Warning: Spoilers for Batman ’89: Echoes #1 ahead!
A new theory suggests that the Scarecrow — not the Joker — will be the one who corrupts Harley Quinn in the Batman ’89 universe. The long-awaited sequel to the hit Batman ’89 comic is finally here, and it’s introducing a new line of characters to the Burtonverse, including the likes of Batgirl and Scarecrow. Harley Quinn also joins the cast — but given certain events that happened in the original Burton Batman story, her origin as a villain will likely play out differently than usual.
In Batman ’89: Echoes #1 by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones, Harley makes her first major appearance as Harleen Quinzel after a brief cameo in the first Batman ’89 miniseries. However, this version of Harley Quinn is clearly someone who has never been corrupted by the Joker. She’s a renowned psychiatrist who makes regular TV appearances.
Though the Joker was officially resurrected in DC canon, he is very much dead in this universe, and Harley is living the life that she envisioned for herself. This doesn’t mean that she will forever be on the opposite side of crime, and it’s likely the Scarecrow will play a major role in her “corruption.”
Batman ’89 Nearly Introduced a New & Very Different Harley Quinn
Batman ’89 almost introduced a new version of Harley Quinn, now the persona of a seemingly-deceased character from 1989’s Batman movie.
Scarecrow Will Likely Turn Harleen Quinzel into Harley Quinn
Scarecrow has clearly been established as the primary villain for this Batman ’89 story, as numerous fearful victims see things that aren’t there. As Scarecrow continues to perfect his toxins to use on Gotham, it’s highly likely that Quinzel will come into contact with this gas at some point, turning her into the fan-favorite villainess-turned-anti-hero. Whether she will keep her aesthetic is yet to be seen, as she will possibly redesign her look based around the Scarecrow — though her red power suit in this appearance is a clear homage to her original costume. However, there’s no doubt that Harley will eventually come into play sometime over the course of Echoes, and it will likely be by the hand of Scarecrow.
What may establish Harley’s downfall into becoming one of the Burtonverse’s newest villains is her relationship with Scarecrow, which is established in the very first issue. Quinzel and Jonathan Crane clearly already know each other, as they have a brief discussion about the villain Firefly (and then each mutter an insult about the other under their breaths). Crane clearly has something against Quinzel. In order to perfect his toxins, fans shouldn’t put it past him to potentially kidnap Quinzel and force her to be a test subject for his latest batch.
Harley Quinn’s Turn to Villainy Will Be Planned, Not a Mistake
This could lead to a major development in a future issue — such as Harleen becoming Harley Quinn for the first time. There’s even a way to potentially keep her modeled after the Joker, as Crane could lace the Joker’s infamous Smilex chemical with his gas to change Quinzel. Of course, this is still a theory, and anything could happen in the coming months as the latest story in Tim Burton’s Batman universe continues to unfold. However, the evidence still points to Crane being the one to corrupt Quinzel. Scarecrow is a huge threat to Gotham in this new story connected to Batman ’89, and with his toxic experiments still ongoing, Harley Quinn could be corrupted even without the Joker.
BATMAN ’89: ECHOES #1 (2023) | |
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