Harley Quinn

History

Creation and development

Harley Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series episode entitled "Joker's Favor" while Dini was writing the episode. For the episode, Dini decided to put henchpeople for the title episode character as comic relief to lighten the story, as Dini described as a dark story. Initially written as an animated equivalent of a walk-on role, Harley Quinn was intended to appear in just one episode. Her popularity was unexpected, and the character became a surprise success. As Dini was putting together the story for the episode, he created Harley Quinn because it needed a character for the Joker to have pop out of a cake, and the idea of the Joker doing it seemed too strange, so Dini and the crew devised a female sidekick to be the surprise, but finally decided to put him inside the cake instead while keeping Harley in the episode. Then Dini wanted to introduce a foil for the supervillain the Joker that would emphasize the Joker's comic book personality traits: funny, scary, and egotistical. He then thought of giving Joker a henchwoman, inspired by the molls of the 1960s live-action Batman series, among other TV series, and then decided she would be a "funny counterpart to the Joker to maybe work up a little Punch and Judy attitude between them"; Dini stated, "[...] she could crack a joke and the henchmen would laugh, and the Joker would kind of glare at her". The character idea dated back in 1991, when Dini witnessed his college friend Arleen Sorkin play a jester in an episode of Days of Our Lives. Dini then based Harley Quinn on Sorkin, incorporating aspects such as her mannerisms and "snappy, wisecracking, bubbly blonde" personality. Dini even decided to have Sorkin voice her. In recording Harley Quinn's voice, Sorkin spoke in her normal New York accent while putting in a "little Yiddish sound", since Dini made the character Jewish, another aspect of the character borrowed from Sorkin; Dini described her voice for the character as having "a snappy blonde but also kind of a bad girl": "a little bit of Adelaide from Guys and Dolls, a little bit of Judy Holliday", and "a lot of Arleen", stating that it sounded "very close" to Sorkin's voice.

Dini had several names in mind while naming the character, such as Columbine, and eventually settled on the name "Harley Quinn". Dini chose the name for the character to be in line with other Batman characters's names being puns, and also because he thought "Harley was a fun name for a girl". The name Harley Quinn is a play on Harlequin, a stock character from the sixteenth-century Italian physical comedy theater commedia dell'arte.

In designing the character, Timm did a "simplified supervillain version" of traditional Harlequin gear; from the commedia dell'arte original, he took the jester hat, ruffled collar, diamond pattern, and domino mask and put them on a red-and-black bodysuit, on which the diamonds were strategically placed for easier animation. Timm took Harley Quinn's red and black color scheme from the Golden Age comic book character Daredevil. Dini had previously made a rough design for the character, which Timm improved on.

Expanded role

After seeing Harley Quinn in the rough cut of "Joker's Favor", the producers of Batman: The Animated Series, which include Dini and Timm, were impressed with the result, with Dini wanting to bring the character back for more episodes. Timm and another producer, Alan Burnett, were initially reluctant of this and thought that giving Joker a girlfriend "played more towards his comedic side" and would "humanize him too much", which contrasted their vision for Joker as a character who is "as serious a threat as possible to Batman". Nevertheless, months after "Joker's Favor", Harley made a second appearance on the show in the episode "The Laughing Fish", which she became the Joker's love interest, and "Almost Got 'Im", though, by airdate, the latter episode came out earlier than the first. In "Joker's Wild", which is between "The Laughing Fish" and "Almost Got 'Im" by production and vice-versa by airdate, in the title casino, waiters dressed as Harley appear, along with a photograph of her in a file. Harley Quinn gained popularity with fans of The Animated Series, with the character being featured more on the show and eventually starring in her own episodes, such as 1993's "Harley and Ivy", which introduced a friendship/romance between her and fellow supervillain Poison Ivy, and 1994's "Harlequinade" and "Harley's Holiday", which explored her life without the Joker. Harley Quinn then became a recurring character in the DC Animated Universe, appearing in The Animated Series sequel The New Batman Adventures, the direct-to-video film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and in non-Batman animation such as Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and Justice League. In February 1994, she made her first appearance in a video game in The Adventures of Batman and Robin, an action platformer based on Batman: The Animated Series.

