Harvey Dent


 * For the episode named after the character, see Harvey Dent (Episode).

"I want what you want, Jim. I want to make this city a better place."

- Harvey to James Gordon

Harvey Dent is an Assistant District Attorney in Gotham City.

The Waynes' Murder
Harvey Dent was brought to James Gordon's attention by the two Major Crimes Unit Detectives, as one of the few non-corrupt lawyers in Gotham City. After meeting with him concerning Jim's eye witness to the Thomas and Martha Wayne murder, Harvey proposed using the eye witness to go after corrupt billionaire, Dick Lovecraft, suggesting that they leak the story that the eye witness could in fact link Lovecraft to the murder of the Waynes without giving up any names or filing any paperwork. Betting that even if Lovecraft wasn't responsible for their murders, whoever was would be rattled and people would soon start talking, the plan proceeded.

Dent later called Lovecraft and several of his associates to his office, telling him the accusations he was going to attempt to get charged against him, and suggesting he consider his options. After Lovecraft threatened him, Dent snapped at him telling him that he would rip him to pieces, in a spur from his regular persona.

After a group of assassins tried to eliminate Selina at Wayne Manor, Gordon visits Dent at his office to figure out how they knew the identity of the witness. Dent admits that, while he never told anyone about Selina, he did slip Gordon's name to a few trusted associates to give the plan credibility. Gordon is angry that, in doing so, Dent led the assassins to Selina, since Gordon regularly visits Wayne Manor and it wouldn't be hard for anyone to connect the dots. After the situation is resolved, Dent and Gordon are both called to the office of Mayor Aubrey James, who admonishes them separately and together for the way they handled the case. He wants to discipline them both, but since he can't punish two of the most honest civil servants in Gotham without raising flags, and Dent, unlike Gordon, knows where the lines are drawn, he transfers Gordon to work at Arkham Asylum.

Personality
For the most part, Dent comes off as friendly, principled and passionate about bringing justice to Gotham. However, as his meeting with Dick Lovecraft shows, he has a much darker side within him, one that has an immutable hatred of criminals, at least the thoroughly corrupt, such as Lovecraft. When this side comes out, he becomes aggressive, almost to the point of physical violence.

Trivia

 * The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger and he was introduced in Detective Comics #66 (August 1942). In his autobiography, Bob Kane claims to have been inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, specifically the 1931 film version which he saw as a boy. Some inspiration was also derived from the pulp magazine character the Black Bat whose origin story included having acid splashed in his face. In later years, writers have portrayed his obsession with duality and fate as the result of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and multiple personality disorder.
 * Harvey Dent has a two headed coin that he often flips as part of a tactic to convince juvenile criminals to reform, asking them to wager their releases on the flip and to take it as a sign from God that they should change their lives. Because the coin is two headed and almost all teenagers call it heads, it seems to work most of the time.