Characters / Harley Quinn

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Harley Quinn

Alter ego: Harleen Quinzel

Species: Human

First appearance: Batman: The Animated Series - "Joker's Favor" (September 11, 1992) (Cartoons); Batman: Harley Quinn (October, 1999) (Comics)

Dr. Harleen Quinzel was once one of Arkham Asylum's brightest young talents. Fresh-out-of-college, and against the warnings of her peers, she became obsessed with the Joker and possibly convinced that she could cure the Joker of his madness. As Joker's doctor, she tried — like so many others before her — to restore the psychotic killer to sanity. Instead, not only did she fail, he corrupted her to the point that not only did she herself go insane, she actually fell in love with him.

After spending some time alongside the Joker as an Outlaw Couple, Harley eventually broke free of "Mr. J", becoming a villain in her own right, before switching to a more anti-heroic path as a member of the Suicide Squad.

Though it was Batman: The Animated Series that introduced her (originally as just the Joker's henchgirl), Harley became popular enough to be included in the comics as well, and it was a comic (later adapted into a TV episode) that first told her origin. Perhaps even crazier than the Joker himself, you can count on Harley to be right alongside her "puddin'", mindlessly loyal to him, but cleverly lethal.

Though not even Harley can stand the Joker's endless tirades of abuse and madcap lifestyle, and when she's in her downtime, she often finds consolation in Poison Ivy, whom she has a deep friendship with.

Has had four solo series, the tropes for which can be found here.

Thanks to the character's popularity, she has appeared in various adaptations. In addition to Batman: The Animated Series, she has also been featured in The Batman (2004), Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and was the Big Bad of the short-lived Birds of Prey (2002). She was also one of the main characters in the Batman: Assault on Arkham film. She's a major character in the Batman: Arkham Series, and is playable in Batman: Arkham Knight. She appears in the DC Extended Universe films Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad^note She's also mentioned as having died in the Bad Future in Zack Snyder's Justice League., played by Australian actress Margot Robbie, and she's appeared in the sequel to 2019's Joker, Joker: Folie à Deux, played by no less than Lady Gaga. She's also one of the students in DC Super Hero Girls; in that continuity, she's undergone Adaptational Heroism and is portrayed as a lovably mischievous prankster. Perhaps the ultimate example of her breakout success, she's the star of her very own animated series on DC Universe (2018). Stjepan Šejić created a well-regarded "character study" for her as fanart, highlighting parts of her origin story. He insisted they would never lead to anything more - until they did, with his 3 to 6 volume origin story Harleen published under DC's Black Label starting in 2019.

Not to be confused with the Agatha Christie character.

Visit her self-demonstrating page here.

Harley Quinn has appeared in:

Anime

• Batman Ninja
• Suicide Squad ISEKAI

Comic Books

• Gotham City Sirens
  • Gotham City Sirens (2024)
• Harleen
• Harley Quinn
  • Harley Quinn (2014)
  • Harley Quinn (2016)
  • Batman: White Knight
  • Harley Quinn (2021)
• Suicide Squad

Film - Live-Action

• DC Extended Universe
  • Suicide Squad (2016)
  • Birds of Prey (2020)
  • The Suicide Squad
• Joker: Folie à Deux

Literature

• Harley Quinn: Reckoning

Live-Action TV

• Birds of Prey (2002)
• Arrow

Video Games

• Batman: Arkham Series
  • Batman: Arkham Asylum
  • Batman: Arkham City
  • Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate
  • Batman: Arkham Knight
• Batman: The Telltale Series
• DC Universe Online
• Injustice
  • Injustice: Gods Among Us
  • Injustice 2
• LEGO Batman Series
  • LEGO DC Super-Villains
• MultiVersus
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Western Animation

• The Batman (2004)
• Batman: Caped Crusader
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold
• DC Animated Universe
  • Batman: The Animated Series
  • Superman: The Animated Series
  • The New Batman Adventures
  • Static Shock
  • Justice League
• DC Super Hero Girls
• Harley Quinn
  • Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
• Justice League Action
• The LEGO Batman Movie
• Teen Titans Go!
• Justice League: Gods and Monsters "Twisted" short
• Injustice (2021)

Harley Quinn provides examples of:

