Warning! Spoilers ahead for Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour #5!
The startling realization that Poison Ivy might be just as bad for Harley Quinn as Joker had been isn’t conjecture or hyperbole because Harls makes the shocking comment herself in a moment of passion (unfortunately, the bad kind). While it’s generally assumed that the Poison Ivy would be a more suitable partner for Harley Quinn, considering how abusive the Joker had been to her, the newest issue of Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour may suggest otherwise.
The massive falling out comes at a time when their adorable relationship couldn’t be on any rockier ground. Up until now, Harley has been the main source of the lovebird’s troubles in the first four issues of a DC series that ostensibly depicts what fans can expect from the upcoming third season of Harley Quinn on HBO Max. But, now, Poison Ivy is refusing to open up to Harley and even mistreating her like the Joker did, as revealed in Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour #5 by writer Tee Franklin, artist Max Sarin, colorist Marissa Louise and letterer Taylor Esposito.
What sets Harley off on her tirade isn’t because Ives is currently being unkind. In fact, they are both scrubbing each other off in a sensual bath after the hero Vixen sprayed them with skunk in the previous issue. It’s that Ives uncharacteristically won’t finish a mission they already started together and refuses to explain why. The fact that Ives continues to shut her other half out is what causes Harley to revisit Ivy’s past wrongs. Ironically, these transgressions are actually moments that the comic originally portrayed as Harley not respecting Ivy’s boundaries who has been wallowing over how she mistreated Kite Man in Season 2 of the HBO Max show, causing him to break up with her on their wedding day. But how Ives has reacted to her lover’s impetuousness in the last four issues is what causes Harley to make the stunning correlation to Joker when she says: “I’ve been giving you your space so that you can figure this out, but being rude to me isn’t what I signed up for. I could’ve stayed with Joker if I wanted to keep having a daily put-down.“
The problem, however, is that both characters —not just Harley—are suffering from PTSD. Harley’s obviously stems from her toxic relationship with Joker. Meanwhile, Poison Ivy’s can be traced back to her childhood by how her father mistreated her as a child. How alone he made her feel is what later causes the future Poison Ivy to continue isolating herself from others, which she is currently replicating with Harley. The fact that both of them share a tragic past is undoubtedly one of the many things that attracts Harley and Ivy to each other. But this similarity doesn’t bode well for either of them. Yes, they can better understand each other as a result and connect on an even deeper level than before, that is, assuming Poison Ivy ever opens up and communicates with Harley. But, when both lovers are equally damaged, it’s usually a recipe for disaster that causes both lovers to spiral. They need outside help if they truly want to make it as a couple and, unfortunately, going on a love trip like they currently are is probably the worst thing they could possibly do—as past events have already shown.
Ironically, both Harley Quinn and now Poison Ivy have been visited by Harls’ alter ego Harleen Quinzel who, despite being a figment of their imaginations, has actually given both of them some incredibly insightful advice as a good psychiatrist would. Her counseling could even help both Harley Quinn and Ivy overcome their past trauma, Harley’s as a result of her relationship with Joker and Ivy’s as a result of the troubled relationship with her father. So, maybe there’s hope for them after all!
