Few comic book characters have experienced such successful rebranding Harley Quinn It has been for the past decade. From the Cupid of Crime to the Kingpin of Crime Fighting, Harley Quinn has had a remarkable rebrand of late.
Originally not conceived as a comic book character, and a character that DC Comics editors actively did not want in the official comics canon, Harley Quinn has come a long way from being the Joker’s loveable sidekick. Now, he has essentially become one of the main faces of the DC brand. While some superheroes still treat him with vitriol (the Justice League still doesn’t consider him a true hero), he’s at least become a full-on anti-hero — and these quotes prove just that.
10 “I’m a complete saint!”
Harley Quinn/Gossamer #1 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Pierre Brito, Paul Mounts and Dave Sharp
After a full shot of an adventure with the locals Looney Tunes The main gossamer, Harley Quinn finally his creator. Moron (or is it Dr. Frankenbins? Mad scientist? Evil scientist? He goes by many names). Before leaving the DC Universe Dr. Moron’s parting gift is an abomination that promises to gift Harley Quinn with superpowers, but he only urges her to use her gift for the good of mankind. He promises that he is a saint, and he probably believes it.
Funny moments aside, one of Harley Quinn’s endearing qualities is that she definitely believes herself to be a saint, an unforgiving good guy in her story despite her murderous instincts and the crimes she’s committed. It is beloved because of its perception That he is a good man often drives him to do good. As far as he is concerned, his actions are actually the right thing.
9 “I’m an upstanding citizen now. Mostly.”
DC Spring Breakout #1’s “Field Trip” by Joey Esposito, Vasko Georgiev and Jem
this DC Spring Breakout The story goes out of its way to dissect Harley Quinn’s anti-hero status. Even more than usual, the heroes of the DC Universe – the Justice League – were divided over Harley Quinn and if she was really walking the straight and narrow. In fairness to them, though, he did get King Shark out of prison, even if he could celebrate his birthday. They had every reason to suspect Harley in this instance.
However, he explains himself best with this quote, even better with this saying, “But I’m still sounding lazy, baby!”It almost doesn’t do the character justice to call him a hero or a villain. Trying to settle on both terms in relation to Harley is practically doing her a disservice. He’s as lonely as ever, but the only thing that’s changed is his character set – and even then, it’s barely changed.
8 “I’m not the hero people deserve, but I’m the one they need now”
Night Terrors: Harley Quinn #2 By Tinie Howard and Hayden Sherman
Sure, he’s ripping off the straight-up line The Dark KnightBut in a weird way, it fits Harley Quinn’s run as the hero perfectly. It’s not necessarily about focusing on “deserved” factor It also speaks to how the DC Universe needs Harley Quinn, almost in spite of herself, or more aptly, despite the average character’s opinion of her.. He has his doubts, but that doesn’t stop him from devoting himself full time to being a hero.
It didn’t make him try to be a villain again. Well, except for the one time that he left the hero’s life, but that was strictly for research purposes to study the criminal mind. Apart from that, he remains vigilant in his pursuit of heroism and even when people doubt his efforts to be genuine, those same people end up needing his help.
7 “If Arkham has taught me anything, it’s that everyone has a stranger inside of them. Everyone has something buried deep inside that they don’t realize is there. Me, you, everyone. Everyone. Except the Joker.”
Harley Quinn #26 By AJ Lieberman and Mike Huddleston
If anyone understands what it means to harbor demons inside them, it’s Harley Quinn. Before committing crimes, he was a sane, rational psychologist who was highly skilled in his field. It’s often simplified that the Joker’s influence was to flip him on a dime, but as he explains here, his redefined origins are more complicated than that. It wasn’t so much that the Joker brought something out of him or drove him crazy. It was that Harley Quinn always had that proverbial stranger trapped inside her.
If anything, the Joker may have given Harley the key to open that door, but there was nothing he planted himself. In fact, everyone has that proverbial stranger, that demon waiting for an opportunity to be unleashed. Even the Joker, and he may be the only person who knows that such a monster is inside him, according to Harley Quinn.
6 “Red… the color of my lipstick on her lips… and blood under my fingernails.”
Harley Quinn Black + White + Red #1 of “Harlin: Red” by Stjepan Cejic
Red, black and white have all been synonymous with Harley Quinn’s color choices, especially red. If she’s not at least wearing red, it’s hard to consider her a Harley Queen. This story emphasizes how intrinsic the color red was to both Harley and her story, especially the story she shared with the Joker. During her stay at Arkham Asylum associating colors, Harley has a remarkable monologue that covers everything that comes to her mind. The most telling descriptors come from the red on her lips and the blood on her fingernails.
