Changes: Harley Quinn

Revision as of 11:59, 18 August 2008

"Face it, Harl, this stinks! You're a certified nutso wanted in 12 states and hopelessly in love with a psychopathic clown."^[1]

Harley Quinn, real name Harleen Quinzel, was the sidekick and pseudo-girlfriend of the Joker. She occasionally struck out on her own, and was on good terms with Poison Ivy.

History

As a young woman, Harleen Quinzel won a gymnastics scholarship to Gotham University. Her original plan was to earn a degree (through one means or another) from the University's prestigious psychology department, and go on to be a pop psychologist writing best-selling self-help books.

Her plans took a radical turn when she chose to spend a semester interning at Arkham Asylum. Originally drawn to the "glamor" of the inmates, she was unexpectedly intrigued by the Joker. She organized regular therapy sessions with him, during which he told her tales of a cruel father and an abusive childhood, mixed in with his early attempts at comedy. He made her laugh as much as he made her cry, and she fell hopelessly in love with him.

After Joker's latest escape and re-capture by Batman, Quinzel went insane and adopted the clownish persona of Harley Quinn; her first act was to break Joker out again.^[1] Thereafter she was his semi-constant companion, though she occasionally broke away from him, and was sometimes locked up in Arkham while he was at liberty.

Criminal Career

Harley's first act was to assist Joker in assassinating James Gordon, by planting a bomb at his testimonial dinner. Batman subdued her after a brief fight. After that, she was an accomplice in virtually all of Joker's criminal schemes.^[2]

Sometimes, she would be kicked out of the gang when Joker's temper got the better of him. On one of these occasions, she teamed up with Poison Ivy, and the two became close friends and a successful crime duo.^[3]

During one of her solitary stints in Arkham, Batman offered her a pardon if she would help him track down Joker, who had stolen a nuclear bomb. She did so, though in a crazy, roundabout way that ended up being almost as dangerous to Batman and Robin.^[4]

After being pronounced rehabilitated by the doctors at Arkham, Harley was paroled, but her hyperactive personality and unfamiliarity with the "real" world led to an avalanche of trouble that led to her unintentionally kidnapping Veronica Vreeland and being simultaneously pursued by Batman, Gotham gangsters, and the U.S. Army. She was returned to Arkham yet again, though Batman was more sympathetic to her.^[5]

Later Life

Harley's final criminal act was assisting Joker in capturing and torturing Tim Drake into insanity, then adopting him as their "son", J.J.. While Batman pursued Joker, Harley fought with Batgirl in the ruins of Arkham. In the fight, both women toppled into a deep pit. Batgirl managed to grab hold of a ledge, and tried to pull Harley up, but her sleeve tore, and Harley fell to her seeming death.

However, her body was never recovered, and it was later found that she had survived, and apparently given up her criminal career and her attachment to the Joker. At some point, she married, and mothered one or more children, who in turn gave her at least two grandchildren, twins Delia and Deirdre Dennis.^[6]

Relationship with the Joker

Harley's relationship with Joker was perhaps one of the strangest in the whole character universe. At various times, she explained her feelings for him as sympathy for his abusive childhood (a story Batman dismissed as a lie), tender feelings based on their therapy sessions, or simply that he made her life fun, after a stressful career as a psychiatrist.

Her devotion was inexplicable because Joker seemed to return her feelings not at all, and frequently insulted and abused her. Occasionally she would break away from him, but these moments of clarity never lasted very long, and but a moment's kindness from Joker was enough to bring her back.^[3]^[4]^[1]

Yet at the same time, Joker found her a useful accomplice at times, and was often surprised by the depth of her devotion. At one point, he actually seemed to feel affection for her, after she demonstrated that she had enough "guts" to try to shoot him.^[4]

Relationship with Others

Harley and Ivy, out to have a little fun.

Harley had an on-again, off-again friendship/partnership with Poison Ivy, whom she worked well with.

Harley's feelings toward Batman were similarly conflicted. Most of the time, he was her enemy, which was natural given that he was Joker's enemy. Sometimes, she even blamed Batman for Joker's abusiveness toward her, feeling that Batman's interference was what kept them from living a "normal" life.

Yet on one occasion, she recognized that Batman was one of the few people who didn't think she was hopelessly insane, and who had done his best to help her.^[5]

Abilities and Equipment

Harley Quinn possessed above-average agility and fighting skills. She was an Olympic-level gymnast and acrobat.

She also carried an assortment of clown-themed tools, although they rarely proved effective.^[4]

Unlike Joker, she could also act sane long enough to appear in disguise as a "normal" person. Her impersonations included a security guard,^[2] and a lawyer.^[7]

Early in their partnership, Poison Ivy injected Harley with a toxin antidote, which rendered her immune to certain chemicals and diseases,^[3] and had the side effect of enhancing her strength and stamina, allowing her to survive normally fatal accidents.^[1]^[6]

Background Information

Harley Quinn was created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, based on (and created for) Dini's friend Arleen Sorkin, who provided the character's voice^[8]. "Remarkably," Dini jokes, "she still speaks to me."

The character was so popular that she was eventually incorporated into the DC Comics universe.

There is some conflicting continuity about Harley's origins. Some episodes of Batman: The Animated Series such as "Harlequinade" describe her as a serious clinical psychiatrist who was "rescued" from her boring life by Joker. However "Mad Love", the first full exploration of Harley's origins, portray her as more flaky, whose career as a psychiatrist was still undeveloped when she fell for Joker. Some details of "Mad Love" are fleshed out in the graphic novel the episode is based on, also written by Dini and Timm.

Of Harley's relationship with the Joker, Dini writes:

“

Bruce, Eric, Alan and I agreed that while we never wanted to delve too deeply into the rotting offal that passes as the Joker's soul, we did want to broaden the character a bit. One way we humanized the least human of Batman's enemies was to put him in a relationship with a woman who, for whatever reasons, adores him.

”

Mark Hamill added:

“

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. On a physical level they're dynamite together. A lot of relationships are defined by that. Two people may be really horrible for each other, but physically they push each other's buttons so clearly they can't get enough of that person.

”

Says Arleen Sorkin:

“

Everyone else sees the Joker laugh, only Harley has ever seen him cry. It's the only reason she stays with him.

”

The producers have confirmed that it was Poison Ivy's stamina inducer that allowed Harley to survive the falls in "Mad Love" and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and to survive into old age.

Film director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma) was so taken with the character that he named his newborn daughter Harley Quinn Smith.

Trivia

Harley is Arleen Sorkin's best-known voice-over work. Although most people don't know it, her other work included regular behind-the-scenes work on Frasier (she is married to Christopher Lloyd, a writer and executive producer on the show). During rehearsals and studio tapings, Sorkin often provided the voice of guest callers on Frasier's radio show, before other actors' and actresses' voices were dubbed over in post-production.

During the episode "The Man Who Killed Batman", Harley performs "Amazing Grace" on a kazoo. Sorkin did the performance herself; the producers gave her a kazoo and asked her to give it a try while recording the episode. Later they said it was lucky they'd managed to do it in one take, because they were all helpless with laughter as soon as she'd finished.