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Rise of Harley Quinn

Redefining the portrayal of women in comics, the rise of Harley Quinn has broken up the DC and Marvel boys club.

By George GottPublished 8 years ago 5 min read
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Every hero needs a villain. Villains resonate with people in ways that many superheroes can't. The villain represents the untapped potential for evil and mayhem in all of us. Pop culture has been obsessed with the anti-heroes’ in comic book series like "Batman" since it first went into syndication. The rise of Batman and his demons drew in fans; Fans that needed Batman to have enemies of substance.

A History of Villians

Image via Blurppy.com

The super villains in Gotham city (the mythical city of chaos that Batman protects) are special. They have realistic issues and battles with good and evil. Since the villains in the series seem to suffer from the plight of human mental illnesses, tragedy and a general disconnect from rational thoughts, they allow us to suspend our beliefs and relate to the characters on a deeper level.

The Forgotten Debut to Harley Quinn

Image via Bitchmedia.org

One particular citizen/menace that has been a huge standout in recent times is Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn is a hard hitting, rule breaking and an over the top antagonist. Quinn first appears in the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series. She was originally created to be a one trick pony or pretty much a walk on walk off character; Paul Dini, writer for Batman: The Animated Series, needed a character in a scene that could distract some police officers while she jumped out of a cake and then be taken as hostages. The writers believed it would be strange to have the joker do the distracting himself case in point Harley Quinn’s introduction. This led to her role as the Joker's sidekick. Hey, if Batman can have Robin as a sidekick, why can't the Joker have a sidekick of his own? In the end, The Joker ended up completing the task himself, but alas a star was born.

Harley Quinn Makes Her Mark in DC History

Image via comicbookresources.com

Harley Quinn doesn't immediately bask in the attention of Batman fans. She more or less sashays her way to the forefront at a slow but steady pace. She makes her more actualized debut in the 1993 comic The Batman Adventures. Quinn becomes The Joker's leading lady and frequent partner in crime. She falls in love with The Joker's madness after she meets him at Gotham's Akrham Asylum while working there as a psychologist. She quickly falls for The Joker leading her to lose all self control and morals. That alone makes her a relatable character. Everyone has that one relationship that could have led to their plunge into the deep end and this definitely was hers. As she takes her stance at The Joker's side, she simultaneously begins forging a place for herself in pop culture.

Girl Power!

Image via wikia.com

After her debut in The Batman Adventures, she began to pop up everywhere. This amoral leading lady, showed up in everything from the web comic series Gotham Girls to guest appearances in various cartoons throughout the DC animated universe. Her character did so well that she gained a place in the Batman comic book canon. She even had 38 issues of her own Harley Quinn series.

Harley Quinn Makes It On Her Own

Image via DC Entertainment

In the DC comic 2011 relaunch, the New 52, Harley Quinn received a wardrobe update. She originally appears wearing a jester's costume, but for the new comics, she wears much more revealing attire. She has dyed hair and bleached skin. According to her new origins, her bleached skin serves as a reminder of an altercation involving being kicked into a tank of acid by The Joker that led to them parting ways as partners in crime. The relaunch and image overhaul would help to bring her into the forefront as a major antagonist in the series. It would open new doors for other franchise products and merchandise. In the 2009 Batman: Akrham Asylum franchise games cemented Harley Quinn's transformation from the laughably insane into the jester/sidekick of The Joker into the menacing ex-girlfriend of The Joker. She becomes a sexy confident villain in the blink of an eye. Her transformation sets off a chain of games that opened the doors to a new demographic. The game and subsequent games following gained Quinn a whole new following of gamers, already desperate for more of her. The market has changed a considerable amount since her character’s introduction. Her image revamp and background has been thoroughly more developed over the years leading to her rise to mainstream recognition.

Suicide Squad

Image via Screenrant.com

In 2016 her recognition gained its highest peak yet with her character appearing in the blockbuster movie Suicide Squad. In the movie, Quinn joins a team of the world's most dangerous, incarcerated super villains led by the ruthless and high-ranking government official Amanda Waller, provided with the most powerful arsenal at the government's disposal and is sent off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity Enchantress. But there is a catch, their mission will probably kill them all. A small bomb is implanted in each member of the squad's neck with the capability of detonating at any time one of the members tries to rebel or escape. It will be up to this team of villains to prevail over the seemingly impossible events that will unfold before them, in what many deem to be a "suicide mission".

Harely Quinn: The Movie Spin-off

Image via DC Entertainment

With the success of the new movie there has been talks of a Harley Quinn movie spinoff. Thanks to actress Margot Robbie who played Quinn, she helped portray a more relatable human side to the character while helping her move away from The Joker’s shadow and become almost a Deadpool-like anti-heroine in her own series. While Harley Quinn will be one of the main stars in this unnamed movie, sources of the spin-off state the movie would not be a just a solo feature. Rather, it would also focus on other female heroes and villains from the DC comic world. No names were officially disclosed, but Batgirl and the Birds of Prey were alluded to. There is also already a writer attached to the script, but aside from being a woman, no details about their identity were divulged.

Image via DC Entertainment

With the rise of Harley Quinn there is suddenly a demand for more female led comic books in the DC and the Marvel world. This is something that will only keep growing since the release of the Suicide Squad. The film with Harley Quinn's role in it has potentially started a chain reaction. We not only predict a more leading female movies but also a revamped versions of characters like Catwoman, Batgirl and Poison Ivy to name a few. We don't know about you, but we would definitely be interested in seeing a big screen version of The Gotham Girls. With more female led stories they will bring more fans regardless of gender. This pandora's box of what dreams are made of will change the whole dynamics of the comic book world for the better. We literally can’t wait!

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About the Creator

George Gott

Writer & Social Media Editor for Jerrickmedia who is an avid reader of sci-fi and a fierce defender of women, minority, and LGBTQ rights.

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