Detective Michael Wuertz is a supporting antagonist in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, the second installment of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy.

He was a corrupt Gotham City police detective and a member of the Major Crimes Unit who alongside his colleague Anna Ramirez turned against their superintendent Jim Gordon by turning the city's district attorney Harvey Dent over to criminals working for the Joker.

He was portrayed by Ron Dean.

History[]

Before joining MCU, Wuertz had a history of corruption and was investigated by the then-Internal Affairs officer Harvey Dent. When Dent is promoted to district attorney, he keeps an eye on Wuertz, intent on bringing him down.

Newly-promoted Police Commissioner Jim Gordon orders Wuertz to find and protect Dent when the Joker names him as a target. Wuertz, on mob boss Sal Maroni's orders, brings the Joker and his thugs into Dent's fundraiser, under the guise of being forced to bring them at gunpoint.

Wuertz drives Dent home after Batman and Gordon rescue the district attorney from the Joker. Minutes later, however, Wuertz kidnaps Dent on Maroni's orders, and brings him to a warehouse where Dent is later disfigured, while his girlfriend, Rachel Dawes, is killed. When the Joker manipulates Dent into getting even with the people he blames for Rachel's death, Dent puts Wuertz on his revenge list.

Dent, now calling himself "Two-Face", visits a bar where Wuertz is drinking. Frightened, Wuertz claims that he didn't know what would happen to Rachel; Two-Face calmly replies, "That's funny, because I don't know what's going to happen to you, either." Two-Face then flips his trademark coin to decide Wuertz's fate. It lands on the scarred side, and Two-Face shoots Wuertz dead.

Personality[]

Considering his little screen-time, very little is specifically known about Michael Wuertz's personality and motives. He seems very unenthusiastic about his job, distant and cold. He does not care much about arresting the Joker or the mobsters; in fact, Wuertz is greedy, manipulative and shows no empathy towards anyone. An expert liar, he successfully gained the confidence of Harvey before abducting and selling him to the Joker's thugs in order to make money and when Two-Face later confronts him, Wuertz does not recant any of his actions. Despite his desperate and pathetic pleas, he doesn't convince Two-Face from sparing him, and receives his deserved outcome.

Relationships[]

Allies[]

• GCPD
• Corrupt politicians of Gotham
• Corrupt business owners of Gotham
• Mafia's and Mobsters of Gotham
• Maroni family
• Falcone family
• Anna Ramirez
• Gillian Loeb

Enemies[]

• Two-Face
• Joker
• Batman
• Rachel Dawes
• Scarecrow
• Joker's henchmen

Trivia[]

• Singer Dwight Yoakam was pursued by director Christopher Nolan for the role before Ron Dean was cast.
  • Yoakam was also considered for the role of the Bank Manager in the same film.^[1]
• He is the first victim to be killed by Two-Face in the latter's homicidal spree towards the climax of The Dark Knight.

References[]

Navigation[]

Villains

Batman Begins League of Shadows Ra's al Ghul | Henri Ducard | Scarecrow Gotham Mob Carmine Falcone | Victor Zsasz | Arnold Flass Others Joe Chill The Dark Knight Gotham Criminal Underworld Joker | Two-Face Gotham Mob: Sal Maroni | The Chechen | Gambol | Lau | Bank Manager | Michael Wuertz | Anna Ramirez Joker's Thugs: Thomas Schiff | Chuckles | Kilson | Happy | Dopey | Grumpy | Bus Driver Others Burmese Bandit The Dark Knight Rises League of Shadows Bane | Talia al Ghul | Barsad | Ra's al Ghul Others Catwoman | John Daggett | Phillip Stryver | Scarecrow