This highlights how sensual and brutal her relationship with the Joker was, considering how fiery, passionate, but also intense their dynamic was.. The entire monologue could be included in this entry because it serves such a purpose in running through the same color from its beginning to the present.
5 “My name is Harley F. Quinn. You burned down my building and almost killed my friend. Prepare to die.”
Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey #1 (2020) by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Defeo made enemies out of mortgage company Harley Quinn when they burned her apartment complex building – The Dreamin’ Seaman – to the ground as a scare tactic to keep her from paying her mortgage. On top of that, Harley Quinn’s friend – or amigo – Big Tony was beaten in the melee, which didn’t make him happy one bit. So, when Harley gets back to the bottom of things, she’s naturally back with a vengeance — but not before twisting a classic line. The princess bride.
This is what makes Harley so likable to so many readers, even when the stakes are high and she’s batting with rage, she still finds time to crack a joke.. When this quality of Harley’s character is written over the top, a moment like this manages to relieve the tension of the room without detracting from the story’s twist.
4 “I know about permanent injuries.”
Harley Quinn: Make them laugh #2’s “The Lady or the Tiger” by Gail Simone and Priscilla Petrites
In a moment where she tries to relate to Huntress’ pain, Harley Quinn recalls Harley Quinn relating to the hurt that Huntress is feeling. make me laugh #2 recalls her first crush: a high school bully who humiliates Harley in a scene that earns her the cruel nickname, Mouse-Girl. “It made me hate Harleen,” she remembers. She then talks about how that pain has followed her into adulthood and in a way tells of her relationship with the Joker.
So, yes, she knows about lasting trauma, and that high school trauma permanently affects her relationships into adulthood. For years, readers have seen Harley get hurt and how it affected her, but now they understand the root cause..
3 “You think I do what I’m told?!?!? I’M HARLEY THE CRAZY QUEEN!!”
Harley Quinn and Batman (2017) #3 by Ty Templeton and Luciano Vecchio
More important than her transformation from villain to hero as Harley Quinn is her transformation from sidekick to independent woman.. Regardless of whether he’s on the side of crime or fighting crime, his main character is about finding something bigger than being someone’s lap dog. He’s been the Joker’s lap dog for a long time, and so any hint that he’s still the thing he’s worked so hard to learn is a moot point.
That’s why this poker scene is so triggering for Harley, as she’s invited to a supervillain poker game for henchmen and sidekicks. And that’s why he feels so compelled to remind everyone exactly who he is – “Harley the crazy queen!”
2 “I’m going to stop you there. My quota of overly pompous, blasphemous monologues has already been filled for the foreseeable future.”
Future Kingdom: Harley Quinn #2 by Stephanie Phillips, Simone Deemed and Tony Infante
Harley Quinn’s ultimate superpower Ability to break the fourth wall. He may not do it as frequently or as severely as someone synonymous with power like Deadpool, but he does it effectively enough to be noticed.. While in power, during the “Future State” story arc, he confronts the Scarecrow, shortly before partaking in the classic supervillain monologue trope. However, before he can get much out, Harley makes it clear that he’s more in the mood to fight than to talk and listen.
Being hyper-aware of even the most prominent tropes of the superhero genre is an impressive feat. On one hand, moments like this are just fun for Harley to witness, but on the other hand, it shows how such fun, untapped energy can go a long way for her.
1 “As many people as I’ve tried to hurt, I’ll try to save as many people. I want to be a better version of me.”
Batman #105 James Tynion IV, Carlo Pagulayan, Danny Mickey, Alvaro Martinez, Bueno and Guillem March
Clownhunter is a walking, talking reminder of Harley Quinn’s misdeeds. On top of being an active member of the hero community, his origin story and the loss of his parents come as a direct result of The Joker and Harley Quinn’s crimes while they were still together. The young boy held a startling grudge against the former criminal, but The monologue that Harley proceeds to deliver is a perfect embodiment of his story of redemption. This monologue, more than anything else, justifies his switch as a hero.
For anyone who doubts that Harley Quinn makes a believable hero, whether it’s a critic or a character, this monologue makes a convincing argument. His arc of redemption is eternal. Maybe he won’t atone for every sin he commits, but Harley Quinn’s The main motivation is to try to avenge his crimes by saving at least as many people as he has killed, as long as he can be listed.