Harley Quinn

"My love for my Joker was stronger than their madhouse walls."

- Harley Quinn expressing her love of the Joker.

Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel (also known as Harley Quinn) is a supervillainess from DC Comics, normally serving as an antagonist to Batman. She is the Joker's self-proclaimed girlfriend and henchgirl.

Harley Quinn first appeared in the DC Animated Universe's Batman: The Animated Series. According to the comic book canon, she was interning at Arkham Asylum as a psychologist when she met the Joker. She got overly fixated on him and started believing she loved the Joker.

She does whatever she has to do to achieve the Joker's approval. She also allies herself frequently with Poison Ivy (who she later shared a romance with). Depending on the writer and story, Joker either doesn't love her and just manipulates her into doing what he says or he can love her, but is just very vituperative and abusive.

Biography
Harley Quinn first appeared in Paul Dini's Batman: The Animated Series. From there, her character was included in The New Batman Adventures and into DC Comics. As what was originally supposed to be the animated equivalent of a walk-on role; a number of police officers were to be taken hostage by someone jumping out of a cake, and it was decided that to have the Joker do so himself would be too bizarre (although he ended up doing so anyway).

Dini thus created a female sidekick for the Joker. Arleen Sorkin, a former star of the soap opera Days of our Lives, appeared in a dream sequence in that series in which she wore a jester costume; Dini used this scene as an inspiration for Quinn. Having been friends with Sorkin since college, he incorporated aspects of her personality into the character.

Mad Love
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 falls for the Joker and becomes his accomplice and on-off sidekick/lover.

In High School, her gymnastic skills won her a scholarship to the local university where she studied criminal psychology. Though her grades were poor, she seduced her professor into passing her with top grades. She quickly applied for an internship at Arkham, hoping to write a successful book about her experience and get her own TV show.

At Arkham, she becomes fascinated with the Joker. He flirts with her, even leaving a flower on her desk. Harley volunteers to analyze him. She falls hopelessly in love nearly instantly with the Joker during their sessions when he tells her false stories about a traumatic childhood, and she helps him escape from the asylum more than once.

When the Joker is returned to Arkham after a battle with Batman, the sight of her badly injured patient drives Harley to don the costume and become Harley Quinn, the Joker's sidekick and on/off girlfriend. She later becomes fast friends with Poison Ivy, who injects her with antitoxins to give her the same immunity to poisons she has (which explains why she is not affected whenever the Joker releases his lethal laughing gas).

The Clown at Midnight
After Joker is shot in the face by a Batman impersonator, he had facial reconstructive surgery which gave him a fixed Glasgow smile. Because of these events, he started to go through a spiritual rebirth and had Harley Quinn murder his past henchmen to symbolise the rejection of his previous life. Harley managed to succeed in her mission despite Batman being hot on her heels and returned to Arkham Asylum where she got a bit intimate with the Joker. However, Joker secretly had a razor with him and planned to slash Harley's throat then bathe in her blood in front of Batman to complete his transformation. Batman soon arrived and made Harley realise Joker's intentions before it was too late, causing her to twist the razor out of her lover's grasp. Heartbroken by his attempt on her life, Harley shot Joker in the shoulder out of revenge and asked if he still loved her before breaking off their relationship.

Harley has since been living with Catwoman and Poison Ivy, claiming she was done with the Joker and continued to join them in their activities. Although despite her claims, Harley occasionally shows strong signs of backsliding.

New 52
Harley Quinn’s origins and history were altered for the New 52. In this continuity, Harley still interviewed the Joker at Arkham Asylum as Dr. Harleen Quinzel but she wasn't fooled by his sympathetic stories and even realized when he secretly brought a knife during their first session. After Harleen’s tenth visit, Joker revealed what he had learnt about her; that her father was killed by a drunk driver who was never punished for the crime. Joker then showed Harleen the severed fingers of that same driver which he snuck into their interview as a gift for her. The clown claimed he can show Dr. Quinzel how to have that same strength which bought her father’s killer to justice.

Afterwards, Harleen had formed a crush on the Joker which was eventually discovered by one of her colleagues, Dr. Sterano, who was stealing her work papers to pass off as their own. Harleen soon found out and tried to kill Sterano in her rage, but was stopped by a security guard who was killed instead. Harleen then broke Joker out of Arkham and the pair went to the ACE chemical planet where Joker told her it was the anniversary of when his clown persona was born. Joker also intended to make it Harleen’s anniversary as well and, despite a minor struggle, he pushed her into a chemical vat then drained it when she sunk to the bottom. Inside the vat, Harleen’s skin had been bleached chalk white while Harleen herself had lost her grip on reality. Joker dubs her Harley Quinn and the two embrace.

Batman and Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is the titular main protagonist of the 2017 DC animated film Batman and Harley Quinn. In the film, she is forced to team up with Batman and Nightwing to stop Poison Ivy and the Floronic Man from transforming all of humanity into plants.

DC Universe Online
Harley Quinn makes an appearance as Joker's hench girl and right-hand, in DC Universe Online.

Alternate Future
In the alternate future, Harley assisted The Joker during the climatic battle between the Justice League and the Society. She was killed after she used her body to shield The Joker from an explosion caused by a combination of Black Adam, The Flash, and Green Lantern's powers. She appears to have killed or assisted in killing Robin sometime prior to this, as she is seen wearing his tattered cape.

Gotham
While Dr. Harleen Quinzel does not appear in Gotham, the character is merged into Barbara Kean, who takes most of her traits and actions, such as her love for anarchy and violence, as well as being an assistant to the Joker. Like Harley in the comics she eventually forms a group consisting of female supervillains like in the comic series Gotham City Sirens.

Despite initial rumours of Harley Quinn debuting in the show at the end of season 3, producers confirmed there are no plans for the real Harley to be introduced.

Powers and Abilities

 * Surprising strength and stamina
 * Superior gymnastic skills
 * Total disregard for human life
 * Like the Joker, she escapes easy classification
 * Injected with a drug by Poison Ivy in the comics that makes her immune to most poisons

Trivia

 * Her actual first appearance in the Batman universe was in Batman: The Animated Series in the episode "Mad Love"
 * Harley's Olympic-level gymnastic skills have said to rival that of Nightwing and Catwoman
 * Harley is the third most recurring villain of the DC Animated Universe (behind the Joker and Lex Luthor).