10 Things Everyone Always Forgets About Harley Quinn

2. Mad Love

Harley Quinn Poison Ivy
DC Comics / Bruce Timm

Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in 1994 as a one-shot tie-in to Batman: The Animated Series, The Batman Adventures: Mad Love was considered by many fans to be the definitive Harley Quinn origin story. The comic won the Eisner Award for “Best Single Issue”, and the story, with some minor changes, was adapted into an episode of the animated series.

Within the story, with his latest scheme thwarted, the Joker attempts to formulate new plans, but Harley is trying to get some affection from her single-minded beau. Uninterested, the Clown throws her out and Quinn wanders the streets lamenting her heartache. She recalls her past as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, an Arkham Asylum intern who falls in love with the evil Clown Prince and becomes his partner in crime.

She decided that the only way to win Joker’s love is to kill Batman, and she nearly did just that using a school of piranhas. When Joker found out that she almost robbed him of the joy of killing Batman, the enraged clown knocked her out of a window, seriously injuring her. Recovering in Arkham Asylum, Harley planned to give up on the Joker forever until she rolled over and saw flowers and a Get Well Soon card with a “J” on it - and fell in love all over again.

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John Wilson has been a comic book and pop culture fan his entire life. He has written for a number of websites on the subject over the years and is especially pleased to be at WhatCulture. John has written two comic books for Last Ember Press Studio and has recently self-published a children's book called "Blue." When not spending far too much time on the internet, John spends time with his lovely wife, Kim, their goofy dog, Tesla, and two very spoiled cats.