Harley Quinn’s new origins riff on Justice League – but she still can’t escape Joker

Harley Quinn’s origin in the DC Universe is inevitably tied to The Joker. Now she’s trying to remove that connection by using magic to rewrite her origin.

Harley Quinn’s origin has close ties to The Joker, but the characters have had little interaction over the last several years. In most of those interactions, Harley’s been very clear about wanting nothing to do with Joker. 

The rest of the DC Universe doesn’t notice this, though. Now she’s tried to do something about it, but the result may not be what she hoped for. 

Harley’s plan is to make sure no one thinks of The Joker before they think of her. That plan is pretty simple: she just has to kidnap one of the DC Universe’s most powerful magic users.

No matter her origin, Harley Quinn can’t escape The Joker

In Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder #2, Harley kidnaps Zatanna so she can use magic to rewrite Harley’s origin. Harley’s plan kind of just stops there, though; all she wants is to change her origin to Batman‘s.

What follows is a riff on the Justice League that only Harley Quinn could do. Harley changes her origin to that of Batman, but folks say The Joker created her. She changes it to Superman’s origin, but everyone says she wouldn’t be able to beat someone like Joker. We see the same outcome with Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (specifically Guy Gardner, which Harley notes with some disdain), and Aquaman (much to Harley’s disappointment). 

Each of these origins highlights Harley’s opinions on the Justice League, but also her place in the DC Universe. Despite completely changing her origins, she remains connected to the Joker. Everyone speaks of Harley in connection with him no matter who she becomes. 

Perhaps it’s meant to be a sly commentary on Harley Quinn. She’s been an independent character since her canon comic debut in 1999’s Batman: Harley Quinn special, which opened with Poison Ivy saving Harley after Joker tried to blow her up. Since then, the two have had minimal interactions, with multiple creative teams even stating they would never reconnect the two.

Despite this separation, the two characters remained connected no matter where the story is. Even in tales where they’ve broken up, Harley remains best known as “The Joker’s girlfriend,” even though she’s been more closely associated with the Suicide Squad and Bat-family for years. 

Black + White + Redder is an out-of-continuity tale, but it’s still an interesting examination of Harley and how she views herself. In continuity, Harley is next veering more toward heroism by joining Black Canary’s latest incarnation of the Birds of Prey.