Warning! This article contains spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

Joker 2 DC Easter eggs: Harley Quinn and Harvey Dent.

By the time of Joker 2's DC timeline allows the film to introduce him in an interesting role, one that both matches and deviates from his depiction in the source material and potentially teases more to come from him.

Harvey Dent Is The Assistant District Attorney In Arthur's Trial In Joker 2

Dent Is Responsible For Prosecuting Arthur

If Arthur Fleck is Joker 2's protagonist, Harvey Dent is the film's antagonist. The sequel is set around two years after the events of its predecessor, with Arthur facing trial for the murders he committed in the latter. Leading the prosecution against Arthur is Harvey Dent, who is introduced as the Assistant District Attorney of Gotham. Throughout the film, Dent appears in several courtroom scenes in an attempt to convince a jury that Arthur is not mentally ill and is simply capable of committing the crimes he did in the first movie.

Harry Lawtey portrays Harvey Dent in Joker: Folie à Deux.

Harvey's role thus consists of a straight-talking, suave, confident ADA who builds a strong case against Arthur. Interestingly, Harvey's role in Joker 2 is responsible for the return of several characters from the first film. Some of Harvey's witnesses include Zazie Beetz's Sophie and Leigh Gill's Gary Puddles. Overall, Harvey Dent is not fleshed out much regarding his character outside of the courtroom, instead serving as the film's primary antagonistic - or protagonistic, depending on the viewpoint of Arthur - force.

Harvey Dent Is Injured In The Car Bomb Explosion, Setting Up Two-Face

Harvey's DC Alter Ego Is Foreshadowed In Joker: Folie á Deux

Although Harvey's history is not divulged in Joker 2, the film does an adequate job of setting up his future. In the final act of the film, Arthur concedes his defense and insists that he is not mentally ill. He states that Joker was just a facade created to avoid his trauma and unleash his violent fantasies, pleasing Dent. Just as the jury reads their verdict that aligns with Dent's prosecution and sentences Arthur to many counts of murder and likely the death penalty, a car bomb explodes outside of the courtroom.

Naturally, the scene sticks with Arthur, as the titular character escapes. As he is doing so, Arthur es Harvey, who was caught in the explosion. Harvey is shown with half of his face burning, setting up his future as Two-Face. In DC Comics, Harvey eventually becomes the villain known as Two-Face when half of the skin on his face is burned away. Despite the film being very different in tone from DC Comics, it actively sets up another villain from the source material via Dent's injuries, just as it does with Joker 2's real Joker villain.

Joker 2's Harvey Dent DC Comics Changes Explained

The Joker Universe Continues Making Changes From DC Comics

Overall, it is safe to say that Todd Phillips' Joker movies do not align much with DC Comics. The films establish their own tone, origin stories, and world rather than be overtly based on the source material. In Joker: Folie à Deux, this continues, just as it does with Harvey Dent's character. One similarity to the comics is that Harvey is an Assistant District Attorney, with the character holding a similar role early in his New Earth DC continuity. Besides this, however, there are few consistencies.

Dent and Bruce Wayne are usually shown as a similar age, yet Joker established Bruce as a child with the sequel only taking place two years later...

For example, the New Earth DC Comics depicted Harvey's facial injury as a result of an acid attack. The character was attacked by Sal Maroni with acid, burning half of his face. In Joker 2, this injury comes from the car bomb that is detonated by Joker's ers. Another difference between the DC Comics Harvey Dent and the one shown in Joker: Folie à Deux is his age discrepancy with Batman. Dent and Bruce Wayne are usually shown as a similar age, yet Joker established Bruce as a child with the sequel only taking place two years later.

As such, it is unlikely the Joker universe will ever depict the team-up between Dent, Batman, and Jim Gordon. This trio is one of the more iconic in DC Comics' Batman stories, as well as adaptations like The Dark Knight. However, with Bruce Wayne still a child and the Joker universe's Batman being absent, a stark difference between DC Comics' Dent and the one from Joker 2 is established.

Harvey Dent's DC Future Depends On Whether Joker 3 Happens

This Version Of Harvey Dent Is Dependent On The Elseworlds Franchise Continuing

While Joker: Folie à Deux teases Harvey Dent's future as Two-Face, it may be unlikely that this version will return. The reason for this is the seeming finality of Joker 2's story. By the time the film's credits roll, Arthur is dead. As such, it seems that the franchise is over considering Arthur was such a focal point for this iteration of the DC Universe. When viewing the list of DC movies, Joker 3 is not among them, meaning Harvey Dent's future is unlikely to be explored unless it is confirmed.

The possibility of Joker 3 being confirmed was all but tarnished months before Joker: Folie à Deux was released. In an interview with Variety in August 2024, Todd Phillips itted that Joker 3 is unlikely to happen. The director stated that, although he has enjoyed playing in the DC sandbox, Joker and Joker 2 comprise the story he and his team initially set out to craft, telling audiences not to hold their breath for Joker 3. This casts even greater doubt over Harvey Dent's story as Two-Face continuing in this specific universe.

Of course, in an age of spin-offs becoming commonplace, this could be one pathway that sees Dent return. Joker 2's story could spin off to focus on Harley Quinn or the future of Gotham now that Joker has become a martyr and his ers are running riot. This could make for an interesting spin-off in which Dent continues trying to be the incorruptible lawman he is while reckoning with his darker side now that Two-Face has been established. However, until this is confirmed, Joker: Folie à Deux seems to be the end of the road for the new version of Harvey Dent.