• A-Cup Angst: As written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, encountering more buxom costumed characters like Wonder Woman or Power Girl will make her feel self-conscious about her lesser endowment.
• Abhorrent Admirer: To Batwoman when the two work together during the "Verdict" arc of Harley's fourth solo series. Harley is utterly smitten with Batwoman, and while Batwoman never outright shuts Harley down about it, she's clearly not interested in anything beyond their work.
• Abnormal Ammo: Those oversized "popguns" she carries can fire anything.
• Adaptational Intelligence: In the original Mad Love comic, written by her creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, and set in the DCAU, it's implied that Harley had slept her way through college to earn her psychology degree, otherwise she'd fail. When she jumped into the mainstream comics she became legitimately intelligent, though still puts on a front of being ditzy enough that it takes other characters by surprise. Most later adaptations follow suit.
• Adaptational Nationality: In DC Comics Bombshells, Harley is British.
• Adaptational Skimpiness: Harley has been hit with this a lot in The New '10s. It started with Batman: Arkham Asylum having her in a skimpy "sexy nurse" outfit as a call back to her previous career and to fit the setting, only to evolve from there. In the comics specifically in the New 52, Harley goes from a conservative jester suit to wearing a corset that barely holds her breasts and bares midriff, some hotpants, and stockings with combat boots. Her solo series sees her wearing some more conservative outfits, but they'll usually be showing off her legs, midriff, cleavage, or some combination of the three. The in-universe reason for this outfit change is that Harley is no longer attached to the Joker and she's trying to assert herself as an individual by ditching the matching jester outfit. Justified with her DC Comics Bombshells look since the whole work's style is inspired by 1940s pin-up art. She only wears a Bomber jacket, some shorts, combat boots, and a bra that matches her color scheme.
• Adaptational Villainy: Her Establishing Character Moment in the New 52 is blowing up a bunch of children with knock-off Game Boys she rigged into bombs. Definitely a step up from trying to feed Batman to piranhas in makeup.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Depending on the target audience, almost every version of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are best friends or life partners, with Harley being basically the only human Ivy has positive emotions towards.
• Affably Evil: Harley is insane, no doubt about it, but she's also one of the more social members of Batman's Rogue Gallery, having genuine friendships with several of the other rogues.
• Allegorical Character: She serves as one to toxic relationships, and more, specifically, trying to break out of self-destructive cycles.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Justified. Despite her sympathetic portrayal, she's very far from being innocent and virtuous herself.
• Alternate Company Equivalent: She started out as a villain but eventually evolved into a relatively brutal Anti-Hero with a comical streak who wears red and black. She also became a Breakout Character for DC and receives a lot of Wolverine Publicity to the point of appearing in multiple comics and locations that you might not think would revolve around her, whether it's in the Justice League, Themiscyra, Apokolips, or more. Additionally, Her stories generally feature more comedy, sexual content, and Bloodier and Gorier material compared to other heroes. Harley may not have a Healing Factor but by this point, she could be considered the female DC equivalent to Deadpool, despite Deadpool being based off of Deathstroke, especially now that she essentially fills the same environmental niche to DC that Deadpool does to Marvel in being a comical Anti-Hero who wears red and black and can sometimes turn the entire DC universe into her stomping grounds with her own unique brand of violence and Black Comedy.
• Amazon Chaser: Harley seems to have a thing for powerful women in the super community. Besides her relationship with the super powered Poison Ivy, she also has crushes on Power Girl and Wonder Woman, who are both strong enough to bench a planet at their best.
• Anti-Hero: She fluctuates between a good-hearted villain and devious but heroic very rapidly. With the New 52, she became a full Anti-Hero in her solo series; she doesn't try to cause trouble, it just happens, and she enforces justice in her own way, like freeing a neglected dog and punishing the owner, and rescuing an old woman who was robbed and giving her some money despite her own day going wrong in every way possible.
• Artifact Title: Her villain name. It's supposed to be a play on words of her real name which is based on the harlequin jester character. But after the New 52, she no longer wears her jester outfit.
• Ascended Extra: Originally designed so Joker could have a female henchman. Her design proved popular enough with the fans that eventually she made more appearances and more of her personality was fleshed out (she was more of a Deadpan Snarker in the early days chiding at one point to the Joker "You're sick, you know that, boss?") and got bigger roles till a back story was eventually made for her.
• Ascended Fanboy: In the New 52, she's a big Wonder Woman fan, and is overjoyed whenever she gets the chance to team up with her.
• Ax-Crazy: Not as concentrated on single, gruesome killings as her puddin', but much more enthusiastic towards large-scale property damage.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: One of her origin stories has her going for a job at Arkham Asylum because she doesn't feel challenged enough with regular therapy sessions. She got the job... and then met The Joker.
• Berserk Button:
  • As of the New 52 she is the Joker's Ex-Girlfriend. Bringing him up at all is a good way to set her off.
  • Harley loves animals of all sorts. Abuse an animal in front of her, and you'll learn what the Joker's former sidekick is capable of.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She is, by far, the bubbliest member of Batman's rogues gallery. However, do not think her lovelorn origin and bubbly demeanor mean she isn't a homicidal psychopath.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Blonde to Ivy's Redhead and Catwoman's Brunette in some cases.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: A downplayed example in the New 52. While most of the things she considers immoral aren't that weird, her reactions are often so violent and over the top, it's hard not to find them a bit disturbing. Case in point, in the first issue she sees a guy neglecting his puppy and gets upset enough to take the puppy under her wing and drag the guy behind her motorcycle till she eventually crashes (due to the cops chasing her) and he dies.
• Breakout Villain: As a Canon Immigrant, she proceeded to become one of the main characters (if not the main character) of several comic series, such as the Harley & Ivy mini-series, her own ongoing, and Gotham City Sirens. She became the main villain in the Birds Of Prey TV adaptation even though she's not prominent in the original comic, and got major roles in the Batman: Arkham Series. She also became a member of the Suicide Squad and got a second ongoing which became DC's highest-selling title with a female lead!
