Harley Quinn
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Harley Quinn (real name Dr. Harleen Quinzel) is a fictional character in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, as well as the DC Comics Batman series and its spin-offs, and subsequently in various Batman-related comic books. As suggested by her name (a play on the word "harlequin"), she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester. She is one of the rare characters to have originated in an animated series and thereafter been added to the comic book continuity, as opposed to the other way around. She is also the only such character to have gone on to have an ongoing eponymous comic book.
The character was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and is voiced in the animated series by Arleen Sorkin.
Contents |
[edit] History on Batman: The Animated Series
[edit] Origin
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; Paul 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 fell in love with the Joker and became his accomplice and on-again, off-again girlfriend. The story received wide praise [1] 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.
[edit] Relationship with 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 Quinn's first point 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 Quinn about her helpless infatuation with the Joker. When Ivy demands during "Harley and Ivy" that Quinn stand up for herself, Quinn 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.
[edit] 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).
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 (the Batman Adventures comic book series, while continuing on from Batman: The Animated Series, does not reflect canonical developments within the wider Batman/DC Comics universe), though not was all as it seemed with Ivy in that story either.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker depicts Quinn's ultimate fate. Batman presumes her dead after she falls into a deep crevasse during Batman's 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.
[edit] 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 Batman: 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 DC Universe in the 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.)
One Year Later, Harley Quinn is an inmate at Arkham Asylum, glimpsed briefly in Detective Comics #823. Dini said in a press conference that she will appear in an upcoming issue of Detective Comics soon and that the cover has already been done.
Her most recent appearance is 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 realising this, she shoots him.
Harley's past prior of becoming Joker's partner-in-crime will be further explore on DETECTIVE COMICS #831 Written by Batman: The Animated Series writer and Harley Quinn's creator Paul Dini; Art by Don Kramer and Wayne Faucher; Cover by Simone Bianchi.
Harley Quinn continues to appear in other DC comic books. She should not be confused with Harlequin, a distinct Teen Titans character originally appearing in the seventies.
[edit] Harley and 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. In the animated universe, the Joker says of her, "a sweet kid, but a lousy cook". 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 wrote the thesis that the Joker is constantly reinventing his personality, although she refuses to accept that his love for her is not a constant. The Joker personality which is introduced in that story, however, sees killing Harley as evidence he is completely beyond human feelings. Furthermore, this new 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 to this state of affairs, but Batman attacks as Joker traces a razor against her cheek, and she is forgotten in the skirmish. The issue ends with Harley putting a bullet through Joker's shoulder.
[edit] Other versions
- Harley Quinn's first major appearance outside the animated series was in the Elseworlds mini-series Batman Thrillkiller. As with the other characters, her background is very different to the one established in the animated series. In this comic, she is a schoolgirl who dresses up to help a female version of the Joker.
[edit] Other media
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, 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.
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. 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, her past is somewhat altered. Instead of being a psychiatrist at Arkham, she begins as a TV pop psychologist with nothing more than an online psychologist title and a knack for idiotic, nonsensical advice.
[edit] Film
Harley Quinn was originally going to be a villain in the Batman & Robin sequel, but due to Batman & Robin's failure, the project was cancelled. One script, entitled Batman: Triumphant, was authored by Mike Protosevich and featured Harley Quinn (the daughter of the Joker out for revenge) and the Scarecrow as the villains. [1]
[edit] Cultural impact
- Comic book fanatic and filmmaker Kevin Smith named his daughter Harley Quinn Smith after the character.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Interview: Lee Shapiro. Batman on Film. Retrieved on Feb 15, 2007.
- ^ http://www.viewaskew.com/harley/
[edit] External links
- DCDP: Harley Quinn - Harley Quinn
- Harley Quinn at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
| Batman | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Bob Kane • Bill Finger • Other writers and artists |
| Supporting Characters: | Robin (Tim Drake) • Nightwing (Dick Grayson) • Batgirl • Batwoman • Alfred Pennyworth • Lucius Fox • Barbara Gordon • Commissioner Gordon • Harvey Bullock |
| Villains: | Bane • Catwoman • Clayface • Harley Quinn • Joker • Killer Croc • Mr. Freeze • Penguin • Poison Ivy • Ra's al Ghul • Red Hood (Jason Todd) • Riddler • Scarecrow • Two-Face • Other villains |
| Locations: | Arkham Asylum • Batcave • Gotham City • Wayne Enterprises • Wayne Manor |
| Miscellanea: | Batarang • Batmobile • Batsuit • Popular media • Publications • Storylines • Alternate versions of Batman |
