but he's is my favorite criminal...no matter what horrible arcs he goes through.

 

[Batman]

Rucka and Brubaker were really moving his character forward in Gotham Central.

I read that arc. Holy crap, do I miss that series.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

If he could be used as a villain, like he's supposed to be, and not as a recovering psychotic turning back into a psychotic, I think he could very well pose a threat to Batman on a level higher than most of his enemies.

I am reading Batman comics for decades, but I never felt that the writers had a "real" concept for the character. Sometimes there were crimes around the number "two", sometimes he was more like a vigilante, sometimes he was a mob boss.

Same goes with Poison Ivy. One time she is a radical feminist, next time in love with Batman, next time a radical eco-terrorist who hates humanity, in the beginning just a regular criminal who used plant toxins and so on.t:

 

[BubbaGump]

I read that arc. Holy crap, do I miss that series.

Actually, Two-Face started evolving into a great character started in No Man's Land. Sometimes I re-read those stories just to see what could have been...

 

[The Joker]

No Man's Land is very underrated. It has so many great stories.

 

[Mandalore464]

Two-Face used to be my favourite villain, especially at the time of BTAS, because he was the one villain that was really giving me the chills.. It was mostly because of his looks though.

I remember that when the episode of his creation aired on french TV, I had gotten quite sick at the sight of him.

The Joker on the other hand looked like a clown, which is a thing that never ever frightened me, was mostly harmless, and of course we didn't have Mark Hamill's voice in the french version.

I have now grown to like the Joker to the point that he became my favourite Batman villain, cause I think he's the most well-written villain in the comics. He's so unpredictable, while Two-Face is. He is a real threat to Batman, while Two-face is mostly a thief or mob boss with a serious addiction to number 2 related thefts. He's become too cliche, too boring even. But I am confident that if he was handled correctly, he could become my favourite again.

Maybe TDK will allow this to happen, who knows. But for now Two-face is number 2 on my list.

 

[Leto Atrides]

So you are saying that if you were on your knees begging for your life and a guy had a gun to your head and he was going to kill you depending on the result of a coin toss, not his own choice, you wouldn't find it naturally sadistic. Just because he had to flip the coin?

Sadism refers to deriving pleasure from scaring or hurting people. If it's compulsion, and he feels like he has to, it's the opposite of sadism.

Two-Face has always been one of my favorite comic villains, he's so much more more dramatic than how gimmicky some of the other villains can be. As far as the Joker love, he works well as a force against Batman, but never seems like much of a character to me, since he's so inhuman.

 

[ronny]

If he could be used as a villain, like he's supposed to be.

But I don't think he's necessarily a villain. It's just that as DA he secretly realised that the methods he was using were never going to work. Because the system could be corrupted it made a very honest and pure man become very bitter about the city, it's sin and it's inability to help itself.
Two-Face is simply District Attourney Dent without the moral qualms about personal justice. He's a great character but does not work when portrayed as a common criminal. He's a moralistic, resentful vigilante with a clear view of the bigger picture.

 

[BatFan1986]

Batman with the gloves off, essentially?

 

[AmazinUncleBen]

I like to think of Two Face as the two extremes to Batman's personality. On one side hes this really good squeaky clean D.A. unwilling to bend any rules to get the job done. He had a little accident and the polar opposite came out, willing to do whatever is necessary to get what he believes to be justice. Two face is black and white, good and evil, Batman is the gray in between willing to bend the rules but not break them completely.

I think he has the potential to be a more compelling character than the Joker given a good enough writer and a good story. I think the Joker is just an easier character to write interesting stories about, nothing is off limits with him, whereas Two Face is morally conflicted, he shouldn't be a mob boss or a thug. Which is partly why I'm so looking forward to his portrayal in TDK, it seems like they're making him into a tragic hero which is what I think he works best as.

 

[Watchman]

For Two-Face fans or good comic stories in general:

http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=9538

Buy it, love it

 

[sclabguy]

^ i think that's the next tpb i'm going to buy

 

[Nathan Petrelli]

That sounds like a horrible TPB. What sounds like a big plot is in 96 pages.

 

[Eddie Brock]

As a character, Two-Face is second only to Batman himself in my book - as far as Batman characters are concerned. But as a villain, he falls short to the Joker. Sorry, but you can't really top the Joker when talking about the best villain. As I said though, the tragedy of Harvey Dent, his internal battle, and his warped sense of morality make him a more interesting character to me than the Joker.

Keep in mind, now, that when I'm comparing the Joker and Two-Face, there's only a small preference in Two-Face's favor. It's not like I hate the Joker. That couldn't be more wrong.