8 Reasons Why A Joker & Harley Quinn Movie Is A Terrible Idea
3. This. Does. Not. Need. Romanticising.
This really, really shouldn't need reiterating, but hey, here we are, this is happening.
For those unfamiliar with the Joker/Harley dynamic in the comics, the pair's relationship is toxic and abusive to the core. The clown prince emotionally and psychologically manipulates Quinn to fulfil his schemes, and straight up physically abuses her too when they don't pan out. Harley has, until very recently, been unable to shake her attraction to the Joker, but the imprint of their time spent together can still be felt when they cross paths.
Even though Batman: The Animated Series had some comedic moments between the pair, the show was not one to shy away from portraying the most destructive aspects of their relationship. In Mad Love - an episode based on the Bruce Timm comic of the same name - Joker strikes a lovelorn Doctor Quinn, and the cycle which sees her return to the clown is not romanticised by any stretch of the imagination.
It's bad, it's meant to be bad, and, the more audiences continue to misapprehend this dynamic (one perpetuated by WB's willing ignorance), the more it damages Harley's story. The fact that the film is being billed as a "criminal love story" demonstrates that ignorance and then some.