8 Things DC Want You To Forget About Harley Quinn

They did WHAT for a competition?!

Harley Quinn
DC Comics

Harley Quinn is one DC's most popular characters, but - more often than not - that popularity has also courted controversy.

Said controversies have mostly occurred within the past five or so years, where appearances in both the Arkham games and various other animated features precipitated the character's cinematic debut in 2016's Suicide Squad - itself criticised for its depiction of Dr. Quinn. Harley also led the charge during DC's divisive New 52 relaunch - it, too, the subject of much criticism.

Point being, Harleen has had it rough these last few years. And while yes, her original misadventures undoubtedly had their problematic elements, few writers/artists have given the bisexual abuse survivor the respect she truly deserves, with DC now being able to boast a catalogue of errors in regards to their treatment of the Paul Dini creation in mediums animated and otherwise.

That stinks, and it's more true now more than ever that the company aren't doing enough to combat perceptions that cast the character's relationship with the Joker as romantic and one to be coveted. The production of a rom-com Joker/Harley movie confirms as much.

While DC's abject ignorance in regards to her treatment would imply an apathy in regards to what they do - and don't - want you to forget about the character, it's clear that the fanbase cares. For good reason too...

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.