Harley Quinn Finally Explains Why She Really Fell for Joker

SPOILER WARNING for Batman #105!

The Joker and Harley Quinn have a long and messy history. Ever since Harley’s introduction in Batman: The Animated Series, she has spent much of her time as Joker’s sidekick, love interest, and most toxically, punching bag. As time has gone on, however, she’s stepped out of the Joker’s shadow and become more of her own character. Many fans continue to wonder how anyone could fall for a man as vile as the Joker, but luckily, Harley has finally explained her reasoning.

Harley Quinn’s origin story is fairly well-known. Dr. Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist interning at Arkham Asylum when she first met the Joker. During their sessions, she became obsessed with the criminal and helped him escape the facility. Madly in love, she created a new identity for herself as Harley Quinn, sticking by the Joker’s side throughout all of his sick adventures. That is until she realized how awful he really was. After insults, beatings, and even some attempts to kill her, Harley realized that the Joker didn’t actually love her, so she set out on her own. Now, she is more of an anti-hero than a villain, and she is oftentimes helping to make the world a better place. Unfortunately, she can’t take back everything she did while working with Batman’s archnemesis.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

In Batman #105 by writer James Tynion IV, and artists Carlo Pagulayan, Danny Miki, Alvaro Martinez, and Christian Duce, Ghost-Maker has the Dark Knight trapped along with Harley Quinn and Clownhunter. While Ghost-Maker leaves Batman and Harley tied down, Clownhunter is free from any restraints and the young vigilante decides that this is a perfect opportunity to take out Harley, who was present when his parents were murdered. Luckily, Batman is able to free himself and save Harley, but instead of escaping, Harley decides to confront Clownhunter.

In the page that follows, Harley gives a heartfelt speech about how she doesn’t want to see Clownhunter ruin his life as she did. She then explains exactly how the Joker manipulated her into joining his cause. She describes how she met the Joker at a dark point of her life and then says, “He made me think he was just a broken person, in the exact way that I thought I was a broken person.” She continues on, claiming, “It didn’t feel like anybody could hear me, but he heard me. He saw me. And I #$@#@ loved that.” All-in-all, her words show that Harley just wanted to feel strong, and Joker was able to take advantage of that desire. By the time she is done talking, Harley tells Clownhunter that he can still kill her if he wants, but the frustrated kid just ends up storming out of the room.

While Harley’s monologue may seem like a small moment, it actually helps to flesh her out more as a person and provides better insight into her redemption arc. She realizes that her desire for power resulted in nothing but pain for so many others. Her manipulative ex-lover never really cared for her, but rather used her as a means to an end. Other depictions of the character have glossed over the psychology of Harley’s downfall, just making her seem like some foolish girl, but the added details provided here make Harley a lot more relatable. Thankfully, this relatability saves her from Clownhunter, and Harley Quinn can continue to atone for her time with the Joker. Batman #105 is available now from DC Comics, Comixology, and comic book stores.

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