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Depending on how her Broken Ace and Sextra Credit tropes are interpreted, she may be this as well.
• Broken Ace: In her most recent interpretations, she was so gifted both physically and mentally (and extraordinarily attractive) that she labored under immense pressure to be perfect. She jumped so eagerly into her role as the Joker's dumb blonde sidekick because it freed her from people's expectations. If she's a dumb, clumsy blonde, or the Joker's mentally broken victim, no one expects anything out of her.
• Brooklyn Rage: She has a very nasal New York accent and it is later revealed that she is from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Her New 52 and Rebirth solo series are both explicitly set in Brooklyn.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Naturally. While the writers flip flop on whether she skirted her way through school or not, every once in a while she does show she's still a pretty skilled psychoanalyst despite the crazy.
• Canon Immigrant: Her first appearance was in Batman: The Animated Series, and she proved so popular that she was eventually canonized into the comics proper.
• Catchphrase: Inter-media examples, in that these often show up in most mediums that she appears in.
  (as an introduction): "Call me Harley! Everyone does."
  (because expected of her): "Puddin'."
• Character Development: In most modern depictions, she's outgrown her abusive relationship with the Joker and either become more independent or entered into a happier relationship with Ivy. Although how healthy that pairing is largely Depending on the Writer.
• Cheap Costume: Her pre-Flashpoint outfit was an off-the-rack jester costume she stole from a costume shop, while her New 52 costume consists of items she pilfered from various women around Gotham.
• Closest Thing We Got: At one point in Suicide Squad, after Flag is lost in the Phantom Zone Waller appoints Harley as the leader of the Squad as the only one reasonably reliable in such a role, compared to the more blatantly psychotic Killer Croc or the more mercenary Deadshot.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Even when she does get declared sane, she's still weird.
• Composite Character: Harley's motif is primarily based on the Arlequin, being an acrobatic and over-the-top trickster, but her one-sided and unrequited relationship with the Joker has semblance to another character from Commedia dell'Arte, the Pierrot.
• Crazy in the Head, Crazy in the Bed: Harley is often sexualized due to her being a Sexy Jester with Ax-Crazy / Cloudcuckoolander tendencies, and is often shown to be a wild and enthusiastic lover. She may annoy some of her lovers and partners with her antics, but they never complain about how passionate and crazy hot she is.
• Critical Psychoanalysis Failure: Granted, Joker does this a lot, but none of his other doctors wound up in love with him. She once wrote up a report on the Joker claiming that he was perfectly sane, but simply faking it to avoid the death penalty, and because he was enjoying his own maniacal behavior. This arguably subverts this trope, since Depending on the Writer this is exactly what The Joker is doing, meaning she is the first one to crack him (she probably thinks this makes him a genius).
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Despite her ditzy personality, Harley is a competent fighter and is unstable enough to be unpredictable. She's even gotten the drop on Batman once or twice. From time to time, the comics will remind the reader that Harley is trained in the art of getting into people's heads and will use this to her advantage.
• Cute and Psycho: Cute as a button and more than willing to murder.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: When voiced by Arleen Sorkin her voice definitely has a Fran Drescher quality to it. The BTAS origins episode shows that she's capable of speaking in a more normal voice and only switched to the "Harley Screech" after donning the costume.
• Dark Action Girl: She is a very spectacular gymnast. Her skills rival those of Catwoman and Nightwing.
• Dark Mistress: Harley is in an abusive relationship with the Joker. It's a connection she can never quite shake off even when Poison Ivy shows her she can be a supervillain without him, and Batman shows her she doesn't have to be a supervillain at all. In fact, it seems that every time Harley isn't Joker's Dark Mistress, she's Ivy's. In the DC Animated Universe it's only after Joker dies that she's finally able to get out of it.
• D-Cup Distress: In one comic, Harley wishes to have breasts the size of Power Girl's, only to immediately collapse when she finds she can't stand up with them.
• Decomposite Character: Harley was subjected to this in Batman: White Knight. Harleen Quinzel was Harley Quinn I, who walked very close to her pre-New 52 incarnation, and was the legitimate but misguided clinical psychologist who fell in love with this continuity's Joker (who himself is closer to his 60's incarnation than the murderous version of the past few decades), but his insanity eventually drove her away. Harley Quinn II was eventually recruited by Joker, and she's basically the New 52 Harley, insanity, fanservicey outfit, and unhealthy relationship with the Joker and all. It's eventually shown that she was a bank teller named Marian Drews, who one day decided to slit her wrists at work when the monotony became too much. The Joker robbed her bank that day, and he actually saved her life and nursed her back to health. When Joker went sane and turned into Jack Napier, Jack tried to make amends and propose to Harley Quinn II, who rejected him and demanded he go back to his old persona; Harley Quinn I immediately stepped in and took Jack and the ring.
• Depending on the Writer:
  • Is Harley a psychologist or a psychiatrist? In Batman: The Animated Series she was a psychologist; however, the comics have zigzagged between the two. It's possible the writers don't recognize they're two very different careers and mix them up (the latter adds an Improbable Age layer, given psychiatry requires the 5+ years graduating med school and Harley always looks as if she's in her mid-20s).
  • It's almost always agreed upon that Harley is smarter than she lets on but just how much and how sensible she is can vary greatly from story to story. She can be a Dumb Blonde, a Genius Ditz, in reality, her entire personality can be a facade that she changes depending on the situation, or she could be anything in-between. Similarly, is she clinically insane or does she understand her actions?
  • The details of her life before meeting the Joker - what her family's like, how she got through college, whether she was already psychologically broken, etc.
  • In the New 52 she is a fun Anti-Hero in her solo series while totally Ax-Crazy in Suicide Squad.
  • Is her strong Brooklyn accent her "real" accent or just an affectation? Depictions have gone back and forth on this.
• Depraved Bisexual: Subverted. While she is both depraved and bisexual, neither trait really has anything to do with the other (for the most part); she was the more sympathetic, caring person in her one-sided tryst with the Joker (by default), and her relationship with Ivy, even in its rocky moments, is depicted as much healthier and more mutually affectionate than her old one.
