Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a comic book character that first appeared in The Batman Adventures #12
Harleen Quinzel, the Arkham psychiatrist who fell in love with the Clown Prince of Crime. A "mad love" would lead her to a life of crime as Harley Quinn, frequent accomplice and would-be-girlfriend of the Joker.
Origin of Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was originally created for the Batman: The Animated Series, who became so popular that DC decided to bring her over to the DCU. Mainstream Harley is much more psychotic then the animated series version.
Harley’s origin was adapted from the Batman: The Animated Series episode entitled “Mad Love.” The story starts off with Harleen Quinzel working as an intern in Arkham Asylum. She discovered the Joker and quickly became fascinated with his insane motives. She voluntarily asked for a chance to analyze him. During one of their sessions the Joker tells her about his tragic past and how his father abused him. She gained sympathy for him and quickly fell in love with him. She helped the Joker escape and was caught by her superior,Joan Leland, they revoked her license and put her in a cell at Arkham. She was able to escape Arkham when an earthquake hit, she soon joined up with the Joker and helped him in his crimes.
One year after Infinite Crisis, Harley was in Arkham and was trying to get out of Arkham the right way. She was kidnapped by Scarface who offered her a deal to help them both get extremely rich. Harley agreed and proceeded with the plan, however she called the police and alerted them of Scarface's plan. Batman came and they both foiled Scarface's plan and after that Harley went back to Arkham. The next day she was free to go with the vote of Bruce Wayne.
Another retelling of her origin was that she was a psychology student working part time as a stripper to pay her bills.
Harley Quinn Reformed
After a brief run with the Secret Six, Harley decided to call it quits, and joined the Metropolis branch of the Athenian Women's Shelter, which is secretly a training facility for future members of Granny Goodness's Female Furies. There she met up with Holly Robinson, former stand-in for Catwoman. The two have become friends, and are currently working under-cover for Queen Hippolyta, who is trying to discover the truth about the false Athena who is training "Amazons" on Themyscira.
On Apokolips, after Mary Marvel frees the imprisoned Gods that later grant her power, Harley demands that she and Holly get something too for everything they've done. Thalia is amused by Harley's feistiness and grants her a small portion of the cunning of Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, seemingly appropriate because of Harley's past. Harley Quinn’s costume is slightly more Greek like and she also gained a nice new hammer to go with her new super human abilities. While returning to Earth, Harley's powers vanish.
Gotham City Sirens
Much later, a supposedly reformed Harley finds herself back in Gotham City. After receiving a large sum of money from Selina Kyle for her aid in dealing with Hush, Harley ends up living with Ivy, who is slumming in Eddie Nigma's apartment. When Ivy takes Selina to their home after rescuing her from a crazed supervillain wannabe named Boneblaster. Seeking to make a name for himself, Boneblaster followed the girls to Eddie's apartment and attacked them. Harley, Ivy and Selina defeat him, but Eddie's apartment is destroyed in the process.
Selina then obtains a new living space in the form of an abandoned animal shelter and invites Harley and Ivy to stay with her, stating that girls like them should stick together. Harley and Ivy agree, but first drug Selina and ask her to tell them who the Batman is. Selina, her mind protected thanks to techniques taught to her by Talia al Ghul, gives a fabricated tale of multiple Batmen. Ivy and Harley believe her, though Harley is skeptical, postulating through her psychiatric background that a single man could be the Batman if he underwent some sort of "sever childhood trauma."
She ignores her thoughts temporarily to go shopping, and encounters a bunch of hooded thugs who had kidnapped Bruce Wayne and were trying to get away in a red vehicle. Harley leaps onto the car and defeats the thugs, in thanks for Bruce signing her parole papers in the past. Unknown to her is the fact that "Bruce" is actually Thomas Elliot (Hush) who was masquerading as the billionaire. She goes with him amicably as he thanks her for saving him.
When she sends Selina a phone message with a photo of her with "Bruce," Selina realizes that Harley was with Hush, and rushes to help her with Ivy in tow. When they arrive at the cafe where Hush and Harley took the picture, all Selina and Ivy find is Harley's phone next to a stabbed harlequin doll.
Harley Quinn and the Joker
"Face it, Harl, this stinks - yer a certified nutso wanted by the law in over two dozen states - and hopelessly in love with a murderous, psychopathic clown"
Ever since the beginning of her relationship with the Joker, Harley has played a very submissive role. She has often been used and abused by the Joker to the point where her life has been threatened on several occasions. Yet she remains faithful to her man and stands by him when things go wrong. Their relationship is quite strange, as the Joker rarely shows any affection towards her, save for when she left him for Poison Ivy. However the Joker has also shared with her emotions such as sadness: The Joker mourned for the supposedly dead Batman and (to some extent) brokedown to Harley. This was in Batman: The Animated Series episode “The Man Who Killed Batman”.
In "Emperor Joker" the Joker began to truly care for Harley, and not knowing how to deal with a deep emotion; decided to kill her instead. He drugged her and took her to a rocket ship. Before he launched Harley, he told her that she had reminded him of past memories and about feelings for people that he cared about (supposedly his now dead wife). He ended by saying “And I HATE having those feelings!” He launched her and laughed while it flew away.
Harley visits the Joker in Arkham as his speech therapist while he's receiving electroshock therapy & surgery after surviving a point-blank gunshot to the head at close range. The Joker decides to revamp himself & kill all his links to his past & be reborn in a baptism of blood, with the usual exclusion of Batman. He tricks Harley into believing that he will off Batman at midnight, after she kills all of his former henchmen, leaving behind patterned clues for Batman to follow. When Batman shows up, it's revealed that the Joker had intended to kill Harley the whole time, & make Batman watch, but he saves her just before the Joker can slit her throat. The Joker & Batman tangle while the Joker delivers his usual "Why I can't kill the Bat" lines, when suddenly Harley shoots him in the shoulder & says "You gotta stop ignoring me, Mistah Jay." When she joins the Amazonian Women's Help Center, she tells the Riddler that she & the Joker are history. Her being seen on the Gotham news riding with bruce Wayne (Hush in disguise) has angered the Joker to put of ordering his goons to take her out once and for all.
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy
While Poison Ivy often takes the role of a close friend or even a protective and familiar role towards Harley, there has also been some serious speculation (or perhaps wishful fantasizing) about a sexual nature to the affiliation.
Harley Quinn's Powers
Even though Harley doesn't have any actual powers, she is still an impressive fighter and is skilled with many weapons and gadgets. She also has immunity to all poisons thanks to Poison Ivy's potion.
| Super Name: | Harley Quinn |
| Real Name: | Harleen Francis Quinzel |
| Aliases: |
The Joker's Henchgirl Harl The Cupid of Crime Jane Wisakedjak Pumpkin Pooh Harleen Quinzel |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Gender: | Female |
| Character Type: | Human |
| 1st Appearance: | The Batman Adventures #12 |
| Appears in: | 175 issues |
| Birthday: | |
| Died: |
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