Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Harley Quinn #40!She’s been considered a hero and a villain, and now DC Comics is weighing in on the debate on whatHarley Quinnactually is. There’s no arguing Harley has a bit of a checkered past, but she’s also grown considerably. A new story provides a hint asto what Harley Quinnshould actually be classified as.
InHarley Quinn #40’sbackstory “Harley Quinn and the Scales of Justice” by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer, Harley is accepted into the Quintessence Academy of Vice and Virtue, a magical school that divides its students into two departments: The Golden Eagle Association and the Society of Rat Bastards.
To find which department she belongs in, Harley must stand on the Scales of Justice. She does andthe scale is unable to designate Harley Quinn as either ‘Good’ or ‘Evil’. Harley is allowed to pick a side for herself and joins the Rat Bastards (who are led by Poison Ivy).
DC Admits Harley Quinn Isn’t Either a Hero or a Villain
As far as character development goes, few have been onthe wild journey Harley Quinnhas been on since she arrived in the DC Universe. Harley was infamously the Joker’s sidekick and more than willing to raise hell with him. But after finally leaving him, Harley decided to make her own path in the world. For a while, she was a solo villain and later was forced into the role of anti-hero after being conscripted into Task Force X. But in recent years,Harley Quinn has started to team up with heroeslike Power Girl, Wonder Woman, and even Batman.
While Harley Quinn’s ‘Sorting Ceremony’ moment is pretty funny, it should be noted that the backup story is a dream and Harley hasn’t faced the real Scales of Justice (assuming it really exists). However, this story makes a good point about Harley Quinn’s alignment. She’s gone back and forth between hero and villain so much that it’s hard to put her in one specific category. Of course, it does make sense that Harley would ally herself with whatever side Poison Ivy is on. But in a vacuum,Harley Quinn is too complex a character to define, and DC Comics knows it.
Harley Quinn is Beyond Being a Hero or a Villain
In reality, most people aren’t either good or evil, but a superhero universe generally has people boxed into one category or the other. However, Harley has been all over the hero/villain continuum that it’s hard to say which, if either, side she belongs. Harley Quinn is chaos incarnate, yes, and she does have a penchant for crime. But she’s also got a good heart and is far from being a traditional ‘villain’. For now, it might just be easiest to say that ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ are both equally suitable forHarley Quinn.
