THE DARK KNIGHT: Aaron Eckhart Reflects On The Movie's Legacy And His Take On Batman's Lie About Two-Face

The Dark Knight star Aaron Eckhart has reflected on the legacy of Christopher Nolan's 2008 movie, giving his take on what Harvey Dent would have made of Batman and Jim Gordon's lie about his fate...

By JoshWilding - Dec 02, 2020 06:12 AM EST

Filed Under: The Dark Knight

For many, The Dark Knight remains one of the best superhero movies ever made, and all eyes are now on Matt Reeves to see whether The Batman is able to recreate the sheer quality of storytelling Christopher Nolan delivered back in 2008. At the end of the sequel, Two-Face was killed after first taking Jim Gordon's family hostage, and Batman and Gordon decided they would lie about Harvey Dent's villainous turn to protect Gotham City.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Two-Face actor Aaron Eckhart was asked whether he thinks Dent would have approved of their actions or exposed their lie, had he survived.

"No, he would’ve told the truth," the actor says. "That’s the great thing about Harvey Dent. Despite whatever is going on, he’s a truth-teller and he’s a moral center. And not only that, he’s the face of truth, right? I don’t want to say he’s not hiding behind something, but he’s not. Now, when he becomes Two-Face, he is."

"But Harvey Dent was out there fighting for every man and woman, for truth and justice, and he put himself on the line. But having done so, he got bit, and he was forever changed," Eckhart continues. "But you don’t want to lose your Harvey Dents in life. No matter how much money or pressure there is, no matter how much coercion, control or corruption there is, Harvey Dent is going to stay true to the moral center and the truth."

He went on to talk about getting a first look at the script for The Dark Knight, adding: "Not only is it a great story and a great movie, but this is what cinema and art are all about. It’s a reflection of our times. Chris knocked it out of the park and that’s why that movie is so important. And then, obviously, the performance of Heath. What a special, special movie. I was happy to be a part of it."

As of right now, there are no indications that Harvey Dent will make his return to live-action in the near future, though it would be a shame to see Two-Face left on the shelf for too long. After all, he's a great villain, and as memorable as Eckhart's take was, there are many other great stories involving the character just waiting to be told.

What do you guys think?

Click on the "Next" button below to see where The
Dark Knight ranks...according to Rotten Tomatoes!

10. Batman & Robin

Score: 11%

Rotten or Fresh? Rotten

Critics Consensus: Joel Schumacher's tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that's too jokey to care much for.

Widely considered the worst Batman movie of all-time, it's no great surprise that Batman & Robin comes in at last place. There's no denying that it featured an impressive cast (George Clooney, Uma Thurman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger all sharing the screen is pretty incredible when you think about it), but Joel Schumacher's vision for the franchise went completely off the rails here.

9. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Score: 28%

Rotten or Fresh? Rotten

Critics Consensus: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice smothers a potentially powerful story -- and some of America's most iconic superheroes -- in a grim whirlwind of effects-driven action.

Zack Snyder's movie deserves to place higher than this, and while critics didn't respond to what proved to be a vastly different vision for a comic book adaptation, a lot of fans loved what this team-up delivered. There were some mistakes - Doomsday's appearance, Batman killing criminals, and "Martha," for example - but this score isn't representative of what ended up on screen.

8. Batman Forever

Score: 39%

Rotten or Fresh? Rotten

Critics Consensus: Loud, excessively busy, and often boring, Batman Forever nonetheless has the charisma of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones to offer mild relief.

As memorable and Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones may have been, this complete "disasterpiece" was every bit as bad as Batman and Robin, and a chore to watch. After Batman Returns, it was a baffling and unexpected direction to take the Dark Knight in, and Val Kilmer unfortunately made for an underwhelming version of Bruce Wayne, especially after Michael Keaton's take.

7. Justice League

Score: 40%

Rotten or Fresh? Rotten

Critics Consensus: Justice League leaps over a number of DC movies, but its single bound isn't enough to shed the murky aesthetic, thin characters, and chaotic action that continue to dog the franchise.

Joss Whedon brought a lot of good ideas to the table with his take on Justice League, but trying to combine his vision with Zack Snyder's created a weird, Frankenstein's monster movie (literally in the case of Henry Cavill thanks to his CGI jaw). Ben Affleck's Batman was fine, but not really given anything significant to do beyond being an ass to Diana Prince and being willing to sacrifice himself.

6. Batman (1989)

Score: 71%

Rotten or Fresh? Fresh

Critics Consensus: An eerie, haunting spectacle, Batman succeeds as dark entertainment, even if Jack Nicholson's Joker too often overshadows the title character.

