Although Harley Quinn only recently began her alliance with Batman in Infinite Frontier, she was already showing incredible potential in the past. Joker: Last Laugh #4 proves the Mistress of Mayhem has always had the skills needed to be one of the Dark Knight’s greatest allies. However, she was rarely taken seriously as an individual, despite her intelligence and skills.
Since her debut in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and comic debut in 1993, Harley has most often been depicted as Joker’s girlfriend. In recent years she has stepped out on her own, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with separate from the Joker. Infinite Frontier has seen her begin the path towards heroism, but she has always had the potential to be one of Gotham’s best heroes. The only problem outside of her relationship with the Joker has been anyone’s willingness to take her seriously.
Joker: Last Laugh #4 has the creative team of Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, Andy Kuhn, Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon, and Willie Schubert. Within this series, Joker believes he will be killed by a brain tumor thanks to a horrible joke by one of his doctors. He desires an heir and intends to make Harley give him one. Harley does not want this and instead calls the Bat Family to help her out, resulting in her being put to work at developing an antitoxin for Joker venom. This proves to be an easy task for her, putting the professionals’ efforts to shame.
As Harley reveals, she has achieved this feat before. Her iconic pet hyenas needed antitoxin when they ate Joker-Fish. This required her to create an antitoxin from scratch, based on the venom. Harley is known to be a highly intelligent psychiatrist in her former life as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Yet her skills go beyond being able to evaluate people. She clearly also has applicable knowledge of chemistry that puts her ahead of the scientists who have been trying to synthesize the antitoxin. Her experience with the Joker was highly abusive, but it also gave her the opportunity to learn from his schemes in a way that could be beneficial if it is fully utilized. Knowing how to synthesize antitoxin could prove useful in saving Gotham from any future Joker attacks that employ the venom. Furthermore, she likely knows his mind better than anyone else.
Unfortunately, this comic also shows just how easily people brush aside Harley’s expertise. She is harassed and “searched” for items three times. She is also threatened into helping when she called for assistance. While her chemist skills are certainly surprising, her general intelligence shouldn’t be given her professional profile. Acting mischievous and like a harlequin doesn’t mean Harley isn’t smart or that she shouldn’t be treated respectfully when held in custody. Being arrested for crimes and monitored to prevent troublemaking and criminal acts is far different from being harassed or under-appreciated for providing much needed assistance during a global crisis. Given her knowledge, skills, and experience, Batman missed a big opportunity by not recruiting Harley to his cause sooner.
DC has proven that Joker’s hold on her is breakable and her time as part of Suicide Squad teams prove her abilities are useful for helping out in dire situations. This all makes it far more surprising that Harley Quinn hasn’t been employed in more beneficial ways by Batman before now.