• Determined Defeatist: When she's presented as a hero, Harley drops a lot of her Heroic Comedic Sociopath schtick and reveals a deeper self-loathing over the things she did as a minion of the Joker, turning her into a Byronic Hero. She's intelligent, athletic, and conventionally attractive... but she's also extremely psychologically warped and damaged by her past relationships. She knows that she can never make up for the atrocities she helped the Joker commit or all of the lives she helped destroy, but tries regardless because it's the only way she can live with herself. This genuine desire to change is what allows people, even someone like Batman, to take pity on her and make her a tentative, unofficial member of the extended Bat-Family.
• The Dog Bites Back: When working with the Joker, she takes a lot of abuse. But there's only so much she'll take before she turns on him and hits back hard.
• Domestic Abuse: Perhaps the poster child for this trope in the Superhero universe. If you were going to give the Joker a girlfriend, it really couldn't go any other way. Exactly how abusive Joker is to her depends on the incarnation, but it remains a fact that Joker is not at all healthy for Harley to be around.
• Domino Mask: She wears one as part of her classic outfit. She also wears a hat and full face paint, which gives the impression of a full mask. However this might have something to do with her costume being based on that of Harlequin, a stock character of the Italian Commedia dell'arte. However, once she loses the harlequin theme in the New 52, the mask is replaced with streaked eye makeup.
• The Dragon: She is often the main lackey for the Joker and is integral towards setting his plans into motion.
• Dumbass Has a Point: When visiting Black Canary in hospital after she's given birth, one of the gifts she brings is a muzzle. Canary is mildly exasperated by the gift until this exchange:
  BC: Why would he need a muzzle?
  Harley: Please. I can't tell you how useful muzzles were when I first got my hyenas.
  BC: He's a baby. Not a pack hunter.
  Harley: Yeah. But babies scream. And when you scream, crazy, deafening, smashy power comes out. If he gets that power early...
  BC: ...Give me the muzzle.
• Dumb Blonde: She's really psychopathic, but still a ditzy, kinda sweet girl. Though this personality can be either genuine, Obfuscating Stupidity, or both, depending on the writer. Paul Dini, her creator, arguably saw her as this, but later writers have upped her intelligence and capability, particularly after leaving the Joker behind.
  Harley: Hah! And here you thought I was just another bubble-headed, blonde bimbo! Well, the joke's on you; I'm not even a real blonde!^note  In the New 52 continuity, her blondeness is apparently genuine; either that or she's been dying it for an inordinately long time
• Empowered Badass Normal: Although this is rarely brought up, in the main DC continuity Harley is mildly superhuman, with enhanced strength, healing, and an immunity to most poisons, because of being dosed with a herbal Super Serum by Poison Ivy in her first appearance. She was already skilled enough in gymnastics that she was considered Olympics material.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She genuinely loves Poison Ivy and is also shown to be affectionate towards her niece Jenny and her nephew Nicky in Gotham City Sirens.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • She has a soft spot for animals and does NOT take kindly to people who abuse them. In one story, she and Ivy also rescued a young girl who was being chased by a sexual predator. Harley may be a homicidal supervillain, but even she thinks child abusers are the scum of the Earth. She also refused to keep fighting Black Canary when she worked out Canary was pregnant. In the New 52 Harley still loves animals to the point of saving a whole bunch from being killed with the help of Ivy.
  • She didn't like the new female Ventriloquist Peyton Riley, especially when she trash-talked her predecessor Arnold Wesker, since Wesker was kind to her when she first became an inmate at Arkham. She went so far as to tip the Gotham police off when Riley recruited her for one of her crimes (Riley had kidnapped her from Arkham at the time, and Harley was legitimately trying to go straight).
  • In Batman: White Knight, Harley Quinn I left Joker (himself closer to the Batman (1966) incarnation) when she suspected him of murdering Jason Todd, and only takes him back when he starts taking medication that successfully treats his condition (it's also revealed Jason Todd faked his death to get away from Batman, and framed Joker).
• Everyone Is Christian at Christmas: Harley doesn't let any non-practicing Judaism get in the way of being one of the biggest Christmas lovers in the DC Universe. Paul Dini himself elaborated in Gotham City Sirens that her family on her dad Nick's side is Catholic, and many of the few fond childhood memories she has are of celebrating with her family.
• Expy: When the character was first conceived for the animated series, Harley seemed to stand-in for Jerry Hall's Dark Mistress character Alicia Hunt from Batman (1989) due to being a lover of the Joker, being blonde and always stand by his side most of the time. Harley's make up even resembles Alicia's when she removes her porcelain mask. In the New 52, Harley getting her skin bleached could likely be a nod to Alicia in the film having acid thrown on her face that disfigures her and requires her to wear a mask. Harley's abuse at the hands of the Joker in general also references how Alicia was treated badly if getting acid thrown on her face before throwing herself out the window is any indication. Speaking of thrown out the window, in the one-shot "Mad Love," Joker pushing Harley out the window from a second story building could likely reference Joker's account of Alicia having thrown herself out the window with possibilities that the Joker may have thrown her out himself if it wasn't suicide.
• Females Are More Innocent: It varies Depending on the Writer, but most of her appearances fall into one of the two main types of this trope; when she's the Joker's henchman, she's his less villainous counterpart turned evil by his influence, while when she's on her own she's an Anti-Hero or marginal villain with her backstory with him as a Freudian Excuse.
• Flexibility Equals Sex Ability: The fact she's a flexible gymnast is implied to lead to her being really kinky in bed.
• Fluffy Tamer: To everyone else, the Joker's snarling pet hyenas are a menace; to her, they are her "babies."
• Genki Girl: She tends to be hyper-cheerful most of the time, even during dangerous situations.
• Girlish Pigtails: Harley wears her hair in a pair of side pigtails to mirror the shape of her jester hat. This came in full effect after the New 52, where she's done away with the jester cap and uses her hair to replace it.
• Glass Cannon: In all continuities. Even though she definitely can fight, she isn't very resistant and is often easily knocked-out when things get physical.
• Good Angel, Bad Angel: Her first ongoing series sometimes had her converse with a shoulder angel resembling her original self Dr. Harleen Quinzel and a shoulder devil resembling the Joker.
