6. Mad Love
Hard to imagine that most of Batman's villains had normal lives before they became criminally insane. Most started off about as happy, sad or sane as any "normal" person walking the street, but somewhere along the way they flipped. Every one of Batman's villains has some sort of tragic tale of heartache, abuse, neglect, loss or a combination of all of those things. As it goes, the more famous the villain, the more grandiose and tragic the tale. I have to ask, have you ever heard a story as sad as that of Dr. Harleen Quinzel? A young, impressionable woman whose thoughts and affections are twisted by the those of a sick madman? Yes you read that right, Harley Quinn was once a doctor. A psychiatrist at that. At least that's the way it's told in the
BTAS episode "Mad Love". In "Mad Love" we get to see a more subdued Harley Quinn (well, about as subdued as a loony broad can get) sit down and take stock of the path her life has taken, from Arkham's newest psych intern to Joker's right-hand woman. It's a great episode because it's always a treat to have the veil pulled back and see what makes some of Bat-brain's main adversaries tick, and find out what made them who they are. In Harley's case, there were no green, toxic chemicals or cryogenic accidents, but a young woman who wanted someone to listen to and understand her. Sadly, that person was the Joker.