This is a classic, but it's also a little rough around the edges. Zack Snyder's Dark Knight received a lot of flak for killing bad guys, but Michael Keaton's eccentric Bruce Wayne - who sleeps upside down at nighttime - was every bit the murderer. In many ways, this was The Joker's movie, but the Capec Crusader was given the chance to shine, and he did so in a stylistic Gotham created by Tim Burton.

5. Batman: The Movie

Score: 78%

Rotten or Fresh? Fresh

Critics Consensus: Batman: The Movie elevates camp to an art form -- and has a blast doing it, every gloriously tongue-in-cheek inch of the way.

If you loved the TV series, then this movie was everything you could hope for and more. It hasn't aged well (it was released way back in 1966, remember), but in terms of being a campy, silly adventure starring the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder, it works wonderfully. With a star-studded cast of actors and characters, this is perhaps the most "comic book-y" movie of all those listed here.

4. Batman Returns

Score: 80%

Rotten or Fresh? Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: Director Tim Burton's dark, brooding atmosphere, Michael Keaton's work as the tormented hero, and the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken make the sequel better than the first.

This movie is a masterpiece, but it's no great surprise that a certain trilogy beats it! However, Batman Returns is arguably better than the next two entries in this feature, even if it doesn't quite deserve the #1 spot. Catwoman and The Penguin made for terrific villains (even when Max Shreck did not), and it was impossible not to get invested in Bruce Wayne's relationship with Selina Kyle.

3. Batman Begins

Score: 84%

Rotten or Fresh? Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.

Batman Begins was exactly what this iconic DC Comics character needed after Joel Schumacher's awful movies, and Christopher Nolan's in-depth look at the hero's origin story proved to be immensely satisfying to watch unfold. This story was arguably at its best before Bruce donned the cape and cowl, but it was definitely refreshing to see him battle a baddie like Ra's al Ghul.

2. The Dark Knight Returns

Score: 87%

Rotten or Fresh? Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion.

As a finale to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, some fans loved it, and others hated it. The Dark Knight Rises is certainly a complicated, busy movie, with massively different takes on characters like Bane and Catwoman, and the ending was both a departure from the comics and very unexpected. It's a pretty great movie, though, and Nolan made a lot of bold choices here.

1. The Dark Knight

Score: 94%

Rotten or Fresh? Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.

A masterpiece, The Dark Knight once again saw The Joker overshadow Batman himself, but Christian Bale was at his best here...even when his "Batvoice" was not. An intense crime thriller, the Caped Crusader's world remained grounded in reality for the sequel, but that worked for Christopher Nolan, and the filmmaker set a benchmark here which has yet to be surpassed by another movie.

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY Writer Jonathan Nolans Reveals The Riddler Was Considered (And Why He Didn't Appear)

Recommended For You:

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan On Why The Movie's Most Famous Line Still Plagues Him

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?

Want to contribute?

27 Comments

Supes17 - 12/2/2020, 6:09 AM

Still the 🐐

GhostDog - 12/2/2020, 6:11 AM

He should’ve BLOWN UP after his performance. It’s a shame he didn’t.

Wanted an entire film of him as Two-Face so bad

Kumkani - 12/2/2020, 6:15 AM

@BlackBeltJones - Got overshadowed by Ledger's performance and untimely death I think.

soberchimera - 12/2/2020, 6:15 AM

@BlackBeltJones - Battle: Los Angeles and I, Frankenstein didn't help matters much.

Origame - 12/2/2020, 6:19 AM

@soberchimera - yeah. Bad movies will do that. Clooney's career hasnt been the same since batman and robin.

Whaley87 - 12/2/2020, 6:37 AM

@Origame - Well Clooney has gone on to win an Oscar twice since then, he's doing pretty fine.

solskulldeath - 12/2/2020, 6:35 AM

the perfect casting of two-face, wish the two face not die.

MrDandy - 12/2/2020, 6:59 AM

Harvey Dent was perfect in the movie.

elgaz - 12/2/2020, 7:06 AM

After the abomination that was Tommy Jones' Two-Face, Eckhart was amazing. It was just slightly unfortunate for him that he was overshadowed by an even more amazing performance by Ledger in the same movie, but then I think every actor in the film probably suffered a little from that. He did such a great job of selling Dent's inherent goodness and moral code that it made it all the more galling when his mind eventually fell apart after Rachel died and he became Two-Face.

Doomsday8888 - 12/2/2020, 7:11 AM

Aaron Eckhart...you are a good man. Thank you for your performance.

