Harvey Dent: Hero or Villain?

Harvey Dent is certainly a man of conflict in The Dark Knight. He begins the film as a superhero with a face, as Bruce Wayne tells Rachel while at the penthouse party. Gotham needed a hero that wasn't hiding in the shadows and was not afraid to do what was right, despite corruption in the police department. While at dinner with Rachel, Bruce, and Natasha, Harvey makes the comment: "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain." HARVEY DENT ABSOLUTELY EPITOMIZES THIS STATEMENT. With Rachel in trouble, he threatens a psychotic gentlemen. The low lighting creates a shadow on his face, hinting that he is becoming the villain, two-face. After his kidnapping and injury, it is apparent that Harvey has now lived long enough to become vengeful, and a villain. As for whether he is a hero or villain, he is both. Harvey began the film as a hero, doing everything a hero would. As the movie progressed, he became more corrupt and evil, showing his villain side. The name two-face could not have been more appropriate for the man Harvey Dent was.