Joker And Harley Quinn: A Toxic Relationship
The relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn is one of the best known in the world of cartoons and comics, both are two of the antagonists of the Batman character. They are so charismatic that they have generated great admiration from the public. It is clear that both are central to the Batman universe, enjoy a great reputation, and bring humor and tension to the fictional city of Gotham. Obviously, Batman wouldn’t be the same without the Joker… and Joker wouldn’t have the same charm if it wasn’t Harley Quinn. But what kind of relationship do they have?
If we analyze the relationship and deepen the characters, we will immediately realize that something is wrong, that it is not a healthy relationship and that Harley Quinn is probably experiencing a situation of manipulation that she is unable to escape.
The characters: Joker and Harley Quinn
The origin of Joker is a bit uncertain, he changes versions of his past to his advantage and his character is shrouded in an aura of mystery. Her distinctive appearance (green hair, white skin and red lips) is the result of a fall into a reservoir of chemical residues that will change her appearance forever. Joker, as his name indicates, is a jester: he has a very circus look and his macabre projects are accompanied by jokes, card games and elements that we usually associate with clowns.
He is not Batman’s only enemy, but we can say that he is the most charismatic. He is an ingenious, manipulative, liar, selfish, self-centered character, with a psychopathic profile and who enjoys the suffering of others. Joker doesn’t love anyone, only himself. He seeks fun and laughter almost like a child and doesn’t care if it hurts others.
There are infinite versions of Joker and many differences between them, that of the comics, the cartoon, the films and the different actors who have been entrusted with the task of interpreting him … However, his image and his personality make him easily recognizable for the general public.
Harley Quinn is her eternal love, let’s find out more about her in Batman: Crazy Love. Her real name is Harleen Quinzel, she was a very good gymnast and, thanks to this, she got a scholarship to enter the university; he studied psychiatry and earned very high grades, albeit in an unethical way. Eventually, he gets to work at Arkham Asylum, where the Joker was interned.
When she meets Joker in Arkham, she is immediately fascinated by his personality. In Batman: Crazy Love , we see him sincere with her and tell her about traumatic experiences from his past, experiences that we later discover are not true and that were not only disclosed to Harley. But Harley begins to fall in love and, blinded by her feelings, she is unable to realize how psychopathic Joker is: in him she sees only someone who has suffered and in Batman only a great enemy of his.
For this, Harley steals a Harlequin costume, in honor of the nickname her beloved Joker gave her, and manages to free him from Arkham. From this moment, her criminal career will begin and her character will take shape: a villain fascinated by jokes, circus-looking and with two hyenas as a mascot.
Joker sees in Harley an opportunity to escape Arkham, in her he sees someone he can trust as her devotion to him is endless. She falls madly in love and he will take advantage of this situation .
The toxic relationship of the Joker and Harley Quinn
Joker even goes so far as to mistreat her physically and psychologically and even tries to kill her. But Harley is unaware of this manipulation, she is submissive and devoted, she is content with a minimal show of affection, although there are episodes in which we see a certain rebellion on her part, a certain approach to reality; for example, when she teams up with Poison Ivy and tries to move forward with her new friend.
However, deep down, we realize that many of his behaviors are aimed at trying to impress the Joker; in fact, for Harley, Joker’s opinion will be fundamental, it will determine his attitudes and decisions. As we see, the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn is a clear example of toxicity.
Harley Quinn always shows herself at his disposal, she dreams of killing Batman because she thinks that this way she will be able to fully enjoy her relationship. In other words, he looks for culprits to justify Joker’s attitude and always defends him. She deceives herself, believing that her love is reciprocated and that, sooner or later, they will live happily ever after.
All of this causes Harley to perfect a Joker plan to kill Batman, proving to be very intelligent and getting closer than ever to annihilating him once and for all. The irony is that it is the Joker who, out of pride and his inability to accept that Harley has passed him, pushes her off a building and frees Batman.
On some occasions we notice some feelings from Joker towards Harley but, in many cases, it comes down to manipulation or the madness of the character. It is possible that Joker has feelings for her, but his pride and love for himself are much stronger.
Harley idealized Joker, idealized the relationship and everything around it. He has totally lost his mind due to his unhealthy falling in love, which he feeds with tiny displays of affection to ensure his loyalty. But the truth is that all of this has made Harley extremely insecure, we see it when her great enemy Batman manipulates her on more than one occasion, creating fear and insecurity in her, even though he’s actually telling her the truth about the Joker.
Suicide Squad : a modernized version
After the Suicide Squad movie premiere in 2016, the Joker and Harley Quinn characters have gained tremendous popularity. Joker is played by Jared Leto, an actor and singer well known to the younger audience, and Harley is played by Margot Robbie.
It is obvious that we have seen other Jokers in the cinema, such as Jack Nicholson for the Tim Burton film, and that the most acclaimed Joker by the public and critics was the late Heath Ledger; but there is no doubt that this new modernized version with an aesthetic more conforming to our times has created an image of the character that has already spread among the younger audience. Although Harley Quinn’s impact was still greater; it was the first time that this character was brought to the big screen and his aesthetic renewal was of great impact.
In Suicide Squad this relationship is not deepened too much and we see a Joker sometimes more compassionate with Harley, but still very cruel; moreover, the character of Joker takes a back seat. Harley from Suicide Squad best reflects the essence of the character, his madness, his love for the Joker and even his desire to live a normal life and form a family with him.
The problem materializes when we try to see this relationship as something it is not: Joker does not stop being a psychopath and Harley always remains a submissive woman to him. They can be very charismatic, attractive, funny, ingenious characters and, without a doubt, the Batman universe would not be the same without them.
They are characters who have acquired a life of their own, who mark a style, the perfect prototype of villains, but the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn is the clear example of what we do NOT want: a toxic relationship.
Their madness is even contagious, but it is also dangerous and we must not stop seeing them for what they are: the characters of a comic. Characters that reflect the archetype of the villains, which can come to fascinate us; however, we must be aware that in the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn, sanity is completely absent, therefore it is inadmissible in real life. As we have seen, their analysis is very interesting and we could see this relationship as an example not to be imitated at all, without this being an obstacle to enjoy their story, have fun and appreciate everything that happens in the plot.
