Is Harley Quinn More Interesting With Or Without The Joker

[Timothy Hunter]

The "Joker's ex girlfriend" Harley Quinn that has existed since the New Fifty Two is incredibly popular, while some fans think that the character is more compelling with the Joker.

[MajorHoy]

She was more interesting before she got over-exposed / overly-shoved-down-our-throats.

I don't know if "with or without the Joker" really makes any difference any longer.

[Multiverse]

I find her best when she's away from "Mr. J" and hanging out with Poison Ivy.

[Katana500]

Im loving Harley Quinn working with Batman in the main book. Feel like its a dynamic that is alot of fun to read. Think they play off each other very well.

[SiegePerilous02]

I'm gonna go with "as the Joker's girlfriend." Not that that should be set in stone, but generally she hasn't been as interesting removed from him.

But I also don't think that Harley has worked that much outside of the DCAU in general.

[king81992]

Harley was never interesting and neither is the Joker. They're better than Punchline, which is kind of a low bar.

[Primal Slayer]

In between?

She hasnt really felt like Jokers girlfriend in ages but I like to see the beginning, go through the ups/downs, and see her officially break off but them still run the same circles.

Suicide Squad movie didnt give us much of their relationship but I wanted to see more before we saw her go completely Joker-less.

[Gaius]

False premise. She's annoying either way.

[Restingvoice]

Seriously? Broken up. Opens up the world. She can have a story with Ivy, on her own, has her own gang, in the Squad, Gotham City Sirens, in the extended Batfam, depending on your preference. Unlimited possibilities.

[exile001]

I pretty much only like Harley away from Joker, particularly in the comics.

Joker having a girlfriend side-kick in post-Joker's Five Way Revenge just doesn't make sense to me. Would he use a psychiatrist to escape and maybe hold Batman at bay once? Absolutely! Would he keep her hanging around for months/years? Even accepting failure (either hers or just blaming HQ for his own)? I just don't see it. He'd have killed her (I'm guessing the "she's not the first Harley" thing from Death of the Family is no longer canon).

This is probably why she was only really by his side in No Man's Land then quickly spun off on her own. The relationship part is conceptually gross anyway.

[Rac7d*]

Harley was never interesting and neither is the Joker. They're better than Punchline, which is kind of a low bar.

Joker is one DCs best selling books consistently tho so

[Micael]

I think she was funnier when she was with the joker. Of course I understand why DC had to separate them after years of having joker become increasingly more violent towards her. Don't think they can bring them back together and honestly they shouldn't but I'm also not particularly interested in her new version.

[lilyrose]

I think she was only interesting as his girlfriend/victim/sidekick. Sorry, but on her own they don't know whether to make her a villain or a hero (which is ridiculous because she can't EVER be anything close to a hero after she facilitated and enabled mass murders of innocent people with him) and she's just all over the place and kind of stupid.

[Restingvoice]

I pretty much only like Harley away from Joker, particularly in the comics.

Joker having a girlfriend side-kick in post-Joker's Five Way Revenge just doesn't make sense to me. Would he use a psychiatrist to escape and maybe hold Batman at bay once? Absolutely! Would he keep her hanging around for months/years? Even accepting failure (either hers or just blaming HQ for his own)? I just don't see it. He'd have killed her (I'm guessing the "she's not the first Harley" thing from Death of the Family is no longer canon).

Which is why it only make sense if Joker really do in love with her... or at least view her as special enough similar to how he views Batman, but different.

I know most interpretation like to place Joker in a position where he's consciously and deliberately abusive and manipulative, that he doesn't care at all about Harley, but that doesn't make sense to me. Like you said, she would've been dead at first failure. So the logical answer is that she really is special to him.

[lilyrose]

Which is why it only make sense if Joker really do in love with her... or at least view her as special enough similar to how he views Batman, but different.

I know most interpretation like to place Joker in a position where he's consciously and deliberately abusive and manipulative, that he doesn't care at all about Harley, but that doesn't make sense to me. Like you said, she would've been dead at first failure. So the logical answer is that she really is special to him.

Well he's a narcissist and a sociopath, so those kinds of people aren't capable of genuine love, but they are capable of obsession and I think in Joker's case Harley was like his ultimate trophy, in that he was convinced he "created" her and she "belonged to him," so that's why he wanted to keep her around. Like a little pet that he could own and bully. Abusers tend to see their victims that way.