Spanning countless animated series, comic books, and now live-action films, The Clown Princess of Crime and the Caped Crusader have had an interesting relationship over the years. The bond between Batman and Harley Quinn evolved from adversarial to even amorous, and everywhere in between. While they couldn't be more differences in personality and habits, they share a mutual disdain for The Joker, the Dark Knight's nemesis and Quinn's ex-boyfriend.
Given The Joker's homicidal proclivity, the pair have had to occasionally work together to stop his evil machinations, and in so doing have learned more about each other in ways that neither of them expected. Batman is a hero that isn't always heroic, and Harley Quinn is a villain that isn't always villainous, making them an unexpected but oddly matched duo.
10 IT SHOWS BATMAN'S PROTECTIVE SIDE
In the Batman: White Knight storyline, part of DC's Black Label which features more adult themes, The Joker tries to redeem himself, which almost leads to a "healthy" relationship between him and Harley Quinn. Harley ends up carrying The Joker's child, but regardless of their domestic bliss, he goes back to his former homicidal ways.
In order to stop him for good, Harley Quinn teams up with the Batman in the sequel, Curse of the White Knight. In order to gain her trust, and prove that he isn't out to hurt her, Batman unmasks himself and reveals his true identity. He even delivers her twins in the basement of Arkham Asylum.
9 IT ALMOST GOT THE BIG SCREEN TREATMENT
In the late '90s, Joel Schumacher (the man responsible for nipples on the batsuit) wanted to direct a third Batman movie with Harley Quinn as the main antagonist. Instead of being The Joker's lover, she would have been his daughter and played by Madonna or Courtney Love.
The film would have included Batman sharing much more screen time with Harley Quinn than he did in his brief cameo in Suicide Squad. Alas, the Schumacher Batman films weren't popular enough, so the project was abandoned.
8 IT BEGAN WITH BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
Riding high on the success of Tim Burton's Batman film in 1989, Batman: The Animated Series was one of the most popular cartoons in the '90s. With its stylish animation and mature tone, it was watched by a wide demographic of fans.
Harley Quinn was introduced in 1992 as a part of a one-off gag involving her hopping out of a cake for The Joker, but fans responded so positively to her that she stayed on as his permanent sidekick, romantic partner, and thorn in Batman's side.
7 IT ISN'T ALWAYS ADVERSARIAL
Harley Quinn has never been as purely maniacal as The Joker, and throughout her comic book, film, and animated appearances, she's vacillated between being a bad guy or a good guy.
Whenever The Joker has abused her, she's joined forces with Batman to spite him. In the 2017 animated film Batman and Harley Quinn, she helped the Dark Knight and Nightwing bring down Poison Ivy and the Plant Master.
6 IT'S BEEN HANDY TO HARLEY
In Batman: The Animated Series Harley Quinn's first and only love was The Joker, but the series chronicled his extensive abuse of her, which often resulted in her needing to be rescued by his arch-nemesis, Batman.
After a kidnapping stint, Harley Quinn was all set to return to Arkham Asylum for good, until the charges were dropped at the last minute, allowing for a much briefer rehabilitation. Batman stayed by Quinn's side through the entire ordeal because he knew "what it was like to try to rebuild a life", and she repaid him with a passionate kiss.
5 IT'S BEEN ROMANTIC
In Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special #1 from 2015, Bruce Wayne is "auctioned" as a romantic date for a charity dinner, with funds going to help New York City animal shelters. Once animal-loving Harley gets wind of the auction, she makes plans to win it herself by stealing money from Wall Street big-wigs.
The auction proves to be a disaster - before Harley can win, Wayne is kidnapped by The Carp. Harley commits herself to rescue him, and she finally gets her romantic date. When Wayne has to "retire early" to recuperate after the events of the day, she's left disappointed. That is until Batman appears to "thank her" for saving Wayne's life with a kiss.
4 IT'S BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT
Though Batman may occasionally be irritated with Harley Quinn, he reserves his unmitigated disgust for The Joker. Ever since the days of Batman: The Animated Series, he's always seen Harley as a victim of circumstance, and worthy of better treatment than what The Joker ever gave her.
Batman always wanted to help her be rehabilitated, but it was ultimately up to her, and ever since Harley Quinn #1, he's had a newfound respect for her autonomy and independence (even if it meant teaming up with Poison Ivy). Since she shares the Dark Knight's disdain for her ex-boyfriend, the two have been able to work as a team.
3 IT'S SAVED HER REPUTATION
While Batman has long held the belief that The Joker can never be reformed and needs to be locked up away from society in Arkham Asylum, he's never felt that way about Harley Quinn and has held a candle for her rehabilitation.
In one of the animated storylines, Quinn's parole is held up by Bruce Wayne, who doesn't trust that she'll become a model citizen once she's a free woman. When she helps Batman out of a jam later, he's reminded that she has the capacity for good, and as Bruce Wayne, he grants her parole.
2 IT'S INVOLVED SOME EMBARRASSING MOMENTS
In the animated film Batman and Harley Quinn, Batman and Nightwing are on the hunt for Poison Ivy and Plant Master. Knowing Ivy is best friends with Quinn, Batman has Nightwing tail Quinn to a restaurant that employs waitresses dressed up as superheroes.
Nightwing follows Quinn after she gets off work to her apartment, where the two engage in a genuine conversation about where their paths have taken them in life, which culminates in their intimate moment rendering more than just their souls naked. Batman walks in on them, and that puts an end to that.
1 IT'S ROOTED IN TEAMWORK
In the most recent comic book runs involving Harley Quinn as well as the Harley Quinn show on DC Universe, Harley Quinn has stepped out of The Joker's shadow and become her own person, which Batman has supported.
Though he may not like the idea of Harley running around the streets of Gotham unattended, he respects her right to carve out her own niche as one of the city's newest additions to the Rogue Gallery. Batman knows an enemy of his enemy is his friend.
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