• Good Is Not Nice: She can be on the extreme end of this spectrum as an Anti-Hero. Harley can have a good heart for children and animals. But whether you're a hero or a villain or just someone who's not really good but doesn't necessarily deserve Disproportionate Retribution, Harley will more than happily low blow you or bite your nose off if she feels like it.
• Granola Girl: Downplayed. Through her friendships with Ivy and Swampthing, Harley sometimes finds herself on the side of the green. Inverted in that she is usually the one to steer Ivy away from wiping out humanity whenever her plans go too far.
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: She and the Joker invert this. Joker's usually armed with a gun, and Harley has a mallet.
• Has a Type: Redheaded women. Harley has been a romantic parter to Poison Ivy and has expressed attraction toward Batwoman.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: If someone asks you if Harley is a hero or a villain, your best answer is "yes". When she's a hero, she's an Anti-Hero, dispensing justice in her own way and being incredibly violent while she does it. When she's a villain, she's a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds because of the crap she's put through by The Joker. She's gone back and forth over the line between hero and villain so many times that it's hard to say whose side she falls on, besides her own.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: When her relationship with Poison Ivy isn't depicted as romantic, it's this. Harley is the one human that Ivy can stand, and a source of support for Harley in her darker moments.
• Iconic Sequel Character: She's one of the best-known Batman-associated characters nowadays, but was only created in the 1990s.
• If It's You, It's Okay: Though she's officially listed as bisexual, it's possible she's this way with Poison Ivy. She has a long list of random men she gets with, but Ivy is the only female she has shown to be sexual with. The New 52 has started to rectify this and in her solos, if she teams up with a female character, like Power Girl or Wonder Woman, expect her to start flirting with them.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Often depicted as such but she still has some bouts of true efficiency and is in fact the villain who got the closest to actually killing Batman. But well, Mad Love you know...
• Insanity Immunity: In Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, she looks into Johnny Sorrow's face, which usually kills anyone who sees it. She's unaffected, describing it as "cute", and subsequently explains to Wonder Woman "Once you've looked into one abyss you've seen 'em all".
• Legacy Character: Only implied so far; Joker hints that he had "other Harleys" before her in "Death of the Family", but that could be his way of psyching her out. The non-canon "Batman: White Knight" takes the idea and runs with it, revealing that the "classic" Harley left after Mr. J got a little too crazy, to be replaced with the ditzier, more hyperactive, more scantily-clad New 52 version.
• Love Freak: During her more extreme moments.
• Love Makes You Crazy: She fell in love with The Joker. Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it.
• Love Makes You Evil: She was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum until she was assigned to The Joker. Falling in love with him, she broke him out and joined him as his girl sidekick. To what degree the Joker returns her feelings is questionable, ranging from 1% to zero. However, almost all her evil acts are an attempt to secure his affection.
• Love Martyr: Oh, God, Harley Quinn, going back and forth between a girlfriend who treats her like dirt and a boyfriend who frequently tries to kill her. She bounces back and forth between this trope and Mad Love, depending on how sympathetically her romantic woes are treated in the current story.
• Mad Love: The Trope Namer by way of a story arc from the comics that was later adapted into an episode, though the degree that she and Joker actually apply (whether Joker actually cares about Harley in any way) varies Depending on the Writer.
• Master of Disguise: One of her more understated talents, but she's very good with disguises and impersonations. In the animated series, she was able to fool the police by dressing as a lady cop, an attorney, and a security guard in various episodes. In her first solo series, she actually spent a significant period practicing Psychiatry under a fake identity, and has a similar set-up in her New 52 and Rebirth series.
• Meaningful Name: Harley Quinn's name is a pun on Harlequin, to match her jester theme.
• Morality Pet: Oddly, not just for the Joker or Poison Ivy (not that it works for the Joker); almost all the other inmates at Arkham seem to have a bit of a soft spot for Harley. (For example, in the cartoon episode "Harley's Holiday", the Scarecrow pauses mid-villainous rant to greet her warmly.) It's implied that most of them don't look down on the Joker because he kills people, but because they disapprove of his abuse of Harley.
• Ms. Fanservice: She often wears a tight jester suit and switches it out for what can best be described as a bikini designed to resemble her former appearance. In "Mad Love" she wears a see-through red negligee also. And in the New 52 her outfits are more incredibly revealing.
• Mugged for Disguise: She's been known to mug people in order to replace them, such as an opera singer in the Hush storyline and a rock groupie in "Love on the Lam".
• Naughty Nurse Outfit: In Batman: Arkham Asylum. This costume became iconic more or less instantly. In subsequent appearances across all media, Harley is as likely to show up wearing her Asylum outfit as her original harlequin tights. New designs (like the Suicide Squad cover above) tend to draw from the elements of the Asylum costume (red/blue/purple palette, medical gear, corset) as much as the old one.
• The Nicknamer: She lovingly calls the Joker "Mr. J" and "pud'n". She also refers to Poison Ivy as "Red", Catwoman as "Kitty" or "Whiskas", and (occasionally) Batman as "B-Man".
• Obfuscating Stupidity: it is often implied that she's smarter than she appears and only pretends to be dumb.
• Odd Friendship: Harley is one of the most social members of Batman's Rogues Gallery. She's actually quite fond of the original Ventriloquist, Arnold Wesker, thanks to his trying to cheer her up the first time she was thrown into of Arkham. She also views the Riddler as a friend, and has occasionally helped him in his detective work. In the animated series, she also appears to be on friendly terms with Professor Jonathan "Scarecrow" Crane — he even stops ranting and screaming at the guards just long enough to smile and say hello to her. The Animated Series also implies that she even views Killer Croc as a friend. In volume 5 of her solo title, she also gets on surprisingly well with Solomon Grundy.
• Odd Name, Normal Nickname: Harley Quinn's real name is Harleen Quinzel; "Harleen" is not a real name.
• Of Corsets Sexy: Her first outfit in the New 52 featured a tiny, barely closed corset, and some later variations on her costume include one as well.
• One True Love: She is this for Poison Ivy and it's mutual. Ivy admits in her series that the only things she loves are the Earth and Harley.