Underrated by many, not by me tho, he stole the show from show-stealers, nuff said! :3

bkmeijer2 - 12/2/2020, 7:58 AM

His Harvey Dent was amazing, and is still my favorite Eckhart performance to date. He is definitely right that it fits all so well.

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 12/2/2020, 9:39 AM

Aaron Eckhart was the unsung hero of this movie. Harvey Dent is the most important character in TDK. It was critical they get him right. All of the attention was on Heath, but I don't think the general audience ever realized just how much the movie would have fell apart without Eckhart's performance.

Ocelot - 12/2/2020, 4:58 PM

His performance was great and one I did not see coming at the time. If not for the great acting of Heath Ledger his performance would have more recognition.

Awest66 - 12/2/2020, 8:33 PM

Aaron Eckhart was amazing in The Dark Knight. I know a lot of people think he should have returned to be the villain in the sequel but he was just so good in the time he had, I didn't think it was necessary.

Related Headlines

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY Writer Jonathan Nolans Reveals The Riddler Was Considered (And Why He Didn't Appear)

JoshWilding

Apr 08, 2024 11:04 AM

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan On Why The Movie's Most Famous Line Still Plagues Him

JoshWilding

Feb 26, 2024 02:02 PM

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan Says He'd "Love" To Helm A Horror Movie

MarkCassidy

Feb 17, 2024 08:02 AM

Related Headlines

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY Writer Jonathan Nolans Reveals The Riddler Was Considered (And Why He Didn't Appear)

JoshWilding

Apr 08, 2024 11:04 AM

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan On Why The Movie's Most Famous Line Still Plagues Him

JoshWilding

Feb 26, 2024 02:02 PM

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan Says He'd "Love" To Helm A Horror Movie

MarkCassidy

Feb 17, 2024 08:02 AM

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT Star Aaron Eckhart Believes Future Superhero Movies Need To Be More Grounded

JoshWilding

Jan 09, 2024 06:01 AM

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT: Never-Before-Seen Photos Of Heath Ledger's Joker Have Been Revealed

JoshWilding

Oct 26, 2023 08:10 AM

The Dark Knight

Madame Web

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

5 hours ago

Batman vs. Superman

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

MarkCassidy

8 hours ago

Latest Headlines

Captain America: New World Order

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

JoshWilding

1 hour ago

Madame Web

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

5 hours ago

Batman vs. Superman

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

MarkCassidy

8 hours ago

Superman

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

MarkCassidy

11 hours ago

Sci-Fi

REBEL MOON R-Rated Director's Cut Will Include A Graphic Alien Sex Scene

MarkCassidy

12 hours ago

Sci-Fi

Steven Spielberg's Next Project Will Reportedly Be A UFO Movie Based On His Own Original Idea

MarkCassidy

13 hours ago

Hot Headlines

182 comments

SUPERMAN: James Gunn's DCU Reboot Finds Its Martha "Ma" Kent

MarkCassidy

1 day ago EST

139 comments

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

1 day ago EST

98 comments

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

MarkCassidy

8 hours ago EST

92 comments

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Rumored To Introduce Norrin Radd Alongside Julia Garner's Silver Surfer

MarkCassidy

21 hours ago EST

89 comments

More Sci-Fi & Fantasy ►

SNOW WHITE Rumored Plot Details May Clear Up Seven Dwarfs/Seven Bandits Confusion

More Cartoons & Animated ►

FALLOUT TV Series Renewed For Second Season After Impressive Debut On Prime Video

More Anime & Manga ►

TRAP: First Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan's Latest Spoils The Big Twist

More Horror ►

JAMES BOND: Henry Cavill Isn't Closing The Door On Playing 007; Maybe I'm Too Old Now. Maybe I'm Not...

More Action Movies & TV ►

AEW EVPs Matt And Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, Have No Regrets After Airing ALL IN Footage

More Pro Wrestling ►

TRANSFORMERS ONE: First Trailer For Animated Origin Movie Takes Us Back To The Early Days Of Cybertron

More Sci-Fi & Fantasy ►

More Cartoons & Animated ►

More Anime & Manga ►

More Horror ►

More Action Movies & TV ►

More Pro Wrestling ►

THE DARK KNIGHT: Aaron Eckhart Reflects On The Movie's Legacy And His Take On Batman's Lie About Two-Face

The Dark Knight star Aaron Eckhart has reflected on the legacy of Christopher Nolan's 2008 movie, giving his take on what Harvey Dent would have made of Batman and Jim Gordon's lie about his fate...

