In The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent says this quote while discussing Julius Caesar being appointed Consul of Rome. Caesar was only supposed to take power to protect the Republic for a short period time. Instead, he ended up not wanting to give up his power and didn’t until he was assassinated.
Dent goes on to say that whoever the Batman is, he doesn’t want to be the Batman forever. He is looking for someone to take up his mantle.
The moral of the story is that heroism isn’t eternal. As a vigilante, Batman may be perceived as a hero now, but it doesn’t mean he always will be. In theory, he has to die while he is the hero, or eventually he will become the villain in the public’s eye. And by the end of this movie, he is seen as a villain – even though he shouldn’t be.
Ironically, this quote foreshadows Dent’s downfall. He is Gotham’s District Attorney and a good one at that. He has done a lot to rid the city of corruption and violence. But as his journey unfolds in the movie, he is met with many misfortunes. These eventually lead to him becoming the villain, Two-Face. Even if you have the best intentions and are pure in your motivations, the path of the hero can lead you in the wrong direction. Things can happen along your journey that lead to unintended consequences.
