Two-Face, also known by his alter ego Harvey Dent (originally Harvey Kent), is a fictional character (a villain) known from the Batman comic book series published by DC Comics. He was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and first appeared in Detective Comics vol. 1 #66 (August 1942). In his autobiography, Bob Kane admitted that he was inspired by the main character of the 1931 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel of the same name, as well as the coin-tossing motif from the gangster movie Scarface. The character may also have been inspired by the original Batman prototype, Black Bat, created by pulp writer Murray Leinster in the 1930s, whose origin story was similar to Two-Face’s (like Harvey Dent, Black Bat was a prosecutor who was disfigured with acid).
Harvey Dent was originally a promising district attorney in Gotham City who turned to a life of crime after his face was scarred with acid by mobster Sal Maroni during his trial. His signature trait is a coin, the flip of which determines his decisions, especially when they involve life or death. He is characterized by an obsession with duality, the number “2”, and split personalities.
Two-Face is also known from numerous animated series, feature films, and video games about Batman’s adventures. He first appeared on the big screen (only as Harvey Dent) in the 1989 film Batman, played by Billy Dee Williams. In the next film in the series, Batman Forever, his role was played by Tommy Lee Jones. Aaron Eckhart played the role of Harvey Dent in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. In the television series Gotham, the character of young Harvey Dent is played by Nicholas D’Agosto.