Batman has failed to stop the Cult of Two-Face taking over Gotham City. Two-Face has long been one of the Dark Knight's most dangerous foes, but he's rising to a new position of prominence in James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run.
Harvey Dent has returned to Gotham City and has established a fanatical cult in his name. The Cult of Two-Face believes in the importance of duality, and they serve Two-Face with religious mania. Batman has already discovered they're willing to die for their cause when he successfully captured a group of cultists - only for them to trigger explosive devices planted in their brains, an idea clearly inspired by Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad.
In this week's Detective Comics #1021, Two-Face's plans proceed apace - in spite of Batman's intervention. Two-Face believes his cultists are serving and protecting Gotham by acting as brutal vigilantes, taking down every 'unsavory' character. His detailed knowledge of Gotham's underworld means he's able to take it over with a ruthless speed; his agents swiftly capture everybody from Penguin to Catwoman. Two-Face's mind has fragmented to a previously unseen degree, and he's now suffering from a clear case of multiple personality disorder; although the Harvey Dent persona takes over, all it does is keep Batman busy.
DC's solicits have suggested Two-Face is nothing more than a puppet with his strings being pulled by the Joker. The Joker feels threatened by Superman's revealing his secret identity to the world and believes Batman may potentially follow suit. As a result, he's preparing for the endgame; one final, no-holds-barred battle against the Dark Knight. These solicits recast the Cult of Two-Face into pawns in a sinister chess game, one Batman doesn't even realize is being played. Presumably, they are being used by the Joker to take all the other pieces off the table.
Detective Comics #1021 ends with Batman successfully locating the Cult of Two-Face's base of operations. Appropriately enough, they're based in the labyrinth below the old Gotham courthouse - the place where Two-Face was created, when the criminal Sal Maroni threw sulfuric acid over DA Harvey Dent's face during a trial, first leaving him scarred. Worse still, the Two-Face persona successfully takes over again, and he's delighted at the opportunity to catch Batman unawares. He shoots Batman no less than ten times at point-blank range, leaving the Dark Knight on the ground, blood dripping down his face. This is a twist the Joker is unlikely to have anticipated.
Detective Comics #1021 is on sale now from DC Comics.
