Being a partner, the second number for a superhero, is an ungrateful job. It is necessary to distract attention, take strikes – and, of course, retreat when the hero comes time to shine, delivering a final blow or uttering a cool phrase. But it’s much worse to be the companion of a villain, not just a simple one, but one of the most unpredictable and merciless ones that the history of comics knew. The villain is so iconic and bright that it is practically impossible to look near him.
The chances of getting out of the shadow of such a character are vanishingly small. But our today’s heroine not only got rid of the catch-up role, but also found her own wings, shaking the world of comics.
This stunning girl successfully got out of an abusive relationship and became the first number to promote her own films and comics.
Harley Quinn appeared in the pantheon of opponents of the Dark Knight, in general, by chance – there was no plan to introduce a new antagonist. Paul Dini, screenwriter of the legendary animated series of the nineties “Batman”, conceived a scene in which at a reception in honor of Commissioner Gordon, the Joker had to jump out of the cake and paralyze those present with gas. This trick was considered too eccentric even for the Joker, so he was allocated an assistant acrobat in a Harlequin costume (it’s interesting that in the end the Joker was inside the cake, and Harley rolled the cake into the hall in the guise of a policeman).
Dini modeled Harley based on her friend, actress Arlene Sorkin. In one of the episodes, Arlene appeared in Harlequin’s costume; Paul remembered it, and he invited the actress to voice Harley.
Arlene Sorkin voiced Harley in many cartoons and games and is as firmly associated with her heroine as Mark Hamill with the Joker, and Kevin Conroy with Batman.
The eccentric, lively, sharp-tongued blonde with a Brooklyn accent and specific appeals (“Pie”, “Betsy”, “Ginger”) could not help but be remembered by the viewer. Indeed, how often does someone annoy the Joker with jokes that are funnier than him?
The character gained popularity and firmly established in the animated series. Benefit was not long in coming – it was the comic “Crazy Love” (by the way, the Eisner Prize winner!), which first tells the story of the appearance of Harley Quinn, almost unchanged by subsequent retcons.
After completing an internship at Arkham Hospital, the young psychiatrist Harlin Quinzel tried to solve a riddle that tormented many: what is the problem with the Joker? Left alone with the girl, the psychopath seemed to finally open up: a difficult childhood and violence by his alcoholic father pushed the young man onto a slippery path.
Batman, as the personification of Gotham, did not forgive the mistakes of youth and over and over again knocked the poor man out of the way of correction with his heavy fists. Dr. Quinzel identified the main source of frustration and anger of her patient and concluded that if this source is eliminated, it will help the recovery and socialization of her pale ward.
Harley’s dreams were quite classic and could not be combined with the plans of the Joker
Mr. Jay’s charisma and ostentatious readiness to pour out his soul enchanted Harlin. She fell hopelessly in love and helped the Joker escape from the clinic, hoping to win his love with her devotion and match his madness. This is a key moment in history that has changed the public’s view of the Joker: it turned out that you can fall in love with him!
Before Harley appeared, he was, as a rule, portrayed as an absolute evil, whose motives did not require clarification, and the lack of background was only more scary. Paul Dini made a small revolution in the plot – perhaps for the first time since The Murderous Joke, where Alan Moore spoke in detail about the fall of a comedian-loser into a vat with chemicals. Of course, the animated series “Batman” was not burdened with the whole load of Joker sins – for example, the murder of Robin and violence against Batgirl.
Alas, Dr. Quinzel fell into a trap prepared by the manipulation master. The young psychiatrist expected that she would not only be able to understand the Joker, but also be cured by turning him into a family man. For this, Batman had to be eliminated, and Harley decided to conduct her first solo operation. She single-handedly realized one of the abandoned plans of the clown maniac: put to sleep Batman, tied him up and hung him above the tank with piranhas.
That would have ended the path of the Dark Knight if he had not convinced Harley to invite the Joker to watch his death. The Joker, angry that his girlfriend defeated Batman before him, beat her and freed the shackled hero with almost an apology, which he counted on.