• Only Sane Woman: Briefly, in the 2016 Suicide Squad run; the Black Vault energies which are driving everyone else in Belle Reve insane have the opposite effect on her, bringing her rational side to the fore. It lasts until the Vault's properly sealed again.
• Perky Female Minion: She's an unrepentant murderer, but so cheerful and so absolutely devoted to "Mistah J" that one can't help but pity her when he slaps her around and/or threatens to kill her.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Harley is ‘’short,’’ usually drawn half a head shorter than even other female characters. However, people underestimate her at their peril.
• Psychopathic Womanchild: Occasionally pops up in the main comics, and practically outlined in her original solo series - which all but established that she's detached from reality and now sees the world like one big cartoon, and that her actions are like a game. As a result she often acts, and sometimes thinks, like a sugar-high kid.
• Punny Name: Her full name sounds like the word "Harlequin", and gets make fun of it when she was young. It soon became her official alias.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Played with. She wears a black and red playing card motif. But despite being a villain sometimes, she isn't as overtly malicious as some other DC supervillains. That being said, even if she does have a softer side compared to someone like Joker, she can still ruin your day and maim you at the drop of a pin if she's feeling impulsive.
• Reformed, but Rejected: A lot of stories were Harley tries to go straight end in disaster simply because no one believes she is genuinely trying to change.
• Relationship Revolving Door: Played for tragedy back when she was with Joker. With Joker being an abusive asshole, she would occasionally swear off him after his latest bout of abuse, only to go right back to him a second later. Ultimately defied when she left him for good.
• Ring of Power: During the events of Harley's Little Black Book, she got her hands on a merged red and black lantern ring and briefly wore Hal's Green Lantern ring after he was knocked unconscious near the end of the issue. She was also drafted into the Sinestro corps for a bit.
• Sex Goddess: She is often portrayed as a enthusiastic and highly satisfying lover due to her wild and unpredictable personality and her flexibility and gymnastic skills.
• Sextra Credit: Some versions of her origin story indicate that she got through college by sexual favors rather than academic performance. The extent to which this is the case depends on the writer, however, and she occasionally shows glimpses of great intellect even in stories involving this.
• Sexy Jester: In her initial costume, while showing minimal skin, too!
• She-Fu: She studied to be a doctor, but can do Olympic-level gymnastics as she went to college on a gymnastics scholarship, and received superhuman abilities from Poison Ivy during the first of their adventures.
• Shrinking Violet: She's usually portrayed as being very shy and reserved before meeting The Joker. Needless to say, that's changed quite a bit.
• Skin-Tone Disguise: As of the New 52 reboot, Harley has bleached white skin thanks to the Joker throwing her in a vat of acid. Issue #4 of her 2014 solo series has her applying makeup on most of her body to look like her old self, a process she finds very tedious, but necessary so she can continue working as a psychiatrist.
• Social Services Does Not Exist: At least one iteration of her origin story shows that the Quinzel family was not kind to Harleen; her siblings whine incessantly, her mother is very demanding of her, her father belittles her quite hard, and none of them care about her future. Part of her motivation to get her college degree and a job was just to get away from them, which would eventually lead her to the Joker...
• The Sociopath: Narrowly averted. While she does have some of the symptoms (need for excitement, poor impulse control), she is capable of showing true, genuine love and compassion, and sometimes feels remorse after doing something really awful, things true sociopaths don't do.
• Stating the Simple Solution: Suggests just shooting Batman to Joker, who proceeds to blow up on her (then later use this idea).
• Stripperiffic: While she had a traditionally conservative costume where only her face is uncovered, the New 52 makes her outfit incredibly revealing. This is lampshaded by Harley herself, at one point referring to her look as a "stripper clown outfit".
• Superpowers for a Day: In her own solo series, she sometimes gets super powers.
  • In Vol 3 issue 45, she gets recruited into the Female Furries and becomes the Physical God Hammer Harleen. She loses said powers two issues later.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Poison Ivy's Girly-girl. Ivy is much more feminine, passive-aggressive, demure, and can't do much fighting without her abilities. Harley is more physically capable, more of a Blood Knight, and much more aggressive.
• Undying Loyalty: Zigzagged to all hell. Most times, she is almost always loyal to Mr. J and will go above and beyond to please him. Other times, she sets off on her own when she's fed up with his abusive behavior. How far she leans into either path is Depending on the Writer.
• Unholy Matrimony: She and Mr J. are one textbook example. Averted with Poison Ivy. While both women are far from sane, they tend to bring out the best in each other.
• Villainous Friendship:
  • She may find Ivy too serious at times but their friendship is genuine on both sides.
  • She developed a liking for Arnold Wesker, the first Ventriloquist, for reaching out to her when she was put in Arkham for the first time. Because of this, she would later scorn the second Ventriloquist for "stealing another crook's gimmick".
• Villainous Harlequin: Her name and costume is based on a Harlequin.
• Wild Card: Whether Harley is an Affably Evil villain who isn't as evil as other DC supervillains or a more Ax-Crazy Anti-Hero with an edge, she's extremely unstable and unpredictable. If you're a villain and there's something about your plans she doesn't like, she may very well just ruin your day for it. And if you're a hero, she's just as liable to sucker punch, stab, or low blow you out of nowhere if she's upset. Even if you're just a security guard trying to do your job of restraining her, you could find yourself on the ground screaming profusely after she's bitten your ear off for it.
• Wolverine Publicity:
  • In the Suicide Squad. Even when she is not the main character in the story, she features as central on the cover.
  • Her presence as a team member in the first arc of Birds of Prey (2023) was almost certainly to attract casual DC readers to try the title.
• Would Hurt a Child: In Detective Comics #23.2, the New 52-Harley massacred hundreds of children by using bombs disguised as handheld gaming consoles. All stories after it came out treat the story apart from the origin (which has also been changed in some ways in Harley's solo book) part as non-canon due to having Harley wildly out of character and having Harley do things that no main incarnation of her would ever do. Harley's crazy but she doesn't kill kids.
• Yandere: It's rare, but even the Joker is scared of her when she goes into this mode. Or turned on. It could go either way.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Every possibility for her to return sane is always shut down.

