Harley Quinn
Cover to Harley Quinn #26. Art by Mike Huddleston and Troy Nixey.
DC Comics First appearance : Episode #022: "Joker's Favor" (Original Airdate: 11 September 1992); DC Universe: "Batman: Harley Quinn" (October, 1999) Paul Dini Bruce Timm
Characteristics Alter ego Harleen Quinzel Team affiliations Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Six Abilities Trained in the field of psychoanalysis Talented gymnast Superhuman agility and strength Immunity to all toxins (these last two powers only appear after a certain storyline in the comics and were not part of her initial capabilities)

Harley Quinn (real name Dr. Harleen Quinzel) is a fictional character, a supervillain, in the animated series , later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name (a play on the word "harlequin"), she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester. The character is a frequent accomplice of Batman's nemesis the Joker, and is also a close ally of supervillainess Poison Ivy.

The character was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and was voiced in the and its tie-ins by Arleen Sorkin, and currently by Hynden Walch on The Batman. In the Birds of Prey animated series she was portrayed by actress Mia Sara.

Comic book fanatic and filmmaker Kevin Smith named his daughter Harley Quinn Smith after the character.^[1]

Fictional character biography

Origin: Batman: The Animated Series

Harley Quinn first appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor" (episode #22, original airdate: September 11, 1992). Sorkin once had a starring role in the soap opera Days of our Lives, and appeared in a dream sequence in which she wore a jester costume; Dini used this scene as an inspiration for the character, writing her specifically so Sorkin could voice the character. Dini, who had been friends with Sorkin for years, incorporated aspects of her personality into the character.

The 1994 graphic novel Mad Love recounts the character's origin. Told in the style and continuity of Batman: The Animated Series and written and drawn by Dini and Timm, the comic book describes Harley as an Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who falls in love with the Joker and becomes his accomplice and on-again, off-again girlfriend. The story received wide praise ^[2] and won the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Single Issue Comic of the Year. The New Batman Adventures series adapted Mad Love as the episode "Mad Love" in 1999, making it the second "animated style" comic book adapted for the series (the other being Holiday Knights).

As portrayed in the comic, she becomes fascinated with the Joker while interning at Arkham, and volunteers to analyze him. She falls in love nearly instantly with the Joker during their sessions. After helping him escape from the asylum more than once, she is caught by her superiors, who revoke her license and put her in her own cell. During an earthquake in Gotham City, she flees and becomes Harley Quinn, the Joker's partner-in-crime.

Expanded role

After Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, Harley makes several other animated appearances. She appears as one of the four main female characters of the web cartoon Gotham Girls. She also made guest appearances in other cartoons of the DC Animated Universe, appearing in the Justice League episode "Wild Cards" (alongside the Joker) and the Static Shock episode "Hard as Nails" (alongside Poison Ivy).

She appeared in World's Finest: The Batman/Superman Movie as a rival and foil of sorts for Lex Luthor's assistant Mercy Graves; each has a mutual immediate dislike for the other, at one point fighting brutally with each other as Lex and the Joker have an argument. At the conclusion, Harley is taken away in a padded ambulance screaming, "I want a lawyer! I want a doctor! I want a cheese sandwich!"; Mercy chuckles as she watches Harley taken away on TV, "Now that's funny!"

In issue #16 of the Batman Adventures comic series, Harley is almost married to the Joker. Ivy crashes the wedding and tries to kill the Joker, only to be stopped by Batgirl. At the end of the comic, Harley vows to kill Ivy, thus apparently ending their partnership (although the Batman Adventures comic book series, while continuing on from Batman: The Animated Series, does not necessarily reflect canonical developments within the wider Batman/DC Comics universe), though not all was as it seemed with Ivy in that story either.

depicts Quinn's ultimate fate. After a dramatic physical battle between Harley and Batgirl, Batman presumes her dead knowing she fell into a deep crevasse during his final showdown with the Joker; however, bottomless pits are a notoriously unreliable means of death in comic books . A scene toward the end of the film reveals that Quinn survived to start a family, with her twin granddaughters Delia and Deidre Dennis eventually joining the Jokerz gang, something which the elderly Harley does not appreciate.

DC Universe Comic history

The character proved so popular that she was eventually added to the Batman comic book canon (although she had already appeared in the Elseworlds mini-series Thrillkiller in 1997). The comic book version of Quinn, like the comic book version of The Joker, is more dangerously psychotic and less humorously kooky than the animated series version.

Quinn's DC Universe comic book origin, revealed in Batman: Harley Quinn (October 1999), is largely an adaptation of her animated origin from the Batman Adventures: Mad Love graphic novel.

A Harley Quinn ongoing series was published monthly by DC Comics for 38 issues from 2001 to 2003. Creators who contributed to the title included Karl Kesel, Terry Dodson, A.J. Lieberman and Mike Huddleston. The series ends with Harley turning herself in to Arkham Asylum. She is next seen in the Jeph Loeb series "Hush". Then in Villains United Infinite Crisis special, where she is one of the many villains who escape from Arkham. (She is, however, knocked unconscious the moment she escapes.)