Harley managed the incredible – she made Batman laugh! The laughter turned out to be creepy and unpleasant, but nonetheless …
Although Harley’s plan ultimately failed, she crawled closer to the Joker’s main goal than himself. Such a criminal talent could not arise out of nowhere. As Batman himself noted, Harley Quinn was not an angel from the start. Advances in gymnastics provided her with a place at Gotham University, where she intended to receive a prestigious degree in psychiatry – no matter thanks to diligent study or affair with teachers. Not every doctor can withstand work in Arkham, but Harley bravely went straight to the mouth of a lion, and the Joker not only stupefied the girl, but revealed her hidden talents.
Despite the huge popularity of the character, seven years passed between the appearance of Harley Quinn in the animated series and in the main comic book series. The comic Harley began to grim less and with the help of Poison Ivy gained some superpowers: increased dexterity, stamina and immunity to poisons.
Harley and Ivy immediately became friends. Once they hypnotized Bruce Wayne himself and went shopping. At his expense, of course
Another convention of the animated series, which could not remain constant for a long time in comic reality, is the relationship of Harley and Mr. Jay. Work with someone in a pair not in the style of the Joker, be it an accomplice or a lover.
Whatever Dr Quinzel thought to herself, the Joker was indeed a psychopath, incapable of empathy and caring for anyone other than himself. Harley did not affect the clown’s bad habit of getting rid of her accomplices, but the girl still had to get out of an unhealthy relationship.
New Harley puts on her old outfit only if a retro-style party is scheduled
In terms of obsession, Harley Quinn is a reflection of the Joker. As the Joker is obsessed with Batman, so Harley was so passionate about the Joker that she was ready to sacrifice her life for the maniac. And although she retained this trait later, in some ways Harley was able to become higher than the ex-boyfriend.
In her own comic series, Harley Quinn, with the help of Poison Ivy, finally abandoned the Joker and tried to organize her own gang, survived death and resurrection. We were also told about Harley’s early bad relationship with student Guy Kopsky, whose suicide severely injured her.
Harley honestly tried to get rid of the criminal past, undergoing treatment in Arkham. Later, she joined the Secret Six team, whose task is to complete dangerous missions that are morally ambiguous. Among Harley’s colleagues were other Batman’s enemies – Bane, Deadshot and Catman. However, for a long time she did not spend among her colleagues: endless showdowns within the team and uncertain prospects did not give the heroine any hope of restoring her reputation.
The Joker’s severed face on the Deadshot is one of the most shocking scenes in The Suicide Squad. At least for deadshot
The Gotham Sirens series tells of the adventures of Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman, who settled in the same apartment and made a promise to help each other. All three “sirens” have a flexible attitude to the law, but each has her own fad, and this has more than once led to clashes – for example, when the eco-activist Catwoman tried to convince Harley to hand over tame hyenas to the zoo. Or when Harley decided to avenge the Joker for everything he did to her and tried to kill him in Arkham, but then changed her mind and helped him out, and only the intervention of Batman and Catwoman saved the hospital from new repairs and the need to update the staff.
The next restart of the DC universe made adjustments to the history of Harley’s origin: for example, her white skin is no longer the result of makeup, but the consequences of a fall into the chemicals where the Joker pushed her. Harlequin’s suit was replaced by a topic, leather shorts and fishnet tights.
Gotham Sirens were also supposed to be a movie, but the uncertainty with Squad suicides ”forced DC to postpone filming at least until the release of“ Birds of Prey ”
Harley Quinn is an incomparably better team player than the Joker, and Amanda Waller, a government agent and creator of the Suicide Squad, has noticed it. The detachment got its name for a reason – it was based on death row inmates, whom Waller almost stole from an electric chair to use their skills to complete dangerous missions.
In addition to Harley, the Squad included Rick Flag, Katana, Captain Boomerang, Black Manta and already known to our heroine from the Secret Six Deadshot, with whom Quinn had an affair. Each member of the detachment was implanted with a micro-bomb, which was supposed to explode in case of disobedience. After one of the missions, the guard of the prison where the Detachment was kept accidentally disconnected the bomb inside Harley, and she escaped. Waller could not allow the loss of control even of one of her people and sent the entire Squad to return Harley – alive or dead
Participation in the Suicide Squad can be called a turning point for Harley Quinn. In the past ten years, she has been portrayed as an antiheroine rather than a villain. And although her mental health still leaves much to be desired, the desire to constantly improve is an integral part of the new Harley, which is trying to return to work as a doctor, appreciates human life and cares for the environment.
