Harley Quinn

HARLEY QUINN

Real Name: Harleen Quinzel

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Criminal, former psychoanalysist

Group Affiliation: formerly Justice League of Anarchy

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Gotham City

First Appearance: Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (October, 1999)

Powers: Harley was a trained psychoanalyst and gymnast. She possessed superhuman strength and agility, and was immune to all toxins. She employed a number of gag weapons, such as giant mallets.

History: (Harley Quinn #26 (fb)) - Harleen started her residence at Arkham Asylum, and after three months got the chance to speak to the Joker, who she planned to write a dissertation on. She spent a year working with him, and saw nothing of the monster everyone else saw. She thought Joker was intelligent and had a great sense of humor, and she fell in love with him. She blew a hole in Joker's cell and helped him escape, putting the blame on inmate Snowman Milos Janek. Joker let her accompany him on robberies, but he soon grew tired of her affections and tried numerous times to kill her. She just thought he had commitment issues. The police caught up with Harleen and imprisoned her in Arkham in Joker's old cell. She fashioned a harlequin outfit for herself and escaped Arkham.

As Harley Quinn she became the Joker's Gal Friday, but he grew tired of her and strapped her to a rocket that he tried to send into orbit. Harley survived and was found by Poison Ivy, who nursed her baclk to health with a plant-serum that gave Harley superhuman powers.

(Justice Leagues: Justice League of Amazons #1, Justice Leagues: JLA #1 (BTS)) - When the Advance Man made the world forgot that the JLA ever existed the individual members still had a vague memory of the team and formed their own Justice Leagues. Harley Quinn was recruited to be in Plastic Man’s Justice League of Anarchy. The League of Anarchy went on a mission to track down a radioactive wetsuit and a bucket of soapy frogs. The Justice League of Anarchy disbanded following the reformation of the Justice League of America.

(Harley Quinn #26-30) - Harry the Mole hired Harley to steal military specs from Nova-Tec labs, but when she got there she found someone else there. She shot the man in the shoulder and completed her assignment, unaware that she was being followed by Milos Danek, who killed the man. She bribed her way into renting an office in the River View Mental Health Facility under the false identity Dr. Jessica Seaborn. The man killed during her robbery was Detective James Seaborn, and as Harley Quinn she had to fight a SWAT team that was after her for his murder. She learned from Doc that Harry didn't want the specs any longer because Harley was too much in the spotlight to work with. She went to see the Tailor, who outfitted her with a Kevlar microweave costume, but the police found her again, as did criminals after the bounty on her head. She escaped and confronted Harry, learning the Joker contracted him to hire her. She trapped the Joker, who swore he had nothing to do with framing her for the murder of Seaborn. She believed him, but reminded him she could get at him if he ever messed with her. As Jessica Seaborn she began seeing patients, including Detective Bishop, who was James Seaborn's partner, and was obsessed with bringing Harley Quinn to justice. Milos Janek maneuvered himself to become her patient, and got his fellow patient Darryl Vanplanck to start stalking Harley. Darryl ran into traffic and got himself killed before he could hurt Harley. Danek drugged Harley and kidnapped her. He revealed his father was the Snowman, and had killed himself when he had 50 years added to his sentence when Harley framed him for the Joker's escape that she perpetrated. Detective Bishop saved Harley. As Jessica she met with Danek at Arkham, and he threatened to blow her cover as Harley, but she told him no one would listen to him because he was crazy. He revealed he had Doc sealed in a drum, and that he'd die unless Harley figured out where he was. She saved Doc, and back as Jessica got hit on for a date by Bishop. She considered, liking the idea of dating a man that wanted to kill her alter ego.

(Harley Quinn #31) - Harley moved into a new apartment that was burglarized. The thieves stole the plant-based serum she relied on for her powers, and she went berserk trying to find them. The serum moved through a number of hands before she found the current owners, and killed them all, but in the process shattered the vials. Harry, who first spoke to the thieves who got the serum, snitched a vial for himself, and Harley tracked him down and took her serum back.

(Harley Quinn #32) - Harley had thoughts of turning straight, and took Detective Bishop of his offer of a date. Joker offered her a job and the chance to be with him again, but she refused and he followed her on her date. Things went decently except that Joker kept luring her away and demanded she work for him. He threatened her life, but she wouldn't back down. She offered him a chance to work for her, which he accepted. She also made it clear their relationship was over, she realized he'd only end up trying to kill her again.

(Superman / Batman #19) - Lex Luthor orchestrated a scenario to test Supergirl’s (Kara Zor-El) powers. He hired Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy to rob a bank, and when Supergirl arrived Poison Ivy kissed Supergirl with Luthor’s synthetic kryptonite lipstick. Surprisingly the synthetic-k had no effect on Supergirl, and she easily bested Harley and Ivy.

(Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1) - The Society made plans for a worldwide prison break to free every incarcerated supervillain, and they sent Killer Croc to free Arkham Asylum's inmates. Harley Quinn was one of the released inmates, but most of them were captured and sent back to their cells by a group of superheroes called in by Oracle to deal with Arkham.

Comments: Adapted to comics by Paul Dini

Harley Quinn was created for Batman: The Animated Series by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, and only later adapted to comics.

Impulse #44 showed children trick-or-treating as various superheroes, including Harley Quinn.

Resurrection Man #8 showed a citizen of Lonesome, VA dressed up as Harley Quinn for a Halloween festival.

There was a pin-up of Harley Quinn in Batman: No-Man’s Land Gallery #1.

Harley Quinn had a cameo in Titans II #30.