Top 100 Batman VILLAINS

6 - Harley Quinn

#6 - Harley Quinn
First Appearance: Batman: The Animated Series S01E07 (Sep 1992)

"After all this time--all these years--you and I have history. I know what you think of me. You think I'm just a doll. A doll that's pink and light. A doll you can arrange any way you like. You're wrong. Very wrong. What you think of me is only a ghost of time. I am dangerous. And I will show you just how dark I can be." ~Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is honestly the one character whose voice is so distinctive that everyone can hear it the exact same way even on the comic book page. Most of that is thanks to Arleen Sorkin's amazing voice acting performance, but more than that, Harley is truly one of the most memorable characters in comics - I'd go so far as to say that Harley is the most important addition to the comic book world since 1990.

Harley is certainly a bubbly yet murderously psychotic soul who can constantly keep your attention riveted to the page. She has a sense of unpredictability and yet you always know roughly what you're getting into with Harl; there's a girl who just wants the boy she likes to love her back, there's a girl who just what's some friends and acceptance... in many ways, she's a lost little child, but on the other end, she's mired in a dark, disturbed personality that really makes her impossible to ever completely love.

However, there's more than that to Quinn. There's a really dark, brutal and moving story about abuse. And on the surface, it's kind of easy to palette because of the way it's depicted - Harley and Joker are almost Looney Tunes characters when it comes to their interactions, and Harley bounces back with such resilience that you barely even consider that she might be physically or emotionally scarred by the Joker's antics. And yet... when you look to consider it, Harley really does have a beaten wife syndrome of sorts. Almost all of her psychosis stems from her deeply troubling relationship with the Joker - a relationship that I think should be explored more often. In a way, Paul Dini's creation of Harley can serve to women in abusive relationships as a way to recognize and even prevent themselves from falling further into a dangerous situation, and I think since Harley is ultimately a bubbly, almost kind creature, she is an excellent reminder of what a mad love can do to someone unprepared.

Regardless, Harley is one of my all-time personal favorite villains and easily one of the most maturely layered characters in comics.

Greatest Harley Quinn Stories Ever Told:
1. Batman: Mad Love - Everyone loves Batman: Mad Love. Everyone. This single issue story somehow tells THE quintessential tale of Harley and Joker's relationship and even gives great insight into how Batman views Harley as an almost pathetic, useless character. By the end, you've fallen in love with Harley's sweet, wide-eyed psychosis.

2. Batman #663: "The Clown at Midnight" - It doesn't get too much better than this; Harley's relationship with Batman and Joker are explored in a prose tale written by Grant Morrison which is actually my personal favorite story from Morrison on Batman pre-Batman's death. An amazingly brutal, visceral tale that really does a brilliant job portraying all three characters.

3. Detective Comics #831 - Paul Dini's underrated and brilliant run on Detective Comics saw Harley and Batman tangle for one great, noir-styled tale with a fast-moving plot and all the Harley essentials. Just an all-around well-told issue that proves why the creator of Harley is still her best writer.