In the One Year Later setting, Harley Quinn is an inmate at Arkham Asylum, glimpsed briefly in Detective Comics #823.

Harley next appeared in Batman #663, in which she helps the Joker with a plan to kill all his former henchmen, unaware that the "punchline" to the scheme is her own death. Upon realizing this, she shoots him in the shoulder.

Harley resurfaces in Detective Comics #831, written by Paul Dini. She is still a borderline psychotic, but has apparently reformed. Harley has spent the last year applying for parole, only to see her request systematically rejected by Bruce Wayne, the layman member of the medical commission of Arkham. Kidnapped, and granted a job as a henchwoman for Sugar, the new female Ventriloquist, she turns her down out of respect for original Ventriloquist Arnold Wesker's memory, and helps Batman and Commissioner Gordon foil the imposter's plans. Although Sugar escapes, Bruce Wayne is impressed with Harley's effort at redemption, and agrees with granting her parole from Arkham Asylum.

In Birds of Prey #105, Harley Quinn is revealed as the sixth member of the Secret Six. In issue #108, upon hearing that Oracle has sent the Russian authorities footage of teammate Deadshot murdering the Six's employer as payback for double-crossing them, Harley asks, "Is it a bad time to say 'I quit'?", thus leaving the team.

In Countdown #43, Harleen Quinzel appears to have reformed and is shown to be residing in an Amazon-run women's shelter. Having abandoned her jester costume and clown make-up, Harley now only wears an Amazonian stola or chiton. She befriends the former Catwoman replacement Holly Robinson, and then succeeds in persuading her to join her at the shelter, where she is working as an assistant.

Relationships

The Joker

Harley's relationship with the Joker is one of the most complex and controversial in the DC Universe. While he often degrades and hurts her, sometimes near the point of death, there are many instances that show a mutually affectionate side to their bizarre relationship. Certain episodes imply that the Joker wrestles with the extremely vexing idea of actually caring for someone.

In the book Batman: Animated, Mark Hamill (who provided the voice of the Joker in Batman: the Animated Series) says "Expressing emotion in any way that's real and meaningful is alien to the Joker, but he's learning those parts of himself, however unconsciously, through Harley."

Sorkin adds, "Everyone else sees the Joker laugh; only Harley has ever seen him cry."

One example of this occasional bend in their rollercoaster relationship comes from the Emperor Joker series (Action Comics #770) where Joker shares with Harley his deeply personal reasons for destroying the universe. Instead of destroying her with it, he gives her a last kiss and turns her into a constellation, saying "You get the best seat in the house for Armageddon. Say goodnight, Harley. I always wanted to see my dame in lights. Heh. Even in a moment of abject saccharine, I still got it."

A more in-depth look at the early stages of their DC Universe relationship is provided in Greg Rucka's No Man's Land novel.

In Batman #663, it is revealed that Harley included in her college thesis the theory that the Joker is constantly reinventing his personality; after she is corrupted, however, she refuses to accept that his love for her is not a constant. Furthermore, Joker relents after Harley defends herself against him, saying he will let her live, but that it would be better if she were disfigured. She apparently consents, but Batman attacks as Joker traces a razor against her cheek. The issue ends with Harley putting a bullet through Joker's shoulder.

Poison Ivy

In the episode "Harley and Ivy", the Joker, frustrated with Quinn, kicks her out, so she steals a Harlequin Diamond in a museum to prove her worth. At the same time, Poison Ivy robs the museum of plant toxins. The two become quick friends and Ivy takes her back to her lair in a toxic waste dump where she nurses her back to health and injects her with a serum which has given Harley an immunity to all toxins and poisons. Harley and Ivy team up for a number of successful capers, becoming Gotham City's "Queens of Crime".

Their partnership ends temporarily after the Joker welcomes Harley back. Ivy is continually frustrated by Harley's lingering feelings for the Joker. However, the friendship survives, and Ivy remains Harley's first port of call when she and The Joker go through a rough patch. She adopts the role of older sister and teller of harsh truths to Harley about her helpless infatuation with the Joker. When Ivy demands during "Harley and Ivy" that Harley stand up for herself, Harley says "I'm nobody's doormat — am I?" Ivy replies, "If you had a middle name, it would be 'Welcome'."

She frequently refers to the Joker as "puddin'" and "Mr. J," and she refers to Poison Ivy as "red" (a reference to her red hair).

Their relationship was integrated into the comics in Batman: Harley Quinn. In that comic, Joker finds himself beginning to care for her. Naturally, this can't be countenanced, so he decides to kill her. After he takes an apparently drugged Harley into his bed for what may or may not be the consummation of their relationship, he lures her into a rocket ship, telling her, in part: "I've noticed some changes coming over me since you came into my life. I've been reminded what it was like to be part of a couple. To care for someone who cares for me. It's the first time in recent memory I've had those feelings... And I hate having those feelings!" He launches the rocket, soberly telling an enraged Harley that he will truly mourn her, before erupting into a fit of his trademark diabolical laughter.