Transition to comic books

Because of her popularity, Harley Quinn was adapted into DC's comic books. In September 1993 (cover date), a year following Harley Quinn's first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series, the character made her comic book debut in the 12th issue of The Batman Adventures, a series set in the universe of The Animated Series, and became a regular character. In 1997, she appeared in the story Batman: Thrillkiller, released under Elseworlds, a DC Comics imprint that published out-of-continuity alternate reality stories, as Hayley Fitzpatrick. In 1999, she became a canonical character with the release of Batman: Harley Quinn.

In February 1994, the one-shot The Batman Adventures: Mad Love recounting Harley's origin was released. Written by Dini and drawn by Timm, the story marks their first comic book collaboration. Mad Love introduces Harley Quinn as a former psychologist named Harleen Quinzel who fell in love with the Joker during her internship at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum and details her transformation into the Joker's villainous accomplice Harley Quinn, as well as the Joker's lack of respect for Harley. Widely considered the definitive Harley Quinn story, Mad Love added dimensions to the character, with Dini introducing Harley Quinn's motivations as well as establishing her as a tragic and sympathetic figure. The story received wide praise and won the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best Single Issue in the same year and was later adapted into an episode of the same name in The New Batman Adventures in 1999.

Mad Love establishes Harley Quinn's full name to be Harleen Frances Quinzel. "Harleen Frances" was taken from Sorkin's first and middle name, Arleen Frances, while "Quinzel" came from one of Dini's former Emerson College instructors, who was surnamed Quenzel.

Harley Quinn was adapted into the mainstream DC Universe with the 1999 one-shot graphic novel Batman: Harley Quinn, written by Dini and illustrated by Yvel Guichet, which put her origin in the middle of the Batman: No Man's Land story line. Dini changed Harley and the Joker's relationship to be darker to match the Joker's character in the comics; in the story, the Joker attempts to kill Harley at the first opportunity. Harley's immunity to toxins and enhanced strength and agility, which were gained from a special formula created by Poison Ivy, were carried over from Batman: The Animated Series, with Dini stating that they would give her a sort of "physical edge" over Batman and other heroes.

First ongoing series

While pursuing new assignments at DC Comics' offices in New York City, Karl Kesel was approached by former DC editor Matt Idelson to create a pitch for Harley Quinn's first ongoing series, which Kesel accepted, being a fan of the character after having read Mad Love. Kesel chose Terry Dodson as the artist for the series, whose art Kesel thought complemented the character's cartoonish roots and worldview. Kesel called Dodson and asked him if he was interested on working on the comic, to which Dodson agreed, and the two worked for a month on their proposal for the series, which was to make a comic about "love gone horribly, terribly wrong". The proposal was accepted by DC Comics, and the pair began work on the series, with Kesel and Dodson both being involved in the storytelling, and Dodson bringing in his wife, Rachel Dodson, to ink. Kesel's run on the series began being published in December 2000, and was about Harley Quinn leaving the Joker and becoming a solo criminal, alongside a supporting cast of henchmen named the Quinntets. Because of underwhelming sales, his 25-issue run ended in December 2002, and DC decided to change the creative team; the series was given to writer A.J. Lieberman and artists Mike Huddleston and Troy Nixey by Idelson, and took on a grittier and darker direction, contrasting Kesel's run. The decision renewed interest in the character, but the sales remained lackluster and the series was cancelled in 2003.

Gotham City Sirens

After years of scarce appearances in comics, Harley Quinn resurfaced in a leading role in July 2009 with Gotham City Sirens, a team-up title created by Dini. The series brought together Batman's most popular female villains, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy, in an unstable alliance. The series also expanded on Harley Quinn's background and early life; in Gotham City Sirens #7, Dini established the character's hometown being Brooklyn, based on her accent and also introduced her dysfunctional family, with her swindling father being described as the main reason for her pursuing psychology.

