nancy_king29•8d agoMost Upvoted

Drives me nuts when people call Harley Quinn a 'villain' still

She's been an anti-hero for over a decade now, but I keep seeing posts in fan groups labeling her as just 'the Joker's girlfriend'. It's like they only watched the Batman animated series from 1992 and skipped everything since. Has anyone else noticed this trend with other characters getting stuck in their early portrayals?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oliver8d ago

Read an interview with Paul Dini where he talked about how the character evolved from a joke to something more complex. He made it clear Harley was never meant to stay in the Joker's shadow forever. That context matters when people try to reduce her whole history to one version.

holly7098d ago

Harley being his therapist in BTAS literally created the whole dynamic though.

stellat468d ago

Paul Dini's interview really changed how I see Harley's whole arc. Honestly, the way she started as a joke character but grew into her own person shows how good writing can evolve. Ngl, some fans just want to keep her stuck in the abusive cycle with Joker like it's the only version that matters. Tbh, that ignores the whole point of her leaving and becoming independent later on. It's way more interesting to watch her break free than stay a punching bag forever.