Harley Quinn May Be Popular, But There Is One Issue Still Holding the Villain Back

DC has so many superb characters, a few of the hottest within the comedian e book style, and one of the vital surprisingly fashionable has all the time been Harley Quinn. Harley began out as an unnamed goon for the Joker, however her reputation finally earned her a spot in comics and propelled her into mega-stardom, which has sadly grow to be a serious detriment to her character.

Harley Quinn is an anomaly in comedian books as a result of she is not initially a comic book e book character. Whereas it is laborious to be within the comedian house now with out seeing her in every single place, that wasn’t all the time the case. Harley Quinn first appeared as an unnamed henchwoman for the Joker within the Batman: The Animated Sequence episode “Joker’s Favor,” created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm.

On the time, she was simply an unnamed feminine henchman wearing a jester’s outfit. She immediately stood out as the one girl within the Joker’s gang and the one one with any actual persona. Whereas many of the Joker’s henchmen had been simply anonymous grunts, Harley was totally different.

Harley Quinn Was One Of DC’s Greatest New Characters

Batman: Harley Quinn by Paul Dini, Yvel Guichet, Aaron Sowd, Richard Horie, Tanya Horie, and Willie Schubert.

Harley Quinn’s first look in the primary continuity of comics was in Batman: Harley Quinn by Paul Dini and Yvel Guichet. This story occurred throughout the occasions of No Man’s Land and supplied a fast recap of who Harley Quinn was and her relationship with the Joker. The plot revolves across the Joker rising uninterested in Harley as she tries to tag alongside along with his gang. He makes an attempt to homicide her by firing her off in a rocket, however she manages to outlive and returns, looking for revenge by attempting to kill the Joker. The story culminates with the Joker apologizing, and Harley immediately forgiving him.

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This sample of Harley breaking off from the Joker, realizing he’s abusive, solely to return to him, would plague her character for years. A notable instance of this was in Gotham Metropolis Sirens, written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Guillem March, the place Harley makes an attempt to interrupt into Arkham Asylum to kill the Joker, solely to vary her thoughts and resolve to assist him escape as an alternative. Ultimately, DC realized Harley had extra potential past her relationship with the Joker and completely separated the 2. Nevertheless, this choice might not have been your best option for her character’s growth.

DC Struggles to Outline Harley Quinn’s True Identification

Is Harley Quinn an Abuse Survivor, a Supervillain, or a Deadpool-Like Character?

Harley Quinn continued to hold across the Joker and function his minion for a number of years till DC lastly determined to offer her her personal comedian in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson. This comedian explored how Harley managed to perform independently, away from the Joker. It was an fascinating learn, because it showcased Harley doing outrageous issues like making an attempt to kind her personal gang and even being despatched to hell after dying in an accident. Later points took on a darker tone, extra according to a Catwoman comedian. General, it was a severe and respectful exploration of the character.

DC acknowledged that they had a mega-popular character on their fingers, however that they had no clear course for her. In her early years in comics, Harley Quinn was simply the Joker’s sidekick, his on-again, off-again lover, and finally, against the law boss in her personal proper. In The New 52, Harley was utterly separated from the Joker and have become a lot darker. It appeared DC wished to check how far they might push the character, together with her turning into way more violent, comparable to forcing Deadshot to put on the Joker’s severed face whereas Harley used him as a surrogate to vent her frustrations.

Harley Quinn even killed a ton of children on Christmas, utilizing the act as a method to sever ties together with her Harley persona and solidify herself as a villain. And it definitely labored. That is the place the true downside with Harley Quinn lies. She dedicated horrific acts—killing kids, aiding the Joker’s escape, and slaughtering dozens of individuals. This wasn’t an remoted incident both. She helped kill Clownhunter’s mother and father alongside the Joker. But regardless of all this, DC tried to reframe her as an icon for abused ladies and as a personality resembling Deadpool.

Sooner or later, DC made a dramatic shift in how they wished Harley Quinn to be portrayed. As an alternative of continuous with the brutal, unhinged character she was in The New 52, they flipped the script. Harley went from being a cold-blooded killer to somebody who referred to her butt as a “enjoyable manufacturing unit.” She dove into more and more absurd adventures, even getting a catapult on high of her house—dubbed the “scatapult”—to fling her pet’s waste at her neighbors. It’s laborious to disregard how far eliminated that is from the character who as soon as introduced chaos and destruction.

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DC Turned Harley Quinn’s Psychological Sickness Right into a Ridiculous Stereotype

Harley Is Far Greater than Simply Her Psychological Instability

There isn’t any denying that Harley Quinn has all the time had a contact of insanity to her. She was undeniably loopy, however it felt grounded, with a way of realism. Over time, nevertheless, this developed into an exaggerated model of her madness, that includes over-the-top components like Bernie the Beaver, a taxidermied beaver that Harley believes speaks to her. This shift contrasts sharply together with her unique portrayal, the place she was delusional however by no means to such an excessive extent.

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One other concern with Harley Quinn is the sheer quantity of her appearances. DC appears to don’t have any clear course for her character, and in consequence, she’s in every single place. Whether or not it’s in an Elseworlds story or a serious occasion, Harley Quinn is there. She’s been all the things from a member of the Justice League to combating Surprise Lady on Themyscira with the Birds of Prey, to even being a part of the Bat-Household regardless of her violent previous. Harley Quinn is sort of omnipresent throughout varied DC titles, but the portrayal of her can differ wildly from one story to the subsequent.

DC Is aware of No Boundaries When It Involves Harley Quinn

Harley’s Character Is Really Starting to Endure From DC’s Portrayals of Her

Typically, Harley Quinn is a bit foolish, however general a reliable character who can work alongside Batman and even go undercover for him. Different occasions, she is portrayed as an entire serial killer with no qualms about murdering folks, together with kids. After which there are occasions when she is totally divorced from actuality, totally unaware of what is going on on, making her almost inconceivable to speak with due to her madness. These are all totally different interpretations of Harley Quinn that DC has tried throughout the identical continuity.

Harley Quinn began as a minion to considered one of DC’s hottest villains and rapidly gained reputation herself. When DC acknowledged how beloved she was, they introduced her into comics. However past her first comedian sequence, DC by no means appeared to know what to do together with her. This inconsistency implies that, irrespective of how fashionable Harley Quinn will get, she might by no means have a steady fanbase or a constant place throughout the DC Universe.

Batman: Harley Quinn is on sale now from DC Comics!