Carolyne Rivera - “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”


This quote is said in the movie The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan and is the second in the Dark Knight movie trilogy. It was prophetic by the character who said it - Harvey Dent, a powerful attorney in Gotham City that was critical in the movement to clear the streets of dangerous criminals, but he would later become the iconic villain Two-Face. 

One of the most repeated themes in this film is that anyone can become a villain under the right circumstances, even the most beloved heroes. Harvey Dent was considered a hero by the people as he was making their very dangerous city safer than it had ever been and he cared for the citizens deeply. However, when the Joker plans a devastating trap for Batman, he and the woman he loved were pulled into it and she was killed while half of his face was gruesomely burned and scarred. This traumatic incident turned him from a hopeful and powerful hero to a killer. To him, he would have rather died than be allowed to become a monster. 

This quote has very powerful implications. It suggests that the good part of a person can only last so long before their real, evil nature takes control and with enough time, they will eventually turn against everything they once stood for. Desperation for a better world will eventually drive a person to do anything they can to fix the problems, eventually by trying to control it, and when that fails, destruction may become the only option for peace. In a sense, this concept may be true, but not necessarily in an absolute way. Heroism is something to be aspired to and living a long life preserving what they fought for is just as desirable, and while there is potential for that desire to become corrupted, it is only a series of their own choices that decides their future, whether they lead to something good or bad.

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