The first several issues of Gotham City Sirens were written by Dini and illustrated by Guillem March. Other creatives who worked for the series include writers Tony Bedard and Peter Calloway, and artists David López, Andres Guinaldo, Peter Nguyen, Jeremy Haun, and Ramon Bachs. The series was cancelled in August 2011 for The New 52, DC Comics' relaunch of their entire comic line.

The New 52

As part of The New 52 reboot in September 2011, Harley Quinn was reintroduced by Adam Glass as a prominent member of the supervillain team Task Force X in the relaunched Suicide Squad series. The character was heavily redesigned to fit the tone of the book, and was inspired by Harley's designs in the video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City; her color motif was changed to red and blue, her jester costume was replaced with a revealing ensemble consisting of a corset and hot pants, her skin was bleached white, and her previously blonde hair was altered to half-blue and half-red. Her personality had also been depicted to be more violent and psychopathic than her former iteration.

In the series, Glass separated Harley Quinn from the Joker and explored her "becom[ing] her own person", with the Suicide Squad becoming a family to her; Glass said: "Harley's always wanted to belong to something. And if not Joker, then the team – and she's finding herself in all this. She's finding her place in the world, that she's not just a sidekick".

Suicide Squad was canceled in April 2014 to coincide with the conclusion of the "Forever Evil" storyline.

In the seventh issue of Suicide Squad, Glass revised Harley Quinn's origin story, making it reflect the Joker's origins. In the story, the Joker takes Harleen Quinzel to the chemical plant where he originated and pushes her into a vat of chemicals against her will, which bleaches her skin and drives her insane, resulting in her transformation to Harley Quinn. This origin was received negatively by fans, who felt that its removal of Harley Quinn's choice to become the Joker's accomplice willingly, as depicted in her previous origin stories, took out an essential part of her character.

Harley Quinn's second ongoing series, written by husband and wife Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, with the interior art illustrated by Chad Hardin and John Timms, explored Harley Quinn leaving Gotham City and starting her own life in her hometown of Brooklyn, depicting her as a landlord in Coney Island, where she shares an apartment building with a supporting cast of "sideshow freaks". Considered to be the most defining writers to work on the character since Dini and Timm, Palmiotti and Conner reinvented Harley Quinn as an antihero who has left her controlling relationship with the Joker behind.

DC Rebirth

DC's June 2016 relaunch of its entire monthly comics line, DC Rebirth, the character appeared in both the one-shot issue Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 (October 2016), with a design that included design included pink and blue dyed hair tips and a jacket inspired by Margot Robbie's portrayal of the character in the 2016 film Suicide Squad, a change established in the last issues of her New 52 series.

Harley Quinn returned as a regular character in the relaunched Suicide Squad series, written by Rob Williams. The series was canceled in January 2019.

Harley Quinn's relaunched ongoing series is a direct continuation of the former, with Conner and Palmiotti still writing for the character, and Hardin and Timms illustrating the interior art. After having written 64 issues of Harley Quinn's ongoing series, Conner and Palmiotti's five-year run ended with the 34th issue of the series in December 2017, with writer Frank Tieri and artist Inaki Miranda taking over the title. Tieri's run on the series ended with the series' 42nd issue, followed by a two-issue storyline written by Christopher Sebela and illustrated by Mirka Andolfo. By issue #45 in July 2018, Sam Humphries was the new writer for the series, with John Timms returning to provide art. The series ended in August 2020.

In 2017, Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini wrote a backup feature for Harley Quinn's Rebirth monthly series entitled Harley Loves Joker, co-written by Palmiotti and illustrated by Bret Blevins, which ran for 9 issues. The story brought back Harley Quinn's classic characterization and focuses on her past with the Joker. Unlike her characterization in Batman: The Animated Series, Dini and Palmiotti wrote Harley Quinn in the story as less of a "doormat", with Harley Quinn and Joker being on equal footing in their relationship. The story concluded with the two-part limited series of the same name, which also expanded on Harley Quinn's past as a former intern in animal research at S.T.A.R. Labs, where she met her pet hyenas Bud and Lou. In the second part of the story, Dini and Palmiotti explained Harley Quinn's change in costume, establishing the character's modern design as a reflection of her having left her relationship with the Joker.

