Warning: contains spoilers for Harley Quinn #10!
After over two decades of being a murderous, violent villain, Harley Quinn is officially a DC Comics hero after facing her final test. Harley’s journey has been long and arduous, filled with confrontations with Batman, the Joker and plenty of figures from her past. But in Harley Quinn #10, DC’s latest superhero finally attains the title by passing the last challenge: resisting temptation from the woman she loves, Poison Ivy.
Modern comic readers may not know that Harley Quinn didn’t debut in comics at all, but rather the Batman animated series of the 90s. Critically acclaimed for its atmosphere and dark subject matter, the writers decided to create Harley out of a need for the Joker to have scenes with a memorable sidekick. Harley Quinn was born; her backstory was explained in the episode Mad Love, in which viewers learn that Doctor Harlene Quinzel was corrupted by the Joker after numerous psychiatry sessions in Arkham Asylum.
Since then, Harley’s popularity led to her debut in the No Man’s Land arc in the comics (and eventually make her cinematic debut in 2016’s Suicide Squad). The character has slowly forgone her evil ways over time; she’s realized the Joker used her for his schemes and never loved her, she’s stopped committing crimes and violence acts, and perhaps most important of all, entered into a relationship with Poison Ivy. Now in Harley Quinn #10, the two are out on the town…but while Harley has moved on from her life of crime, Ivy has not.
Ivy leads Harley to an off-limits section of a museum to a case containing a priceless diamond. “Do you realize how much this one diamond is worth?” Ivy says, and it’s clear she intends to steal it with Harley. The diamond is more than enough to allow the pair to leave Gotham forever – but Harley refuses. After everything she’s been through, she’s able to refuse temptation from Poison Ivy to return to her former, perhaps easier life – even if it risks her relationship with Ivy.
At the end of the issue, the two reconcile (Harley for not understanding that Ivy must change at her own pace, and Ivy for injuring Harley during a fight with two museum guards), but it’s clear that Harley has matured and is no longer the psychotic criminal she once was. Resisting the temptation from a friend to resume one’s evil ways signifies that Harley has permanently changed, and won’t be swayed again. Harley Quinn’s redemption is well-earned, proving that if over-the-top comic book villains can make a sincere effort to change and become better people, so can the rest of the world.
