Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 22, 2008

**Warning: This Article Contains Major Spoilers**

I’m sure by now that anyone who ventured into this post has seen the biggest movie of 2008, The Dark Knight. Judging by the box office numbers, rabid comments and critical reception that most of you would like to see a third film. Now everyone made the assumption that TDK would be The Joker’s film, and end by introducing a new villain in Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey “Two-Face” Dent. Now you know what happens when we assume…

I am going to make three assumptions. First, I am going to assume that you have seen The Dark Knight. Secondly, I assume that you might have been surprised about the death of Two-Face. Finally, that you are left wondering to yourself who will be the next film’s villain. Some names that have already come up (with some getting squashed early) are The Riddler, The Penguin, Bane, Deadshot, Two-Face and even The Joker once again. So who is it going to be? I think Harvey Dent will show his faces in the next film.

If Harvey “Two-Face” Dent is to be the next villain, that would have to mean he is alive, right? Did they ever say he was dead? Did you see a casket? All the film showed was a motionless body, and what seemed like a memorial service. Remember, Batman and Gordon are ready to lie about Harvey’s actions in order to preserve his reputation, so why wouldn’t they lie about his death? For all we know, Gordon could have transported Harvey to a maximum security cell in Arkham. Maybe Harvey is brooding in his cell right next to his new pal.

If Gordon and Batman were to conceal his death and lock him up in Arkham, that would give Two-Face even more of a reason to hate Gotham and its officials. Talk about ammunition for revenge, the guy would come out swinging. So go see the film again. If I remember correctly, Batman even said something like “Noone can ever see him like this.” Would you say something like that about a dead man? Everyone knows he is disfigured, but not everyone knows about his newly acquired vengeful and murderous personality.

One of the first things that led me to this conclusion is that Christopher Nolan has some director trademarks that point directly in this direction. First, Nolan has an obsession with pairs or the number two. In Memento, Leonard had two people trying to manipulate him throughout the film. In Batman Begins there were a pair of villains, both with dual identities/personas. In The Prestige there were two main characters which were both two men at sometime within the film (Borden as a twin, and Angier as a copy), and had both romanced two different women within the film. In The Dark Knight you see two good characters Batman/Gordon battling Joker/Two-Face, with Two-Face being a man with obviously two faces. Also Nolan has a repeating theme of fake deaths/coming back from death within his film. Ra’s Al Ghul ends up not being dead in Batman Begins. Borden cheats death in The Prestige. Gordon even faked his own death in The Dark Knight. So would it be too far fetched for a man with two faces to cheat death in Nolan’s newest film?

I guess the next question would be is Two-Face’s story arc complete? In other words, what appeal is left in bringing Two-Face back? I don’t doubt that we may see Harvey Dent again, but to what capacity is left to be seen.

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