Harleen Quinzel - better known as Harley Quinn - is a character from DC Comics and a member of Batman's rogues gallery. Originally an aspiring young psychiatrist, she took a job at Arkham Asylum in order to psychoanalyze Gotham City's most notorious criminal, the Joker. However, during her time at Arkham, Harleen was subtly manipulated by Joker and developed romantic feelings for him. She then helped Joker escape and embarked on a life of crime with him, sharing his gimmick by dressing as a harlequinned jester.
Harley spent years as the Joker's henchwoman and girlfriend, but her time with him was marred by near constant abuse. Eventually, she found the strength to pull herself away from the Joker's clutches, though she largely maintained her criminal lifestyle. Since leaving the Joker, Harley has done various stints with the Suicide Squad and embarked on her own adventures, sometimes even allying with Batman.
DC Animated Movie Universe[]
Harley Quinn has appeared in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Batman: Hush and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. She was voiced by Tara Strong in Hell to Pay and by Hynden Walch in her other appearances. Though initially seen as a member of the Suicide Squad, Harley's previous history with the Joker is well-established. At some point between Hell to Pay and Hush, she somehow leaves the Squad and returns to Gotham City to resume her criminal career alongside the Joker. She would be captured once again and pressed back into Task Force X between the events of Hush and Apokolips War.
Two years after Darkseid's invasion of Earth, Harley had become the leader of the Suicide Squad following the death of Amanda Waller. She had taken command of the criminals at Stryker's Island who were struggling to survive the occupation until Lois Lane and the resistance approached them, hoping to recruit the Suicide Squad for a mission to take back the planet. Harley agreed to help Lois if she could beat her in a boxing match. Even though Harley played dirty by fighting with a pair of electrified gauntlets, Lois still managed to defeat her.
Harley kept her word and agreed to help the resistance in raiding LexCorp Tower in order to seize control of its portal to Apokolips. After fighting their way through Lex Luthor's soldiers, the heroes and the Suicide Squad cornered Luthor, who revealed that he had been acting as a double-agent. As Superman, Raven, John Constantine and Etrigan prepared to travel through the portal, Luthor provided Harley and her comrades with kryptonite-based weapons with which to fight off Darkseid's army of Paradooms and protect the portal.
While the heroes on Apokolips fought against Darkseid, Lois, Harley and the Suicide Squad held their ground and prevented the Paradooms from reclaiming the portal. Harley thoroughly enjoyed shooting through swathes of Paradooms, but her fun didn't last as LexCorp Tower was set to self-destruct in order to prevent the Paradooms from returning to Apokolips. While Lois was sending one final message to Superman, the timer ran down and the tower exploded, killing everyone still inside.