10. Batman & Robin

9. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

8. Batman Forever

7. Justice League

6. Batman (1989)

5. Batman: The Movie

4. Batman Returns

3. Batman Begins

2. The Dark Knight Returns

1. The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY Writer Jonathan Nolans Reveals The Riddler Was Considered (And Why He Didn't Appear)

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan On Why The Movie's Most Famous Line Still Plagues Him

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY Writer Jonathan Nolans Reveals The Riddler Was Considered (And Why He Didn't Appear)

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan On Why The Movie's Most Famous Line Still Plagues Him

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan Says He'd "Love" To Helm A Horror Movie

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY Writer Jonathan Nolans Reveals The Riddler Was Considered (And Why He Didn't Appear)

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan On Why The Movie's Most Famous Line Still Plagues Him

THE DARK KNIGHT Director Christopher Nolan Says He'd "Love" To Helm A Horror Movie

THE DARK KNIGHT Star Aaron Eckhart Believes Future Superhero Movies Need To Be More Grounded

THE DARK KNIGHT: Never-Before-Seen Photos Of Heath Ledger's Joker Have Been Revealed

Legendary THE DARK KNIGHT Trilogy Star Sir Michael Caine Officially Retires From Acting Aged 90

Popular Headlines

SUPERMAN: James Gunn's DCU Reboot Finds Its Martha "Ma" Kent

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

JUSTICE LEAGUE Star Henry Cavill Takes A Shot At His Superman Return In BLACK ADAM's Post-Credits Scene

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

REBEL MOON R-Rated Director's Cut Will Include A Graphic Alien Sex Scene

Steven Spielberg's Next Project Will Reportedly Be A UFO Movie Based On His Own Original Idea

Hot Headlines

SUPERMAN: James Gunn's DCU Reboot Finds Its Martha "Ma" Kent

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Rumored To Introduce Norrin Radd Alongside Julia Garner's Silver Surfer

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

TRANSFORMERS ONE: First Trailer For Animated Origin Movie Takes Us Back To The Early Days Of Cybertron

FURIOSA: Witness Anya Taylor-Joy As The Wasteland Warrior On New Total Film Covers

REBEL MOON Director Zack Snyder Suggests He Has A Six-Movie Plan For Netflix's Sci-Fi Franchise

Cartoons & Animated Features

SNOW WHITE Rumored Plot Details May Clear Up Seven Dwarfs/Seven Bandits Confusion

TRANSFORMERS ONE Trailer Reveals The Origins Of Optimus Prime And Megatron

X-MEN '97 Creative Express Interest In Bringing An X-MEN Animated Movie To Theaters

Gaming

FALLOUT TV Series Renewed For Second Season After Impressive Debut On Prime Video

Jack Black Seemingly Confirms Who He Will Be Playing In The Upcoming MINECRAFT Movie

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SPLINTERED FATE Headed To Nintendo Switch This July

Anime & Manga

MY HERO ACADEMIA Season 7 Countdown Kicks Off With Class 1-A Character Visuals

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE Returning To Theaters With New 4K Restoration

Crunchyroll Announces Release Date For ONE PIECE Season 14 Voyage 15 English Dub

Horror

TRAP: First Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan's Latest Spoils The Big Twist

IMMACULATE Star Sydney Sweeney Has Been Slammed By A Hollywood Producer: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

SCREAM VII: Rumored Details On Sidney And Gale's Roles And Ghostface's Targets - SPOILERS

Action Movies & TV

JAMES BOND: Henry Cavill Isn't Closing The Door On Playing 007; "Maybe I'm Too Old Now. Maybe I'm Not..."

Alex Garland's CIVIL WAR Is The #1 Movie In North America- Opens To $25.7M

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 Adds Four More Actors Including JURASSIC WORLD Star Daniella Pineda

Pro Wrestling & MMA News

AEW EVPs Matt And Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, Have "No Regrets" After Airing ALL IN Footage

Kurt Angle Reflects On What Went Wrong During Final WWE Run: "Fans Could Tell I Was Not The Same Wrestler"

AEW President Tony Khan Believes It "Made A Lot Of Sense" To Air ALL IN Backstage Footage On DYNAMITE

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

TRANSFORMERS ONE: First Trailer For Animated Origin Movie Takes Us Back To The Early Days Of Cybertron

FURIOSA: Witness Anya Taylor-Joy As The Wasteland Warrior On New Total Film Covers

REBEL MOON Director Zack Snyder Suggests He Has A Six-Movie Plan For Netflix's Sci-Fi Franchise

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Director Steven Spielberg Reportedly Planning To Return To Sci-Fi Genre For His Next Movie

REBEL MOON Star Ed Skrein Has A Graphic Alien Sex Scene In R-Rated Extended Cut

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Star Kevin Durand Reveals New Details About "Narcissistic" Proximus Caesar

Cartoons & Animated Features