It's the color of his grin. The color of my sin. Red is the color of our art. Red is the color we painted this town. Red is the color of a breakup. Because a broken heart is a wounded heart and a wound bleeds and in that moment of rage even he is red and... and red is the color of a rose. 
- — Harley Quinn src
Dr. Harleen Quinzel discovered a revolutionary cure for the madness of Gotham City. She just needs to prove it actually works.
History
Harleen Quinzel used to be a promising psychiatrist with a thesis about identifying sociopathy before it could manifest. Her presentation on the subject got the attention of Lucius Fox, which in return recommended her to Bruce Wayne. However, believing herself to have failed on her big project, she drank her sorrows away and went for a walk in the streets of Gotham. Out of nowhere, Harleen is caught off guard by an explosion. The Joker walked out of the flames, cackling and pointing a gun to her face. He didn't pull the trigger, but it was enough to leave a psychological mark on her.[1]
In the following day, as Harleen arrived at her office, she received the news that Wayne Foundation was going to fund her project and give her access to Blackgate Penitentiary, GCPD Headquarters and Arkham Asylum. This way, she could test her theory and get patients for the brain mapping. She was hesitant at first, but eventually she gained the courage to face the Joker.[1] Harleen grew obsessed with him, since everything he said seemingly called back to her research and proved her point, making her believe the Joker was the perfect candidate for the evaluation. Through wordplay, the Joker made Harleen slowly fall in love with him.
Over the course of days, thoughts about the Joker invaded her personal life and she went as far as breaking Arkham's maximum security wing just to watch the Joker sleep, multiple times. One night, he noticed and brought that up in his evaluation with Harleen. Overtaken by the adrenaline, she covered the camera in the room and unbuckled his straitjacket. She confessed how she found herself caring too much for his sake, and the thought scared her. Joker holded Harleen tight and comforted her.[2] At this point, her research didn't matter anymore, the only reason she kept interviewing the Joker was to spend more time with him. She grew protective of him, as she wouldn't let the guards be inside the room during the sessions and even Batman was unable to interrogate him without her consent.[3]
When Two-Face stormed the Arkham Asylum and set the inmates free, Harleen rushed to the scene, worried about the wellbeing of her "Mister Jay". Instead, she ran into Killer Croc, who was hungry for human meat.[3] Fortunately, Poison Ivy was there to protect her, as Harleen was kind to her during the sessions and understanding of her condition.[2] She eventually encountered Two-Face, who wanted to kill her for trying to humanize the "monsters" that resided in the asylum. He flipped the coin, and destiny denied her of judgement. Joker stepped to scene and brutalized Dent with a brick. Tim Bronson, a guard at the asylum, shot the Joker at sight. Harleen, in order to protect him, shot Bronson in the head with Two-Face's gun. Realizing she was at a point of no return, she ran away with the Joker.[3]
Joker led Harleen to Ace Chemicals and as she jumped into the vat of chemicals, Harley Quinn was born.[1] While they had their fair share of adventures together, their relationship didn't last long. Eventually, they broke up and had their last dance. While Joker's fate is unknown, Harley was locked up in Arkham, with her face all scarred from the fight. She was treated and remained locked in a padded cell until her new partner-in-crime came to her rescue.[4]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Other Characteristics
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Related
- 4 Appearances of Harleen Quinzel (Harleen)
- 8 Images featuring Harleen Quinzel (Harleen)
- 2 Quotations by or about Harleen Quinzel (Harleen)
- Character Gallery: Harleen Quinzel (Harleen)
Footnotes
  Batman Villain(s) |