Joker, Harley Quinn, Punchline - how did these characters learn to fight?

[evolutionaryFan]

How did these 3 characters learn to fight? I don't know much about DC. I've only seen the DC animated shows.

From what I know about the Joker... he doesn't use martial arts... but he does have some ability to keep up against Batman who has extensive martial arts training. How did he get these skills?

Same question with Harley Quinn and Punchline.

[prepmaster]

In DC, being crazy is a superpower. It makes up for years of training.

Anyway Joker is Batman's arch nemesis so they have to write him to be able to do cheap shots against / sneak attack on Batman even though Batman deals with the likes of assassins on regular basis.
Harley Quinn is pushed into more comics so they have to write her as a competent fighter.
Punchline is the new villain so they have to hype her up as a credible threat.

[sifighter]

I assumed they would pick it up as they went on in their careers. Joker has to deal with Batman so I assumed he at one point learned to fight him off a bit, not to mention he’s....I guess associates with various villains and assassins. I have to assume he learned a few things from people in the Legion of Doom or such.

As for Harley, I assume same thing. Be on the Suicide Squad long enough I’m sure she picked up some moves to survive.

Punchline....I’m just going to say she probably shouldn’t be able to win any fights any time soon given how new she is.

[Frontier]

Joker fights like a thug. He's not master combatant but he's fast and wily.

Harley was an olympic level gymnast and is quite durable, and she makes up for a lack of combat skill with her hammer and unpredictability.

[evolutionaryFan]

In DC, being crazy is a superpower. It makes up for years of training.

Anyway Joker is Batman's arch nemesis so they have to write him to be able to do cheap shots against / sneak attack on Batman even though Batman deals with the likes of assassins on regular basis.
Harley Quinn is pushed into more comics so they have to write her as a competent fighter.
Punchline is the new villain so they have to hype her up as a credible threat.

Yeah, definitely with Punchline crazy seems like a superpower of its own... all I know about her origin is that she's crazy, a psychopath and looks up to Joker... but somehow she can fight, use knives and beats Harley Quinn...

[evolutionaryFan]

Punchline....I’m just going to say she probably shouldn’t be able to win any fights any time soon given how new she is.

But she beat Harley Quinn somehow.

[LordUltimus]

Wasn't the first two just "Acid Bath altered them somehow"?

[Restingvoice]

I think what they're going for is the contrast between the Batfam who are disciplined and trained versus the chaos incarnate, untrained but unpredictable. It's less about logic and more of a thematic.

[Nite-Wing]

Not sure about punchline she is getting the typical new character hype so she gets wins over nightwing and Harley without much explanation



Harley and Joker are enhanced by the acid bath and then Harley was already an Olympic level gymnast before she even went to college
Joker is a professional criminal in many of his origin stories its easy enough to just assume those skills transferred over

[evolutionaryFan]

Not sure about punchline she is getting the typical new character hype so she gets wins over nightwing and Harley without much explanation



Harley and Joker are enhanced by the acid bath and then Harley was already an Olympic level gymnast before she even went to college
Joker is a professional criminal in many of his origin stories its easy enough to just assume those skills transferred over

I didn't know the acid enhanced them. So is Joker stronger because of the acid bath?

[Rac7d*]

Joker fights like a thug. He's not master combatant but he's fast and wily.

Harley was an olympic level gymnast and is quite durable, and she makes up for a lack of combat skill with her hammer and unpredictability.

Jokers is a ninja when he wants to be

[williamtheday]

All those blows to his head...Joker should have died by now, like Doc Ock . But then, he'd be brought back like Ock was!

[MajorHoy]

I think they watched a lot of old Laurel & Hardy, Marx Brothers, and Three Stooges movies.
(Maybe throw in silent movies like those by Charlie Chapin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, The Keystone Kops, etc.)

[Restingvoice]

Not sure about punchline she is getting the typical new character hype so she gets wins over nightwing and Harley without much explanation



Harley and Joker are enhanced by the acid bath and then Harley was already an Olympic level gymnast before she even went to college
Joker is a professional criminal in many of his origin stories its easy enough to just assume those skills transferred over

The excuse they gave on their second fights was Harley underestimating/going easy on her since she view her as another poor girl and Nightwing lost 2 decades of fighting experience with his amnesia, but that doesn't add up since Ric Grayson just beat William Cobb who can go toe to toe with Nightwing and Batman

[witchboy]

This reminds me of the Golden Age Cheetah who could hold her own with Wonder Woman and her only powers were crazy and fashion.
Harley at least does have all the gymnastic training.