Harley Quinn
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Harley Quinn (Harleen Frances Quinzel) is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Harley Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and debuted in the 7th episode of the series on September 11, 1992. While originally intended to appear in one episode, she became a recurring character within the DC Animated Universe as the Joker's sidekick and love interest, and was adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic book canon, beginning with the one-shot Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (October 1999). The character's alias is a play on the stock character Harlequin from the 16th-century theater Template:Lang.
Following her introduction to the DC Universe in 1999, Harley Quinn was depicted as a frequent accomplice and lover of the Joker as well as a close friend of fellow supervillain Poison Ivy; the former being one of her patients when she worked as an intern psychiatrist at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum. The character has been part of a short-lived alliance with Poison Ivy and Catwoman; the trio being known as the Gotham City Sirens. Since 2013, Harley Quinn has often been depicted as an antihero and a recurring core member of the Suicide Squad who has left her abusive relationship with the Joker behind, with Poison Ivy becoming her primary romantic interest.
Harley Quinn's abilities include expert gymnastic skills, proficiency in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, complete unpredictability, immunity to toxins, and enhanced strength, agility, and durability. The character has a pair of pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, which sometimes serve as her attack dogs. As a trained psychiatrist with a genius level intellect, she is adept at deception and psychological manipulation.
Since her conception, Harley Quinn has become one of DC Comics' most popular and profitable characters, and has been featured in many of DC's comic books and adapted in various other media and merchandise. DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee considers Harley Quinn the fourth pillar of DC Comics' publishing line, behind Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Originally voiced by Arleen Sorkin in the DC Animated Universe, she has since appeared in many other DC projects voiced by actresses such as Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Laura Bailey, Jenny Slate, Melissa Rauch, Laura Post, and Kaley Cuoco; the latter provided the character's voice in the 2019 animated series, Harley Quinn. Mia Sara portrayed the character in the 2002 television series Birds of Prey. Harley Quinn makes her live-action cinematic debut in the DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad (2016), where she is portrayed by Margot Robbie. Robbie reprises her role in Birds of Prey (2020) and The Suicide Squad (2021). Template:TOC limit
