Batman Beyond 13: Harley without the Joker

[silverzeo]

This MAY not be "Best of villains" material, and it been over a month since Harl's... less than enjoyable birthday story....but I thought it was worth showing what has everyone's crazy clown lady's life in the future without her precious puddin'...

Okay, some set up. In the Batman Beyond movie, we learn how the Joker came to an end... the first time. Tim Drake indirectly kills him (depends of which version you've watched) and Harley Quin fought Batgirl over a... gorge or a ravine, which ended on a "Cliffhanger" opening, Harley falling to darkness and never seen again... till around the 3rd to last scene of the movie...

"Old Harley Quinn" (Watch on YouTube)

And then we see her Back in Batman Beyond #13, where Bruce's villain morgue, since super criminals lose all rights when they die to prevent vandalism and martyr them (brought to by a 'Dent Law' by a 'rehabilitated' Dent). There was a break-in, and since Bruce and Barb are the only ones who can get in without setting off the alarms, they turn to the only other person who would know about it's location...






It turns out the person who broke in was some random dude who can "download' memories and bodies of people he came into contact with, kinda like the Parasite... I didn't really understand myself, as it seemed like Ace was entering a restricted area and the a page later, the place had broke jars of brains and organs... but it was nice to see Nana Harley again, though I do question how she is with her "Harlequin" furniture that looks like it came from Animal Crossing...

And I know that it was sort of bad taste when DC had that suicide Harley Quin contest... but after reading this issue... I had this silly story idea that Joker, in Tim's body, would try to seduce Harley to help him... but she ends try to seduce him too... in  rather risque lingerie she bought back before she was 30... but also bring him some pain like that old lady trying to do to Bender in that Futurama episode where he becomes Robo Santa Claus, and ends up pushing HIM out the window like he did in "Mad Love"... just wonder if that is either a good idea or bad idea... because I'm told by alot of people my ideas don't make any sense...

Comments

[rdfox]

Ironically, the only reason for that "Harley survived" cameo at the end was an act of rebellion by Paul Dini--he had gotten rather protective of Harley over the years, seeing her as his big contribution to the Bat-mythos, and when Bruce Timm told him she had to die in the story, he didn't want to do it, and included that scene purely to refuse to actually kill her off. He actually expected Timm to cut it, but Timm instead decided it was so funny that they'd leave it in.

[benuben]

Since when does Barbara know about Harley? She didn't know in the movie.

[icon_uk]

Possibly she found out after finding out who DeeDee and DeeDee were.

[big_daddy_d]

The thing I'm most curious about is who did Harley end up with to have grandchildren? She always seemed so 100% in love with Joker. Be happy to see how she moved on from him and hopefully lived a fulfilling life as well.

[penguinzero]

I like to think that she and Pamela Isley finally settled down under assumed names and adopted. Maybe a little too optimistic, but not impossible!

[big_daddy_d]

Hey it could happen.

[icon_uk]

Given the twins theme that the Deed's had going on, how about the reformed Two-Face? Harley and Harvey would have been and interesting combination.

[rdfox]

IIRC, when someone asked Paul Dini that, he said it was some guy she met while lying low after Joker's death, waiting for her statute of limitations to run out (she never killed anyone in the DCAU, after all), and he had no connection to any of the Gotham Rogues, or, indeed, any supervillains--without Joker around to keep feeding her insanity, she became much more stable again and, while she could clearly never go back to her old profession, she was able to live a mostly-normal life.

Personally, I prefer the theory that the DeeDees are natural redheads from their other biological grandmother (hey, Ivy IS a master of genetic engineering, right?), and they bleach their hair, just like Nana Harley did...

[janegray]

Personally, I prefer the theory that the DeeDees are natural redheads from their other biological grandmother (hey, Ivy IS a master of genetic engineering, right?), and they bleach their hair, just like Nana Harley did...

Motto.

[big_daddy_d]

I prefer the theory that the DeeDees are natural redheads

You know in Batman: Thrillkiller Harley was dating Roy Harper and pregnant with his child at the end. O.O

[tugrul]

She has a statue of a head on the middle shelf in her living room. I'm thinking it's Joker's.

[lissa_quon]

Why does Harley have an ankle tracker? Did they fit her with it when they fit the granddaughters? Was this something Barbara did after finding out she was still alive?

[icon_uk]

I would hope so.

Love the "Hey, Puddin" bit

[bewareofgeek]

Nice shout out to the Riddler too.

[espanolbot]

Just a small thing, Harlequin and Harley Quinn are too different characters. :)

[silverzeo]

... you DO know I used 'Harlequin' as a theme, not character, to make a Animal Crossing refrence, like, "Harlequin Cabinet" or "Harlequin tea kettle"... though I do wonder what a gender-bender universe of Harly's name would be like

Harold Quin?
Jet Ester?

[icon_uk]

I would assume

Harlan Quinzel

[espanolbot]

I meant in the tags it said Harlequin/Duela Dent, not Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel.

[blunderbuss]

... Honestly, the fact that Harleen more-or-less got away scott free in Batman Beyond never sat well with me. She was never as cruel as the Joker, sure, and technically a victim of his as well, but she still assisted with Robin's horrific torture and brainwashing.

If that was the final terrible act that made Batman willing to cross the line, why was Harley spared? Once they figured out that she was alive they should have brought down the hammer on her too. At the very least, there's no way I can accept Barbra being so neutral to her in this scene, especially since Tim has been shown to be changed forever.

[icon_uk]

I'd have to assume that Harley went deep, deep undercover when she recovered, and was only arrested when she had to get involved to release her grand-daughters. Not sure what the statute of limitations would be on her crimes.. or if that would even apply.

Agreed though, that her getting off freely never worked for me either, and that Barbara is waaaaay too pleasant to her, she might forgive some villains for their past misdeeds, but not Harley or the Joker for what they did to Tim.

[donnblake]

"Hey, puddin'!"

Ouch. That's cold, Harley.

[icon_uk]

Cold rice pudding is particularly yucky too.

[silverhammerman]

What would the statute of limitations on Harley's crimes even be? I mean, she might not have committed murder, but I feel like kidnapping and multiple counts of accessory to murder would probably not be the sort of thing to get forgive just because she's a sweet old lady now.

[silverzeo]

Same as everyone in Batman's rouge gallery: She's crazy, got acquitted, and shipped to Arkham.

[donnblake]

Well, she seems to be either on parole or under house arrest, so it's possible that she did go to trial, did time either in prison or Arkham, and is now tentatively trying to be rehabilitated.