Harley was able to get rid of the label “girlfriend of the Joker” – and from the clown himself, too, and this is perhaps her main victory. Her life path is the path of an ambitious woman who quit her career for the sake of a relationship that brought her nothing but pain, and then struggled for a long time to regain her own voice and opinion. It was also difficult because the Joker, although not able to experience human affection, was jealous of Harley, considering her his property.
Mr. Jay is also Bluebeard now? As if he had few bodies on his account!
Quinn needed to be free, but her heart could not remain idle for a long time. Therefore, for geeks, the transition from Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy from friendly to romantic did not come as a surprise.
Harley and Ivy are an even more successful criminal duet than Harley and Joker, if only because Ivy does not try to periodically kill a partner. Pamela Aili (Ivy’s real name) helped Harley survive the eternal mood swings of the Joker, each time noting how terribly he treats her, and encouraged her to get out of a humiliating relationship
The animated series “Batman”
The close friendship of Harley and Ivy has always made readers wonder if it has boundaries. Paul Dini himself in a special edition of “The Adventures of Batgirl” back in 1998 hinted at a connection between the heroines, but their romance was officially confirmed only in 2015, when DC considered that the public was ready for this.
Harley Quinn is a child of a new era, if you like, a millennial. It was no accident that she first appeared not in comics, but on television. She was a complex and interesting character from the very beginning, and without a story about Harley’s tricks in a variety of games, cartoons, films and non-canonical comics, her portrait will be incomplete. The gallery of her reflections shows the widest range of this anti-heroine artist, who easily juggles with various personalities.
For fans, the first and most important Harley is, of course, the charm drawn by Bruce Timm and voiced by Arlene Sorkin in the animated series Batman. Paul Dini wrote her line so believably and witty that this image is still loved by fans. “Batman of the Future” is a kind of cyberpunk continuation of the animated series “Batman” with the previous team of creators.
The Return of the Joker
In the feature film The Return of the Joker, released within its framework, Harley Quinn appeared briefly, but left a lasting impression. There she is a grumpy grandmother who picks up her troubled granddaughters from prison and grumbles at the youth! In this universe, Harley renounces the Joker and devotes himself to raising their common daughter. True, before this, she participates in the abduction of Robin (Tim Drake), his torture and transformation into the Joker Jr. Apparently, then a conscience woke up in Harley.
On the alternative Earth-3, the Joker is a successful comedian, and not least thanks to his manager Harlin Quinsel. Unfortunately, Oulman (the evil version of Batman) kills her violently, and the comedian becomes the superhero Jokster.
In non-cartoon comics, Harley first appeared in 1997 in the Thrillkiller series, which told what would happen if Batman and Robin were heroic in the early 1960s. Unlike the comedy show with Adam West, these stories were grim and realistic. Harley’s name is Haley Fitzpatrick, and she dresses with Harlequin to help the female version of the Joker named Bianca Steeplechase. By the way, Bianca treats her better than any of the male versions of the Joker! True, in the end Biancu is killed by Batgirl, and Haley promises to avenge her beloved.
Thrillkiller
In the 2004 Batman Punch comic strip, Harley had her own talk show where she gave out terrible psychology advice to callers who called. When the show was taken off the air, she teamed up with the Joker and became a supervillain.
In the games of the Arkham series, Harley is the faithful assistant to the Joker. After the death of her lover, she mourns and even captures Batman, which is dedicated to the addition to Arhkam City – “Harley Quinn’s Revenge”.
In the Injustice fighting game, Quinn reacts differently to the Joker’s death: it unites with the Green Arrow and enters into resistance to Superman’s totalitarian regime. The comic, which reveals the plot of the game, tells about Harley’s friendship with Black Canary, as well as about Quinn’s pregnancy and about the problems that a baby from a supervillain could entail. And if you go through the staircase mode for Harley, then in the end she herself will kill the Joker – right at the wedding! You shouldn’t dunk her face in a cake on such a day …
Batman Kick
In the brutal Joker comic book, Brian Azzarello Harley is the silent and most trusted assistant to the Joker, who has just left Arkham and is trying to get his money and territory back. She dances a striptease and backstage flaunts the careless accomplices of the Joker, who in this comic book not only does not yell at Harley, but also sobs, hugging her. In the sequel to The Joker, the comic strip Batman: The Damned, it turns out that Batman has cracked down on the Joker and is now suffering from having committed the murder. Here, Harley gains a voice, decides on an operation to become like the Joker, and paralyzes Batman, trying to rape him.