Infinite Frontier

In DC's 2021 relaunch of its monthly comics titles, Infinite Frontier, Harley Quinn is moved back to Gotham City as a superheroine, where she frequently interacts with and aids the Batman family, and she is given a new design by Riley Rossmo. Harley Quinn's fourth ongoing series, written by Stephanie Phillips and illustrated by Rossmo, depicts her "actively looking to make up for her past sins", alongside a former Joker henchman named Kevin. Harley Quinn also has a prominent role in the "Fear State" crossover event.

In January 2022, Phillips confirmed Harley would be resuming her previous career as a psychologist.

Characterization

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Harley Quinn possesses multiple superhuman abilities, having won a gymnastics scholarship at Gotham City's Gotham State University. Following her transition to the main DC canon in 1999, Harley Quinn was established as having immunity to toxins and enhanced strength, agility, durability, and reflexes, which she received after having been injected with a serum concocted by Poison Ivy. "Vengeance Unlimited, Part Five" (Harley Quinn vol. 1 #30) revealed that it also gave her the ability to breathe underwater.

Harley Quinn is skilled in using various weapons, often employing weaponized clown-themed gag items, including pop guns, rubber chickens, and a gun that shoots a boxing glove, as well as oversized pistols and mallets, the latter being her signature weapon. Other weapons she uses include: unconventional weapons, such as a baseball bat; explosive weapons such as bazookas, customized bombs, and dynamites; firearms, such as pistols, assault rifles, and machine guns; Harley Quinn also has a pair of pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, which she can order to attack her opponents.

Despite being mentally unstable and sometimes distracted, Harley is highly intelligent. Her intellect extends to her psychological, tactical and deception abilities, but she does not stand out for particular strategic or scientific skills and often remains subordinate to the Joker, who between the two is the genius and the inventor. Harleen Quinzel earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and as a former Arkham psychologist, was highly qualified in psychoanalysis, criminology, and forensic psychiatry. While not on par with Joker, she is still an expert tactician, deceiver and escapologist, and still shows traces of her psychological experience. Harley Quinn is the only person besides the Joker to concoct Joker Venom, the Joker's signature weapon, and is shown to have reverse-engineered its formula and developed an antitoxin. She also has an indomitable pathological will.

Just like Poison Ivy, sometimes and not as much, Harley uses her feminine charm to attract men but only to manipulate them. Unlike the Joker, she is able to simulate sanity, thus being able to pretend to be a "normal" person. In this way, she disguised herself as a security guard, a lawyer and even Poison Ivy and Batgirl.

Bud and Lou

Bud and Lou are a pair of spotted hyenas and the pets of Harley Quinn. Their names are references to the comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Originally created for Batman: The Animated Series alongside Harley Quinn, Bud and Lou have since appeared in other forms of media following their debut. An alternate hyena pet, named Bruce, after Bruce Wayne, appears in the 2020 film Birds of Prey.

Romantic interests

Harley Quinn has had several love interests, the most notable being the Joker and Poison Ivy. Other love interests include Mason Macabre, a character created by Conner and Palmiotti. Plastic Man was initially intended to be a love interest for Harley Quinn by Kesel, but was not approved by DC.

The Joker is Harley Quinn's former lover. Harley's solo comics often explore her former association with the Joker through "flashbacks of their past exploits, present-day conflicts", or through Harley as she "laments his absence". Harley often refers to him as "Mistah J" and "Puddin'".

Their relationship is known for its intensely codependent nature, first established in Harley's first origin story Mad Love, where-in the Joker habitually dismisses Harley/leaves her behind when in danger, and Harley always returns to him. In the 1999 one-shot comic Batman: Harley Quinn, the Joker decides to kill Harley, after admitting that he does care for her, that their relationship is romantic, and that these feelings prevent him from fulfilling his purpose. Dini describes their relationship as emotionally abusive, and empathizes with Harley's feelings of abandonment, with Dini basing most of Harley's dialogue on his past experiences.