The rocket lands in Robinson Park, where Harley first meets Poison Ivy. Ivy saves her, but after taking her in, recognizes Harley as Dr. Quinzel from the Arkham staff. When Harley regains consciousness, Ivy initially plans to kill her. The prospect of her own death totally fails to move Harley, and Ivy is curious as to why. She convinces Harley to tell her story, and comes to feel a kinship with Harley. Considering her another castoff, Ivy offers to help Harley take her revenge on both Batman and the Joker.

Ivy gives Quinn a treatment that immunizes her to various assorted toxins and Ivy's own poisonous touch. It also dramatically enhances Harley's strength and speed. Ivy intends this to give her new friend an edge on Batman and the Joker. Hot-blooded Harley, however, is angrier at the Joker than at Batman, and even initially works with the Dark Knight to help bring down the Clown Prince of Crime. While Batman eliminates the villain's muscle, Quinn chases the Joker up a damaged building, intending to send him falling to his death. Before she can do so, however, the Joker apologizes. Falling in love with him again, she forgives him on the spot, and serves as his lieutenant throughout the rest of No Man's Land, as well as the Emperor Joker storyline.

The relationship between Harley and Ivy has often been used to support the theory that Ivy herself is either a lesbian or bisexual. In the Batman: Harley & Ivy mini-series published in 2004, written and drawn by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, the pair are shown sharing a bed in issue #3.

Jimmy Olsen

Exclusive to the comic series, Harley met and entrapped Jimmy Olsen.

Holly Robinson

When the Amazons attacked America and offered women access to Themyscira and their teachings, Harley volunteered, and there she befriended former Catwoman Holly Robinson (who is, incidently, a lesbian). Whether this is even an association beyond friendship remains to be seen, as Holly was already in a committed relationship with a girl named Karon.

Other versions

• Harley Quinn's first major appearance outside the animated series was in the Elseworlds mini-series Thrillkiller. As with the other characters, her background is very different to the established version (Bruce Wayne, for instance, is a full-time detective in the Gotham police who becomes Batman after being framed for murder). Here she is a schoolgirl named Hayley Fitzpatrick who dresses up in order to help a female version of the Joker called Bianca Steeplechase. The relationship between this lesbian or bisexual Joker and Harley Quinn is noticeably more egalitarian than its heterosexual counterpart in mainstream DC continuity. After Batgirl kills Bianca, Harley is shown killing her own family, intent on revenge in the final frames of the story.
• In the Elseworlds 80-Page Giant, one of the stories was about Lex Luthor as a music producer. One of his groups were, as the press put it, "'alternative lifestyle' folkies Ivy and Harley".

In other media

Film

Prior to the release of Batman & Robin, Mark Protosevich was commissioned by Warner Brothers to write a script for a fifth Batman film titled Batman Triumphant to be directed by Joel Schumacher. Harley Quinn was allegedly included as one of the film's three villains, opposite Scarecrow and Man-Bat. In July 2000, Protosevich confirmed Scarecrow and Quinn as the only two villains. Madonna was rumored for the role, which he had rewritten as the Joker's daughter seeking revenge, not his lover as portrayed in the animated series and Batman comics.<ref name="rumblings" /> Due to Batman & Robin's poor box office run, bad Internet buzz, and several negative reviews from critics, Triumphant was never made, and the film franchise went on hiatus for eight years.

Television

In 2002, a live-action television series called Birds of Prey, loosely based on the comic of the same name, included Harley Quinn as a psychotic psychiatrist and main villain. The character was portrayed by actress Mia Sara, who replaced Sherilyn Fenn (originator of the role in an unaired pilot episode). The show aired only 13 episodes. In this show, Harley is portrayed as a far more calculating and sinister character than her bubbly comic and cartoon personas. She also does not wear a costume, although she does wear an outfit that is reminiscent of her cartoon costume in the series finale, "Devil's Eyes". In that episode, she used experimental technology to transfer metahuman mind control powers to herself. Harley Quinn appears in season 4 of The Batman, in which she is voiced by Hynden Walch. While her design is relatively unchanged (though somewhat more exaggerated), her past is somewhat altered. Instead of being a psychiatrist at Arkham, she is a TV pop psychologist who is researching the Joker when he corrupts her. Unlike other versions, the Joker creates Harley's name and costume instead of making them herself.

Video games

Harley Quinn also appears in several video games based upon the animated series. She appears in a cameo role in The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Super NES, and as a boss in The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega Genesis. She also appears in The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD and Batman: Chaos in Gotham. Harley Quinn was not a boss in the video game Batman Vengeance (except in the Game Boy Advance version) but she played a major role in the game's storyline. First she poses as a woman named Mary Flynn in a trap for Batman set by the Joker. Then throughout the game Harley does the Joker's dirty work after he fakes his death. In Sega CD's The Adventures of Batman & Robin and Batman Vengeance, she was voiced by her regular voice actress, Arleen Sorkin.

See also

• The Joker
• Poison Ivy
• Catwoman
• Gotham Girls
• Dependent personality disorder
• Harlequin

References

External links

• - Harley Quinn
• Harley Quinn at the Open Directory Project
• Collecting Harley Quinn

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