WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman '89 #1, on sale now from DC.
The world of director Tim Burton's classic Batman movies is getting a second life in the new comic book series Batman '89, which picks up sometime after the events of the classic 1989 film and the defeat of the Joker. One of the most prominent figures in the new series is Billy Dee Williams' incarnation of Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, who was planned to transform into the villainous Two-Face in an unproduced sequel. While that role was recast entirely with Tommy Lee Jones starring as Two-Face in 1995's Batman Forever, Batman '89 picks up some of those unrealized plans for a sequel to the original film.
Now, Williams' depiction of Harvey is back with a new mission and love interest, Barbara Gordon, as he explores his dark side.
Crafted by the 1989 film's screenwriter Sam Hamm -- joined by Joe Quinones, Leonardo Ito and Clayton Cowles -- Batman '89 #1 offers a sharp contrast to the Harvey Dent that appeared in the 1989 film. While the ending of the movie concluded with Harvey publicly reading a written statement from Batman and unveiling the Bat-Signal with Commissioner Gordon in order to summon him in the future, Batman '89 shows a Harvey who has quickly grown to resent the presence of the Dark Knight and his unauthorized crimefighting crusade. With copycat vigilantes in makeshift Batman costumes taking on the remnants of the Joker's gang in the streets of Gotham and the Caped Crusader's own activities resulting in costly collateral damage throughout the city, Harvey makes taking down Batman a priority to the point of borderline personal obsession.
Harvey begins working with police detective Harvey Bullock -- who also makes his debut in the Batman '89 universe here -- to lay a trap for the Dark Knight by turning the Bat-Signal on the Gotham City Police Department rooftop, hoping to ambush him when arrives. This proves to be unsuccessful with Bruce Wayne already tipped off to Harvey's mission, thanks to a visit from the D.A. earlier in the day. This newfound obsession for Harvey has similarly put him at odds with Commissioner Gordon, with the two men's once close partnership strained, and Harvey going as far as to bug Gordon's phone and ensure he isn't feeding information about the manhunt directly to Batman to keep his Caped Crusading friend safe.
What further complicates Dent and Gordon's relationship is the fact that Harvey has since begun seriously dating the police commissioner's daughter Barbara. As Harvey escalates his plans to apprehend the Batman, he decides to propose to Barbara over dinner on Halloween night, with Barbara happily accepting. And as soon as this engagement takes place, Harvey begins to show just how dark and violent he can truly be, brutally dealing with muggers that menace the happy couple on their way home. Naturally, Gordon is less than thrilled that his daughter is now engaged to his estranged friend and ally in a beat that foregrounds a partnership that flourished and faded off-screen.
Billy Dee Williams' Harvey is guaranteed to transform into Two-Face and become Gotham's next bonafide supervillain. Given his proximity to Gordon and his family through his recent engagement to the commissioner's daughter, Dent's transformation will be all the more tragic as Harvey's personal demons consume him. No longer the confident District Attorney that appeared to at least tolerate Batman as he did in the 1989 film, Harvey finds himself obsessively teetering the edge of crossing the line. And now with a grudge against the Dark Knight and a closer link to the Gordons, Harvey's transformation into Two-Face will only make that vendetta all the more twisted.