An impassioned plea to DC Comics to officially reunite this amazing couple!

I fully understand the difficulties of putting a character as cartoony as Harley Quinn into the mainstream series. There is the risk of her stagnating within the 'grittier' mainstream universe. There is also the controversy of her admittedly abusive relationship with the Joker and concerns over how to adequately portray that without sending out a "bad message".

I definitely don’t want to see this happen. I want her to evolve as a character. I want to see her change and develop.

I am just not convinced she needs to be broken up with Joker in order for this to happen.

Given that their relationship is intensely complex and multi-layered, there is so much potential there to push both characters in new directions.

As we saw in the DCAU world, Harley, over time, did develop a real spine when it came to Mistah J and started giving her own back. The two eventually became a very cosy little couple, completely messed up but both very comfortable with the relationship.

It is very possible to do this with her in the mainstream series as well. She’s had this great experience with the Amazons, it’s given her a new outlook on things, taught her even more about how to fight and win. As we’ve seen just recently, she still has passionate feelings for her Mistah J. Rather than split her up with him altogether or just take her back to what she was, show how the relationship operates now that she has grown as a character.

There is an unfortunate 'either/or' attitude to this relationship. It's either keep her separate from Joker or take it back to exactly the way it was.
Given that the relationship is very complex with mutual sadomasochistic Dominant/submissive elements as well as the intriguing notion of Harley stirring real emotions within Joker, combined with Harley's own depicted need for roughhousing and thrill-seeking, the possibilities with this couple are practically endless.

No, I DON’T want things to go back to him just abusing her and her just being giddy and obsessive about it. But frankly, Paul Dini gave us a great starting point with her introductory one-shot - she was shown to be asserting herself when she needed to. It’s there. That comic showed what eventually happened in the DCAU world - the domesticity and familiarity between them, how volatile it was but also how passionate and intriguing. This is an awesome pairing - it is so different to almost anything else out there and it has so much potential. And I love these characters solo, but I love them endlessly together and it just feels wrong and cheap for it to be over between them.

It should really be viewed as an opportunity: an opportunity to explore a relationship which isn't heteronormative, mainstream or vanilla. An opportunity to explore further elements of the Joker. An opportunity to explore Harley's own growth as a character. An opportunity to provide something that all the kinky kids can relate to, the same way queer kids like to see representations of themselves in comics. Whether DC acknowledges it or not, kinksters already hook into the JokerxHarley pairing, perceiving the sublety in it that many of the official writers miss. We want to see that honoured by the writers.

No, the abuse should never be depicted as healthy, or right, or a good thing. Absolutely not. However, to ignore the fact Harley loves her clown exactly as he is, that she likes being Dominated and that there are consensual rough-play elements to the relationship is outright denial of what is clearly evident to anyone who is looking.

Harley is obsessed with Joker; that does not mean she has to go back to taking any and all crap. She can continue to be in love with him and demand different things from the relationship, just as she was shown to do in the DCAU. This also wouldn't reduce Joker's impact as a villain. Indeed, it creates an even more intriguing premise to work with, probing into his psyche and asking the question why he keeps her around - simply to feed his narcissim, or something more? And why does he allow the boudaries of the relationship to evolve?

It should still be a definite Dominant/submissive dynamic, but with more power-exchange going on. Will he still be abusive? Sure - he’s a psychopath! Will she take it on the same level? No - she’s also a psychopath - she’s gonna give it back. But the relationship is cyclical in nature - from both sides. They’ve both sworn each other off and both taken each other back multiple times. This does not mean it has to stall or become stagnant.

I hope I’m reading the Big D right in Detective and Countdown, but the feeling I’ve been getting is not that she’s moved on from Joker, but she’s moved on from taking things lying down. She’s no longer just the henchwench, she’s the equal partner.

It’s actually really exciting because it also gives writers the opportunity to do something that needs to be done and that is, freshen up Joker a little bit. Push him in new directions. Give him more depth and complexity. Too often lately he has become the cardboard villain doing things that make it impossible to believe anyone could let him live. Harley always betrayed a skerrick of humanity in him. By showing him compromising to some degree in this relationship it enables a new dimension of him to be explored without actually compromising on his character, his deadliness and extremity, as a whole. Harley also enables Joker to be more relatable, gives him something we can identify with because it enables us to see him in more vulnerable moments, or doing everyday things. With someone like Joker, he can become too larger than life - too impossible to believe in. Too beyond anything we can understand or relate to. Harley allows this.

Harley gives Joker a certain degree of warmth. In some ways, she humanises the Batuniverse’s least human villain. She gives him new dimensions and new avenues to explore. Furthermore, her love for him is fundamental to who she is. They make a beautiful pair and a Harley in her bells and motley is an incomparably playful and fun villain.
There is ample canon evidence that Joker has feelings for Harley, in so much as he is capable of, and this gives us an insight into his character we would never otherwise have. For someone with as tender and essentially sweet nature as Harley to see deeply into Joker and find something redeemable there – well, it just makes for some pretty awesome story possibilities.

Plus, let’s face it: this pairing is sexy as hell. Joker himself is such a seductive, charismatic, dominant kinda guy and Harley is such an impassioned, sweet, devoted kinda gal, they’re both completely nuts and together the two of them are sheer dynamite. There is so much chemistry and heat and magnetism between them. For anyone into D/s out there, this pairing is absolutely volcanically hot.


HINTS

It has been somewhat hinted by Paul Dini at least that a reunion could be on the cards. The evidence?

In Harley’s corner we’ve got: In Joker’s corner we’ve got:
And furthermore, Bats himself states that the only thing needed to break down Harley’s reformation is the sight of “her man in need”. He also states Joker would want his girl by his side during his convalescence.

And we ALL know Bats ALWAYS knows where it’s at!

Yeah, not much from Joker but you gotta remember this is THE JOKER we’re speaking about, the very fact he THOUGHT of her at all is pretty damned compelling. And… knives and love hearts? Again, given this is Joker, he might as well have written her a Shakespearian sonnet!

 As for Harley’s, you might say – most of that is negative! But, methinks the lady doth protest too much. She’s mentioning it a few too many times, with a little too much emphasis on the lack of love! As the most recent example in Countdown demonstrated, her heart is still with her man.

Seems to me Mr. D is dropping a few subtle hints that neither of them are over the other.  Let’s hope so!

I’m a huge and passionate fan of both of these characters and for me the two are practically inseparable. I’m PLEADING that the complexity of this relationship will be taken into account and expanded on, rather than just giving up on it altogether or never letting it change and develop.