Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the Joker, and debuted in its 22nd episode, "Joker's Favor", on September 11, 1992. While intended to appear in one episode, Quinn became a recurring character within the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the Joker's sidekick and love interest, and was adapted into DC Comics' canon seven years later, beginning with the one-shot ''Batman: Harley Quinn'' #1 (October 1999). Quinn's origin story features her as a former psychologist at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum who was manipulated by and fell in love with the Joker, her patient, eventually becoming his accomplice and lover. The character's alias is a play on the stock character Harlequin from the 16th-century Italian theater .

Following her introduction to the comics in 1999, Harley Quinn was depicted as the former doctor turned sidekick and lover of the Joker as well as the criminal associate and best friend of Poison Ivy. Later stories depicted Quinn as an independent supervillain who has left her abusive and codependent relationship with the Joker behind, beginning with the publication of her ongoing series, ''Harley Quinn''. After years of scarce appearances in comics, Quinn returned in a leading role in 2009 with the ''Gotham City Sirens'' series, as part of an unstable alliance with Poison Ivy and Catwoman. The character’s design was modernised in 2011 for DC's "The New 52" line-wide relaunch, with the character since regularly featuring as an antihero in the ''Suicide Squad'' and ‘’Birds of Prey’’ team books. Other changes included fronting her own light-hearted Harley Quinn comic book and being established in a new romantic relationship with Poison Ivy. In 2021, DC's line-wide ''Infinite Frontier'' relaunch brought Quinn back to Gotham City and reestablished her as a superhero seeking redemption for her past actions.

Harley Quinn's abilities include expert gymnastic skills, proficiency in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, complete unpredictability, immunity to toxins, and enhanced strength, agility, and durability. Quinn often wields clown-themed gag weapons, with an oversized mallet being her signature weapon. Additionally, she has a pair of pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, who sometimes serve as her attack dogs.

Harley Quinn has become one of DC Comics' most popular and profitable characters. She has been featured in many of DC's comic books and adapted in various other media and merchandise. DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee considers Harley Quinn the fourth pillar of DC Comics' publishing line, behind Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Originally voiced by Arleen Sorkin in the DC Animated Universe, she has since appeared in many other DC projects voiced by actresses such as Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Laura Bailey, Jenny Slate, Melissa Rauch, Laura Post, and Kaley Cuoco. Cuoco provided the character's voice in the 2019 animated series ''Harley Quinn''. Mia Sara, Margot Robbie, and Lady Gaga have portrayed the character in live action media. Provided by Wikipedia