Poison Ivy/Pamela Isley

Bud and Lou

Harley's two hyenas. Originally, they were the Joker's pets, but he appears to have abandoned them.

• All Animals Are Dogs: They definitely act like dogs in the comics, even though hyenas are more closely related to cats.
• Heinous Hyena: Played with: they are Harley's hyenas and she goes back and forth from villain to anti-hero, so they alternatively do bad and good things.
• Named After Somebody Famous: Joker named them after the comedy team Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

Nick Quinzel

Harley's father. In the pre-New 52, he was a con man and in the post-New 52, he was some sort of criminal, having spent several years on Rikers Island, before dedicating himself to his family. However, he was never a good influence on Harley and they became estranged until she began rebuilding her life in Coney Island.

• Disappeared Dad: Nick had a long stretch in Rikers Island while his wife, Sharon, raised their three sons.
• Family Man: Despite all his bad tendencies, Nick loves his family and will do anything for them.
• Freudian Excuse: It's implied that Harley's criminal tendencies come from him and also her bad taste in men.
• Happily Married: To Sharon, Harley's mother.
• Parents as People: It's clear that he's a complicated person, but he dearly loves his wife and children.

Sharon Quinzel

Harley's mother. She was a medical researcher who ended up quitting her job to marry Nick Quinzel and have Harleen. She then had three more sons, although Nick would be in and out of prison and Harley would go off to become a supervillain. Having been estranged from her daughter for years, she and Harley eventually made up and grew closer. However, she was then diagnosed with cancer and, even though Harley tried her hardest to save her, passed away.