In the comic strip The White Knight, it turns out that Harley was two characters. The first of them, Harlin Quinzel, left the Joker when he killed Robin. The second, Marian Druze, replaced her, which the Joker did not even notice. When the offender is cured of madness and just becomes Jack Napier again, Marian hits him and scoffs at him for being “normal.” Then Harlin appears, stuns Marian and reveals the truth to Jack: she loved Mr. Jay in spite of his shortcomings, and Marian – only for them.
Comic “The White Knight”
In the neonaric comic strip Joker / Harley: Sanity, Harley is the main character, a high-profile psychiatrist who compiles psychological portraits of serial killers in Gotham, in which Batman does not smell. A few years ago her friend was killed; the maniac was never found. Now, crimes with a similar handwriting have resumed, and for Harley, this investigation becomes a private matter.
The Harlin comic focuses on Harley’s crush. The reader will go all the way with the girl — from the affair with the professor, whom the whole college learned about, to the first murder, after which there was no turning back. The Harlin feature is that in this comic strip, the Joker is portrayed as incredibly attractive, almost like Jared Leto.
Joker / Harley: Sanity
Few people remember, but “Birds of Prey” were already on television! Such a series was shown in the early 2000s, and Harley Quinn performed by Mia Sarah who was the main antagonist desiring domination over the whole city of New Gotham. Harley doesn’t wear a costume, but her final dress is a bit like Harlequin’s familiar outfit. The series lasted only one season.
According to the plot of the recent animated series, which is simply called “Harley Quinn”, Harley finally gets tired of the fact that the Joker is pushing her and wants to become his full partner in the criminal business. When the “pie” is expectedly refused, Harley throws it and collects her own team of bad-luck villains, who have something to prove to seasoned colleagues. Her faithful friend Poison Ivy does not forget to remind Quinn that she is strong and will surely cope on her own (the topic of their lesbian relations in the animated series is not affected). By the way, Harley was voiced in this show by Kaylee Kuoko – Penny from The Big Bang Theory. And Kaylee’s TBV colleague, Melissa Rausch (Bernadette), has already managed to voice Harley in the 2017 Batman and Harley Quinn cartoon.
The series “Gotham” also had her own Harley Quinn – her role was played by Francesca Ruth-Dodson. This Harley combined the features of several DC characters, but something was recognizable: a black and red suit, the brand name “pie” and complete devotion to proto-Joker Jeremiah Waleske.
Of course, for the mass audience, the main Harley is Margot Robbie from The Suicide Squad and the upcoming Birds of Prey. Robbie, a star of the first magnitude, according to the recognition of the “father” of the character Paul Dini, just fell into the image, making the already recognizable anti-heroine, superpopular.
The Suicide Squad is phenomenal in its own way. The film gathered a huge box office with low critics, was recognized as a victim of editing and will soon undergo a soft restart by James Gann. At the same time, Harley stepped dry from the chemical tub – the image created by Margot Robbie was too memorable to disappear in vain. But her interaction with the Joker pimp played by Jared Leto will definitely be reworked. Harley in “Suicide Squad” is a sheep led by a glamorous psychopath, ready for anything for her “daddy”.
Surprisingly, the Joker in the film does not seem to be heartless and even cares about Harley, but we hardly see the continuation of their romance. In the Bird of Prey trailer, Harley cheerfully states that she broke up with Mr. Jay and will now go her own way – along with fighting friends Huntress, Black Canary, detective Rene Montoya and young Cassandra Kane. This team will confront the narcissistic gangster Black Mask. Thus, the film will catch up with the comic and television trend towards the emancipation of Harley, which has gone from under the joker’s tyrannical hand.
Harley Quinn is a truly deep character who managed to survive an intense evolution despite her youth. Take a look at Batman with the Joker – their relationship has not changed for decades! But the own way of the cheerful Cheerleader distinguishes her from a handful of ossified veterans.
Being a fearless hero or an insidious villain is nothing. To be a bad guy, to improve, become the first number and increase interest in yourself is doubly difficult. Now is a great time for strong heroines, and Harley Quinn is one of the most interesting and lively ones.
