Batman: Two Faces is a DC Comics series published under the Elseworlds imprint in 1998, the premise consisting of a retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde using characters from the Batman mythos.
Bruce Wayne derives a serum from a flower called the Twilight Orchid in hopes that it holds the key to curing the psychosis of Harvey Dent, who has become the criminal Two Face after an incident that partially disfigured his face. Bruce discovers that consuming the serum grants him greater strength and agility, so he dons the costume of the Batman so he can use his newfound abilities to fight crime in Gotham City.
Bruce's goal to help Harvey is delayed when a crazed killer called the Joker surfaces in Gotham, so Bruce drops everything to try and bring the Joker to justice, unaware of the villain's true nature.
The one-shot received a follow-up in The Superman Monster, which recycled the approach of mashing up a DC Comics hero with Victorian era horror literature by retelling Frankenstein with Superman as the monster and Lex Luthor as Victor Frankenstein.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Harvey Dent has become Two Face before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman in this continuity, when traditionally Harvey Dent doesn't become Two-Face until well after Bruce has been active as Batman.
- Adaptational Heroism: Pamela Isley doesn't become Poison Ivy and ends her life as an innocent victim of Two Face.
- Adaptational Skimpiness: Selina Kyle as Catwoman is shown wearing lingerie and a domino mask rather than the form-fitting and fully concealing catsuit she's usually depicted with.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Pamela Isley is depicted as a blonde when she is usually a redhead.
- Amazonian Beauty: Selina has a rather muscular build here, more so than her usual self.
- Ambiguous Situation: Since it isn't brought up at all and he chooses to become Batman mainly due to the Twilight Orchid serum making him stronger, it's not clear if Bruce Wayne was orphaned in this continuity.
- Bad Boss: Two Face snaps when Batman's constant interference hinders his criminal empire and stabs one of his own goons to death.
- Bittersweet Ending: Bruce pleads with Harvey to let him drop to his death so Gotham can be spared the terror of the Joker, but Harvey at least honors Bruce's wishes by taking the Twilight Orchid serum to cure himself and subsequently continues Bruce's legacy as Batman.
- Blood Is the New Black: Two Face winds up covered in blood as a result of brutally stabbing one of his own henchmen to death.
- Combat Pragmatist: When Bruce tries to challenge Harvey to some Good Old Fisticuffs, Harvey responds by kicking him in the crotch.
- Composite Character: The twist for this take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is that Bruce Wayne is Jekyll and the Joker is Hyde.
- Death by Adaptation:
- Pamela Isley is thrown to her death by Two Face.
- Bruce Wayne begs Harvey Dent to let him drop to his demise due to seeing no other solution for his transformations into the murderous Joker.
- Glasgow Grin: Implied what the Joker does to his victims, in an emulation of his Joker Gas in the main universe.
- Groin Attack: Two Face hits Bruce with one when he tries to stop Two Face at the beginning heist.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Two Face's name is curiously spelled without the hyphen.
- Jekyll & Hyde: Bruce devotes his time as Batman to taking down the Joker, ultimately discovering that he is hunting his own alter ego induced by the Twilight Orchid serum.
- Legacy Character: Harvey Dent becomes the new Batman after the death of Bruce Wayne.
- Psycho Serum: The Twilight Orchid serum increases Batman's strength and agility, but at the cost of periodically turning him into the Joker.
- Sequel Hook: The Framing Device of James Gordon telling the tale to Peregrine White ends with White saying that he has his own story of something that happened in Bavaria, setting up the events of The Superman Monster.
- Shared Universe: This one-shot and The Superman Monster are indicated to take place in the same continuity, as both stories share a Framing Device of Commissioner James Gordon and Peregrine White exchanging tales.
- Uncertain Doom: Bruce Wayne does his best to give Selina Kyle medical attention after she is attacked by the Joker, but it's never made clear if she pulled through aside from Bruce's concern that she may never walk again.