The Joker's controlling and codependent relationship with Harley Quinn has been analyzed as a means of the Joker reinforcing his own belief in his power in a world where he may be killed or neutralized by another villain or Batman. Joker mirrors his identity through Harley in her appearance, and even though he may ignore or act indifferent towards her, he continues to try to subject her to his control. When Harley successfully defeats Batman in Mad Love, the Joker, emasculated by his own failure, severely injures her out of fear of what the other villains will think of him; however, while Harley recovers, the Joker sends her flowers, which she accepts, reasserting his control over her.

Poison Ivy is Harley Quinn's current love interest and best friend, and Harley often refers to her as "Red". Ivy was first introduced as a new friend to Harley by Dini in the 1993 Batman: The Animated Series episode "Harley and Ivy". The episode came from Dini wanting to make Harley a stronger character and write a story where she leaves the Joker; Dini decided to pair her up with Ivy because she was "the strongest contrast to Harley". The two later became close friends within the DC Animated Universe. Dini stated that he could see a romantic relationship between the two happening the more he worked with the two characters, but the impossibility of properly portraying their relationship in a children's cartoon at the time prevented it from happening.

Fictional character biography

DC Animated Universe

Harley Quinn first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), voiced by Arleen Sorkin, who subsequently reprised her role in other DC Animated Universe series, including Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Static Shock (2000–2004), and Justice League (2001–2004), as well as the film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000).

Originally a career-oriented psychiatrist, Dr. Harleen Quinzel's life took a radical turn when she chose to take an internship at Arkham Asylum for a semester of college. Convinced by the Joker himself to do it, Harleen interviewed him and learned he was abused as a child by his alcoholic father (later learning this backstory to have been one of several different stories he had told to others, some with different details each time), and after more interviews, determined Batman was the primary source of the Joker's anger and was to blame for his actions, but that she also had fallen in love with him. Harleen helped the Joker escape and, renaming herself Harley Quinn, became his sidekick in hopes that she could win his love, going on a crime spree across the United States of America.

After assisting Joker in attempting to assassinate Commissioner James Gordon by planting a bomb at a dinner in his honor, she was subdued by Batman, and subsequently an accomplice in virtually all of Joker's criminal schemes. On occasion, she would be kicked out of Joker's gang when unintentionally upstaging or annoying the Joker, on one of these occasions teaming up with Poison Ivy, with the two becoming close friends and a successful crime duo independently. While imprisoned on her own in Arkham Asylum, Batman offered her a pardon in exchange for helping him track down the Joker after he had stolen a nuclear bomb. The day she is declared rehabilitated and paroled, Harley's hyperactivity and unfamiliarity with the "real" world leads to her accidentally kidnapping someone and being returned to Arkham yet again.

In the 31-episode Gotham Girls web series, Harley joins forces with Poison Ivy and Catwoman in a co-starring role.

After several failed attempts at rehabilitation, Harley returns to the Joker's side. However, after another failed attempt to kill Commissioner Gordon leads the Joker to forget their anniversary, Harley re-examines her life and decides that as Batman was the cause of the Joker's obsession, she should capture and kill him herself, doing so by falsely pretending to have found sanity and luring Batman into a trap. Recognizing Harley to have come closer to killing him than Joker has ever done, Batman tricks her into facilitating his escape by making her call the Joker and tell him what she has done, knowing that he would not allow anyone other than himself to kill Batman, pushing her aside and unknowingly knocking her out a window. Recovering in Arkham, Harley decides that the Joker will never truly love her, before returning to her devotion upon seeing that he has left her a rose in a vase by her bedside table, with a note hoping that she gets better soon. Harley later references having convinced the Joker to attend couple's counseling with her.

