Gilda Dent

Superherobox
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caption =
character_name = Gilda Dent
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "Detective Comics" #66 (August 1942)
creators = Bob Kane, Bill Finger
alter_ego =
full_name = Gilda Grace Dent (née Gold)
species =
homeworld =
alliances =
aliases = Holiday
supports= Harvey Dent
powers =

Gilda Dent is a fictional character who has appeared in "Batman" comic books since "Detective Comics" #66 (August 1942), alongside her fiancée Harvey Dent (soon to be the criminal mastermind Two-Face) . She has since been a recurring character throughout Batman stories with Two-Face.

Pre-Crisis history

In her first appearance, Gilda Gold is the fiancée of Harvey "Kent" (later re-named "Dent"), the brilliant and handsome district attorney of Gotham City. When acid is thrown onto Harvey's face by gangster Boss Maroni during Maroni's trial, Dent's fragile mind snaps. Because Gilda is a sculptor, Harvey believes that she worships beauty; therefore (in Dent's mind), neither she -- nor anyone else -- could ever love or accept a person with such a monstrously "hideous" face as his. Gilda creates a bust of Harvey, which he smashes with a mallet to symbolize his new, seemingly ruined self. Even as Two-Face begins a dual career of crime and Robin Hood-style philanthropy, he still longs passionately for Gilda, and she for him.

In "Detective Comics" # 80 (1943), she is in the audience when Two-Face and his gang try to rob a classical concert. Gilda follows Two-Face to his hideout, just as Batman and Robin burst in. When Two-Face, having the drop on the caped crusader, pulls his gun and opens fire upon his former ally, Gilda leaps in front of the bullet. Pleading to Harvey that she had to make him "understand… before it was too late…", she passes out, shocking Two-Face into thinking he's killed her. Harvey turns himself in, realizing that he'd been a "blind fool," and Gilda is sent to the hospital.

When Harvey learns from the doctors that "she doesn't seem to want to live! She keeps saying over and over, Kent doesn't love me enough! Kent doesn't love me!", he vows to give up his life of crime for good. After a final tussle with the last of Two-Face's men, Harvey undergoes plastic surgery and is released from jail after one year. His face and sanity restored, Harvey Kent promises to finally marry Gilda.

Earth-One history

Gilda did not return to comics again until the late 70's in "Teen Titans" #48 (June 1977), page 2, panel 2 where Harlequin (Duela Dent) claims to be her daughter, conceived apparently during the brief period seen in "Batman" #234 where Harvey Dent is cured of being Two-Face. After Dent's reversion to Two-Face (also seen in flashback in "Batman" #234), Gilda leaves Dent. She is seen carrying baby Duela in one hand and a suitcase in the other. DC later published a story where Two-Face (now known as Harvey Dent) once again tries to get plastic surgery so he could have a normal life with her. When this surgery fails, Two-Face's madness escalates, and he eventually traps Batman inside an abandoned courthouse. However, before he can pull the trigger, Gilda intercedes, swearing that if he kills Batman, she will think of him only as a murderer and never forgive him. She gives him an ultimatum: "Will it be vengeance or hope?" Torn apart, Two-Face breaks down and begs her for help.

In "Superman Family" #211, Harvey Kent (causing confusion with the name of Clark Kent) and Gilda attend the wedding of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (the now-retired Catwoman). It is presumed that this version of Harvey and Gilda live happily ever after. This was Gilda's last appearance before the 1985 reboot of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Post-Crisis history

Her role in Dent's past was updated into the currently prominent Two-Face origin: "Batman Annual" # 14 (1990), a story called "Eye of the Beholder." In this story, it's revealed that Dent's father was an abusive alcoholic who would nightly play a game with his young son: "I'll flip a coin: if it's heads, I beat you. Tails, I don't." Dent spends a lifetime burying his rage and resentment, only to discover that the coin was two-headed all along. She clearly shares his resentment, but without the love he feels that is tearing him apart. She scoffs that after a lifetime of abuse and cruelty, the only thing Den't father ever gave him was a coin.

Gilda tries to comfort Dent as his sanity deteriorates. She pleads after him when, upon awakening from a nightmare, he races out of their bed in the middle of the night and goes to his office, "where it's safe." After Harvey is disfigured, Gilda visits him in the hospital to try and give him back the coin. It was in his pocket during the trial, and was also hit by some acid, scarring one side of the coin. She last appears in this story right after Two-Face murders his corrupt former assistant, Adrian Fields, tearfully explaing Dent's abuse history to Batman.