• Breaking the Fourth Wall: In Harley Quinn vol 3 #50, the Fourth Wall breaks entirely when DC continuity is shattered and Sharon turns into flower petals and floats away. To save her mother, Harley tracks down the writer of unofficial Harley Quinn comics, Meredith Clatterbuck, in order to save DC continuity and her mother. Eventually, DC continuity and Sharon are restored as Meredith Clatterbuck is made a writer for in-continuity Harley Quinn comics. Even after Sharon's death, Harley can still see her mother in Meredith's comics.
• Even Bad Women Love Their Mamas: Harley may have been estranged from her for a while, but she still clearly loves her very much. When it's revealed that Sharon is dying, Harley goes to the ends of the earth to find a cure for cancer in order to save her, but can't.
• Extremely Protective Child: Harley ends up going to STAR Labs and even Lex Luthor to get a cure for her mom's cancer, but it's all for nothing.
• Talking to the Dead: After Sharon's death, Harley still has conversations with her in her mind.

Barry Quinzel

The oldest of Harley's three younger brothers. He's a heavy metal musician and thorn in Harley's side. He also has two children, Little Nicky and Jenny, although he is estranged from his ex-wife and only recently regained visitation rights.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: Harley finds him annoying.

Frankie Quinzel

The second youngest of Harley's three younger brothers. He's a Science Fair winning genius who also has poor social skills.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: Harley thinks he's obnoxious.
• Gadgeteer Genius:
• No Social Skills:

Ezzie Quinzel

The youngest of Harley's three younger brothers.

• Morality Pet: Harley is much less annoyed by him than her other two brothers.

The Quinntets

Members: Lewis LeBeau, Buster, Kenny Two-Bear, Nix Two-Bear, Lester Wilde, Brad, Margo Wachsler, Matches Malone, Bob

John Bishop

The Tailor

Alias: Jake

• Only One Name: His full name was never mentioned.

Doc

Amanda

Big Tony

Alias: Anthony Delfini

One of Harley's tenants and a member of the Coney Island Freakfest and Burlesque. He is friends is friends with Mason Macabre and his mother Madame Macabre. He is also dating Queenie.

• Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Seems to have been patterned after Glenn Danzig: short (although exaggerated in that Tony is an actual little person), buff, long-haired, and Hell-Bent for Leather.
• Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: He's very short and is dating the incredibly tall Queenie.
• Ironic Nickname: He's a short person nicknamed 'Big' Tony.

The Brooklyn Bruisers

Members: Bowling 'Bell, Skye Scrapper, Summer Daze, Tanya Tank

Goat Boy

• Fauns and Satyrs: He looks like a humanoid goat, essentially making him a satyr or faun.

Queenie

A member of the Coney Island Freakfest and Burlesque, she is dating Harley's friend Big Tony and designed Harley's new costume.

• Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: She's much taller than the average person, and is dating the very short Big Tony.

Madame Macabre

Alias: Lana Macabre

Sy Borgman

• Cyborg: He's a human with robotic parts.
• Punny Name: He's a cyborg named Sy Borgman.

Bernie the Beaver

Dr. Hertz

Gang of Harleys

Members: Bolly Quinn, Carli Quinn, Coach, Hanuquinn, Harlem Harley, Harley Queens, Harvey Quinn, the Quintuplets

• Custom Uniform of Sexy: Bolly Quinn, Harlem Harley, Hanuquinn and Harvey Quinn all wear outfits that expose their midsections.
• Five-Token Band: Carlita Alvarez/Carli Quinn is Latina, Shona Choudhury/Bolly Quinn is Indian-American, Hannah Borgman/Hanuquinn is Jewish, Antonia Moore/Harlem Harley is African-American, Erica Zhang/Harley Queens is Asian-American and Harvey McPhearson/Harvey Quinn is gay.
• The One Guy: Harvey Quinn is the only member of the Gang of Harleys who is a man.

Captain Horatio Strong

• Affectionate Parody: Of Popeye.
• The Bus Came Back: Back in Pre-Crisis days, he was a recurring character in Superman's adventures.

Mike the Rooster

A rooster given to Harley Quinn by Ms. Diaz as a reward for dealing with the people who had been stealing her garbage cans.

Red Tool

Alias: Wayne Wilkins

• Alliterative Name: Wade Wilkins. Ws, just like the character he's based on.
• Ascended Extra: Was originally a security guard that Harley manipulated into protecting her from a mind controlled crowd of wannabe suitors.
• Captain Ersatz: Pretty obviously of Marvel's Deadpool.
• Expy Coexistence: In a roundabout way. Red Tool is clearly a take-off of Deadpool, who was himself a knock-off of DC's own Deathstroke.

Nathan

Coach

Alias: Holly Hamden

• Alliterative Name: Holly Hamden.

Petite Tina

• Face of a Thug: Despite her intimidating appearance and strength, Tina is surprisingly shy and even agoraphobic.
• Gentle Giant: She might be huge and intimidating, but she's pretty friendly and something of a Cowardly Lion.
• Horned Humanoid: She has a pair of large horns in her head.
• Ironic Name: She's named Petite Tina, yet she's much bigger than the average inhabitant of Apokolips.

The Joker

• Politically Incorrect Villain: He has a vendetta against a man called Nathan Drumm for being in a gay relationship with his son. His homophobia is in fact suggested by Harley to be the reason he's in Hell in the first place.

Egg Fu (Edgar Fullerton Yeung)

• Cyborg: Her grandson turned her into one.

Eli Kaufman