DC Universe

Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist at Arkham Asylum, and after meeting the Joker, she became his frequent accomplice, took on the name Harley Quinn, and got into a codependent relationship with him. She eventually splits up with him, and becomes a solo criminal, forming a criminal gang called the Quinntets. Following the Quinntet's dissolution, Harley Quinn moves to Metropolis with her best friend Poison Ivy, where she works as a love columnist in the Daily Planet under the alias Holly Chance. She then moves back to Gotham City, where she then voluntarily incarcerates herself in Arkham. Harley Quinn then spends a year applying for parole, only to see her request systematically rejected by Bruce Wayne, the layman member of Arkham's medical commission. She is kidnapped by Peyton Riley, the new female Ventriloquist, who offers her a job; Harley turns the job down out of respect for the memory of Arnold Wesker, the original Ventriloquist, who attempted to cheer her up during her first week in Arkham while the Joker was still on the loose. She then helps Batman and Commissioner Jim Gordon foil the impostor's plans. Although Riley escapes, Bruce Wayne is impressed with Harley's effort at redemption and agrees with granting her parole. She then briefly joins the Secret Six, then decides to quit.

During Countdown to Final Crisis, a reformed Harley Quinn resides in an Amazon-run women's shelter. Having abandoned her jester costume and clown make-up, she now only wears an Amazonian stola or chiton. She befriends the former Catwoman replacement Holly Robinson and then succeeds in persuading her to join her at the shelter, where she is working as an assistant. They are both brought to Themyscira by "Athena" (really Granny Goodness) and begin Amazon training. Holly and Harley then meet the real Athena and encounter Mary Marvel. The group reveals Granny's deception, and Holly, Harley, and Mary follow her as she retreats to Apokolips. Mary finds the Olympian gods, whom Granny had been holding prisoner, and the group frees them. Harley is granted powers by Thalia as a reward. Upon returning to Earth, the powers vanish, and Harley and Holly return to Gotham City.

Harley Quinn then joins forces with Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley) and Catwoman (Selina Kyle) in the series Gotham City Sirens. In Gotham City Sirens #7, Harley Quinn visits her family in her hometown of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, during the holiday season. Harley's father is a swindler who is still in jail, and her brother, Barry, is a loser with dead-end dreams of rock stardom. Her mother, Sharon, wants her to stop the "villain and hero stuff". The dysfunctional, "horrible" experience while visiting family causes her to return home to the Sirens' shared Gotham City hideout where Harley, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy spend the rest of Christmas together. Following several adventures with Catwoman and Ivy, Harley betrays them and breaks into Arkham Asylum, intending to kill the Joker. However, Harley ultimately chooses instead to release the Joker from his cell, and together the two orchestrate a violent takeover of the facility that results in most of the guards and staff members either being killed or taken hostage by the inmates. Harley and the Joker are eventually defeated by Batman and Catwoman, and Harley is last seen being wheeled away while bound in a straitjacket and muzzle. Shortly afterward, Poison Ivy breaks into Harley's cell and attempts to kill her for her betrayal, but instead offers to free her if she helps her kill Catwoman, who had left both of her fellow Sirens behind in Arkham. Harley agrees, and the two set out to trap Catwoman. During the ensuing fight, Catwoman says she saw good in them and only wanted to help. As Batman is about to arrest them, Catwoman helps the two of them escape.

Cultural impact

Harley Quinn has become one of DC Comics's most popular characters. The 2016 relaunch of her comic shipped more copies than any other DC Rebirth title and was one of the best-selling comics of the year. DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee refers to Harley Quinn as the fourth pillar in their publishing line, behind Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Harley Quinn currently stars in four separate ongoing series — three eponymous titles and Suicide Squad. Only Batman and Superman have comparable numbers of monthly appearances, making Harley Quinn the most prominent and profitable female character. Kevin Kiniry, vice-president of DC Collectibles, says Harley Quinn is always a top-seller and she "can go toe-to-toe with Batman and the Joker as one of the most fan-requested and sought-after characters". In 2016, Harley Quinn's Halloween costume ranked as the most popular costume in both the United States and the United Kingdom and it remains a popular subject for cosplay. To celebrate the character, DC Comics declared the month of February to be Harley Quinn Month and published 22 Harley Quinn variant covers across their line of comic books. IGN's 2009 list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Harley Quinn as #45. She was ranked 16th in Comics Buyer's Guide's 2011 "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list. Joker voice actor Mark Hamill attributes the success of Harley Quinn to Sorkin's performance in Batman: The Animated Series. On Twitter, he stated: "In the script she was just an unnamed Joker "hench-wench" [with] no discernible personality. When [Sorkin] began reading her lines in that unforgettable voice so poignant [and] full of heart I nearly fell off my chair! She brought SO much more than was on the page [and] a legend was born".