Gilda does not reappear until "Secret Origins Special" # 1, where she (here named Grace) appears on a TV talk show focusing on Gotham's villains. She talks about a time when one of the criminals Dent put away as D.A. returned for revenge by taking her hostage. Two-Face eventually rescued her, beating the ex-con to the point of death, but holding off because Grace demanded he stop. This represents a rare case where Two-Face is not influenced by the coin, but rather by someone else's welfare. She tries once again to appeal to his "good" side, but fails. At the end of the interview, she professes her belief that, one day, Dent would return to her.

Gilda returns in "Batman: Two-Face Strikes Twice." Here, she finds herself at odds with her now-ex-husband, as he believes their marriage failed because he was unable to give her children. She later marries Paul Janus, a reference to the Roman god of doors who had two faces, one facing forward, the other backward. Two-Face attempts to frame Janus as a criminal by kidnapping him and replacing him with a stand-in, whom Two-Face "disfigures" with makeup to make it look as if Janus has gone insane just as Two-Face had. Two-Face is eventually caught by Batman and sent away, and Gilda and Janus reunite. Years later, Gilda gives birth to twins, prompting Two-Face to escape once more and take the twins hostage, as he had erroneously believes them to be conceived by Janus using an experimental fertility drug. The end of the book reveals a surprise twist; Batman learns from Gilda that Janus is not the father of Gilda's twins - Dent is. Some of his sperm had been frozen after a death threat had been made against him, and she used some of it to get pregnant. Batman uses this information to convince Dent to free the twins and turn himself in.

Gilda has a larger role and story arc in "", a maxi-series that is part of Two-Face's origin in "Batman Annual #14". During the nearly year-long story, a serial killer called Holiday systematically murders prominent gangsters. During the series, Gilda's marriage to Dent shows signs of strain; she wants to settle down and start a family, while he is obsessed with capturing Holiday. In a private monologue at the end, Gilda states that she was the original Holiday killer, having committed all of the murders up until New Year's Eve. Gilda indicates that Dent attempted to assassinate Alberto Falcone on New Year's Eve, taking her place, and that he was the one responsible for the crimes from that point on. This confession is false, since Alberto did not die on New Year's and confessed to all the Holiday murders upon his capture. Considering that Gilda was in the hospital at the time of the first killings, it was impossible for her to obtain a gun and get to her targets without getting caught.

Gilda destroys the evidence of her imagined crimes and leaves Gotham City. Due to the success of "The Long Halloween", the events of the story have generally been accepted into continuity as the "official" story of Batman's early years, given that "Zero Hour" retconned the events of ' and rendered them non-canonical. In ', the Calendar Man mentions that the real Holiday "could" have been female, to which an enraged Two-Face cuts him off.

In Greg Rucka's novelization of "", Dent is written to think that Gilda had died at some point in the past, but this has never been elaborated upon.

In the "One Year Later" story arc "", Dent mentions Gilda when recalling his past life, but the Two-Face persona states "No, Harvey. She's gone now," without explaining what that means.

The last time Gilda has appeared has not been in the DC Universe. In Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Marvel Comics mini-series, "Daredevil: Yellow", a mysterious woman named Grace seeks help from Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson's New York City law firm. She claims to be from out of town and has some knowledge of the legal system, saying her husband was a great man and she did terrible things to protect him. The Owl somehow discovers her secret and blackmails her into helping him kidnap Karen Page, who pleads with her for help. In a panel that strongly resembles Tim Sale's Gilda Dent, she just says, "Someday you'll have a secret too," and leaves.

In other media

Gilda/Grace appeared in "" as Grace Lamont, fiancée to D.A. Harvey Dent. Alongside Harvey's best friend Bruce Wayne, she is helpless to stand by and watch as Dent quickly degenerates into Two-Face. As he scours the underworld, trying to wipe out the empire of gangster Rupert Thorne, Thorne plots to use Grace against Two-Face. A couple of Thorne's men disguise themselves as police officers and offer Grace a handheld tracking device, in case Two-Face ever approaches her. Two-Face eventually does, bringing her to his lair and wearing a scaf to cover his scars. She nearly succeeds in bringing back out the good in Harvey, when Thorne's men show up, revealing that Grace inadvertently betrayed Harvey.

Grace returned to animated continuity in the comic series "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" issues # 1 and # 2, where the Joker fools Two-Face into thinking that Grace and Bruce are having an affair. Two-Face abducts her and tries to kill Dick Grayson, but is ultimately thwarted when Grace jabs the jagged edge of the scarred coin into the deformed side of his face. The story ends with the implication that their relationship is now damaged beyond repair.

Grace next appears in "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" issue #22

In "The Dark Knight", Gilda doesn't appear, though Rachel Dawes bears a resemblance to the character, as well as act as a love interest for Dent. However, the Denny O'Neill novelization mentions that prior to the events of the film, Dent has an "ex-wife," whom he split up with due to "irreconciliable differences." It is possible that Gilda does exist in the film series continuity.

References