Other versions

An alternate universe version of the character appears in Batman: Thrillkiller. This version is a schoolgirl named Hayley Fitzpatrick who aids a female version of the Joker called Bianca Steeplechase.

Harley Quinn appears in Batman/The Spirit.

An alternate universe version of Harley Quinn appears in Joker and Batman: Damned.

An alternate universe version of Harley Quinn from Earth-3 appears in Countdown to Final Crisis.

An alternate universe version of the character named Yo-Yo appears in Flashpoint.

Harley Quinn appears in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Harley Quinn and her successor, Marian Drews, appear in Batman: White Knight.

An alternate universe version of Harley Quinn appears in DC Comics Bombshells.

In the Marvel Comics series Gwenpool Strikes Back, a version of Gwen Poole based on Harley Quinn is introduced as a member of the GwenHive.

An alternate universe version of Harley Quinn appears in DCeased.

Two versions of Harleen Quinzel appear in an alternate universe; one was a victim of Owlman, and another is an antihero called the Red Hood.

An alternate universe version of Harley Quinn appears in Absolute Batman. This version is the leader of the Red Hood Gang and an ally of Batman. She has been shown to be the daughter of Jack Grimm (Absolute Joker) in her origin, which is the reason for her hatred against him.

In other media

Television

Harley Quinn appears in Birds of Prey, portrayed by Mia Sara.

Harley Quinn makes a cameo appearance in the Arrow episode "Suicide Squad", portrayed by Cassidy Alexa and voiced by Tara Strong. Series star Stephen Amell revealed in an interview that Quinn was intended to appear in the second-season finale episode "Unthinkable", but was cut due to time. Producer Andrew Kreisberg revealed that there were plans for the character to appear, but Willa Holland said they had been axed due to the Suicide Squad film.

A character loosely inspired by Harley Quinn named Ecco appears in Gotham, portrayed by Francesca Root-Dodson. Additionally, a young Harleen Quinzel appears in the episode "Heavydirtysoul", portrayed by Meggie Vilcina.

An animated series starring Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy was in development in 2001, but never made it past early pre-production. Character designs for the series were done by Shane Glines.

Harley Quinn appears in The Batman, voiced by Hynden Walch. This version is a former television pop psychiatrist who ends up being seduced by the Joker, sharing a normal relationship.

Harley Quinn appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Meghan Strange.

Harley Quinn makes primarily non-speaking cameo appearances in Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Tara Strong in the episode "Jam".

Harley Quinn appears in Justice League Action, voiced again by Tara Strong. This version previously worked at S.T.A.R. Labs and cared for Titano prior to his transformation.

Harley Quinn appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2019), voiced again by Tara Strong. This version is a fangirl of the Joker and Barbara Gordon's best friend from Gotham City, though they are initially unaware of each other's secret identities. While initially living in Gotham, she moves to Metropolis in "#Frenemies", and becomes friends and partners with Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Giganta, Star Sapphire, and Livewire, while also becoming an enemy of the DC Super Hero Girls.

Film

Harley Quinn was initially set to appear in Batman Unchained, the fifth film planned for the original Batman film series. She was to be featured as the daughter of the Joker (Jack Nicholson) who allies herself with the Scarecrow to get revenge on Batman for her father's death. However, due to the critical and commercial failure of Batman & Robin, this film was cancelled.

The Batman: Arkham version of Harley Quinn makes a cameo appearance in Ready Player One.

Harley Quinn appears in Joker: Folie à Deux, portrayed by Lady Gaga. This version is Harleen "Lee" Quinzel, a psychology student posing as a patient at Arkham State Hospital who becomes obsessed with the Joker and forms a deadly romantic relationship with her idol. She eventually becomes pregnant with Arthur's child and leaves upon learning Arthur has disowned the Joker persona, leaving the future of their child unknown. Describing Quinzel, Todd Phillips noted how this version of the character is manipulative, amoral and "more grounded", with the film ignoring the character's classic mannerisms and style to fit into the world created in Joker (2019).

Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn appears in films set in the DC Extended Universe, portrayed by Margot Robbie.

The character debuted in the 2016 film Suicide Squad. Paul Dini, the creator of Harley Quinn, said Robbie "nailed" her role.

Harley Quinn appears in the 2020 spin-off film Birds of Prey, which Robbie also produced. On Robbie's portrayal of the character in the film, Dini commented: "I think they really got the essence of the character down, and they made her quite a lot of fun and appealing in so many ways. She's not totally the animated version, and it's not totally the Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner version, but it kind of borrows from all of them and creates its own reality and its own fun. There are so many moments in that movie that I just think are wonderful. [...] When I saw her running, laughing hysterically, pushing a shopping cart full of Peeps, I said, "That's my girl". All those little impish things that she did in the movie – sitting down eating cereal, watching Tweety Bird cartoons, and just kind of skipping through life cheerfully oblivious of the devastation she's caused – that's Harley".

Web series

Harley Quinn appears in the Gotham Girls (2000–2002), voiced again by Arleen Sorkin.

Harley Quinn appears in the Batman Black and White motion comics, voiced by Janyse Jaud.

An alternate universe version of Harleen Quinzel appears as Harlequin in the Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles episode "Twisted", voiced again by Tara Strong. This version is a serial killer who makes toys and dolls out of the bodies of her victims.

Harley Quinn appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2015) and its tie-in films, voiced again by Tara Strong. This version is a student at Super Hero High and roommate of Wonder Woman.

Podcasts

Harley Quinn appears in Batman: The Audio Adventures, voiced again by Gillian Jacobs.

Harley Quinn appears in Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind, voiced by Christina Ricci.

Video games

Harley Quinn appears in The Adventures of Batman & Robin, voiced again by Arleen Sorkin.

Harley Quinn appears in Batman Vengeance, voiced again by Arleen Sorkin.

Harley Quinn appears in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

Harley Quinn appears as an unlockable character in DC Universe Online, initially reprised by Arleen Sorkin before being replaced by Jen Brown starting in 2016.

Harley Quinn appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame, voiced by Grey DeLisle. She appears as an enemy of Batman, the first deputy of the Joker, and the second boss of Chapter 3: "The Joker's Return". She is also a playable character in the villain levels, and wields a pistol and her signature giant mallet.

Harley Quinn appears as a boss and unlockable playable character in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by Laura Bailey.

Harley Quinn appears as an unlockable playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced again by Tara Strong.

Harley Quinn appears as a playable character in Lego Dimensions, voiced again by Tara Strong.

Harley Quinn appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Tara Strong. Her design is based on The New 52.

Harley Quinn appears in the Batman: Arkham franchise, voiced initially by Arleen Sorkin and subsequently by Tara Strong.

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Harley takes control of the eponymous asylum to facilitate the Joker's escape until she is defeated and incarcerated by Batman.

Novels

A novel adaption of Mad Love, written by Pat Cardigan and original co-creator Paul Dini, was published as part of the DC Comic Novels series in November 2018 by Titan Books.

In 2022, Penguin Random House launched a Harley Quinn line of their young adult DC Icons series, authored by YA author and neuroscientist Rachael Allen.

Pauline Ketch, a character based on Harley Quinn who goes by the supervillainous alter ego Pretty Polly, appears in The Refrigerator Monologues.

Toys and collectibles

A number of toys and collectible products of the character have been marketed, alongside busts, multiple Funko Pop figures, 18-inch figures, maquette statues, a Living Dead Doll, and poseable action figures. A number of these figurines have been produced depicting Harley Quinn in the style of the classic animated series, while others have been produced in the style of specific comics artists known for their work with the character, such as Amanda Connor, Babs Tarr, and Joelle Jones. Branded clothing of the character such as hats, robes, and capes have also been sold. In June 2019, DC Collectibles began accepting orders for a life-size, 5 feet, 6 inch-tall fiberglass resin statue of Harley Quinn for release that November at a price of $5,499.99.