No Right Answer: Harley Quinn vs Mr Freeze - Best Batman Animated Series Character

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

They could've done so much more with Harley Quinn if they didn't make her a dumb blonde. She's suppose be this woman with some kind of educational background in psychiatry prior to joining Joker. But she never comes off like that at all. If anything she should be an anti-villain who believes she has a better chance at helping these villains mentally by joining them in their illegal activities instead of in a prison.

This is a very good point that doesn't get brought up enough. Harley Quinzel is a psychiatrist. The woman has to have some smarts, and yet she really did nothing with it in the Animated Series.

Joker is basically a Chemical Engineer Savant and a Genius. He uses it in all of his harebrained schemes. Poison Ivy obviously uses her Botany. Even The Clock King used his mind for numbers and precision to make Batman look like a rank amateur after studying him.

The Clock King. Not the guy you'd find at the gym... dodging Batman like it was a joke.

Harley? Never used her obvious intelligence. She sat there and pouted. Wasn't even that stellar of a fighter. I always thought the Joker kept her around because he wanted to see how far he could push his greatest mindfuck. Much like how he wanted to break the Bat because he thought no one should be able to be that just, he wanted to see if he ruined Harley so completely that nothing he could do would ever push her away. While I like Harley, she's more of a walking testament of the deviousness of the Joker than a character standing on her own two feet in the Animated Series.

With Mr. Freeze? I mean, I can't. I simply can't. The man wants nothing more than his wife back. If anyone should understand, it's Batman. I already regretted that they never gave them a Bottle Episode that would force Batman to see that if Bruce wasn't gifted the wealth to become the Batman, he might have followed a similar path to crime. The things they both need to do require huge amounts of money. Fries just drew the short straw and couldn't come up with it.

 

[DementedSheep]

They could've done so much more with Harley Quinn if they didn't make her a dumb blonde. She's suppose be this woman with some kind of educational background in psychiatry prior to joining Joker. But she never comes off like that at all. If anything she should be an anti-villain who believes she has a better chance at helping these villains mentally by joining them in their illegal activities instead of in a prison.

This is a very good point that doesn't get brought up enough. Harley Quinzel is a psychiatrist. The woman has to have some smarts, and yet she really did nothing with it in the Animated Series.

Joker is basically a Chemical Engineer Savant and a Genius. He uses it in all of his harebrained schemes. Poison Ivy obviously uses her Botany. Even The Clock King used his mind for numbers and precision to make Batman look like a rank amateur after studying him.

The Clock King. Not the guy you'd find at the gym... dodging Batman like it was a joke.

Harley? Never used her obvious intelligence. She sat there and pouted. Wasn't even that stellar of a fighter. I always thought the Joker kept her around because he wanted to see how far he could push his greatest mindfuck. Much like how he wanted to break the Bat because he thought no one should be able to be that just, he wanted to see if he ruined Harley so completely that nothing he could do would ever push her away. While I like Harley, she's more of a walking testament of the deviousness of the Joker than a character standing on her own two feet in the Animated Series.

With Mr. Freeze? I mean, I can't. I simply can't. The man wants nothing more than his wife back. If anyone should understand, it's Batman. I already regretted that they never gave them a Bottle Episode that would force Batman to see that if Bruce wasn't gifted the wealth to become the Batman, he might have followed a similar path to crime. The things they both need to do require huge amounts of money. Fries just drew the short straw and couldn't come up with it.

I'm pretty sure they did have it in the comics (mad love I think?) at one point that she only got through university by spreading her legs for lecturers or is that not canon?

Either way whether she "acts" like a total moron or is a total moron makes little difference. Joker likely keeps her around cause she's tits on call that he can slap around and who is to stupid and attached to leave him.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I'm pretty sure they did have it in a comics (mad love I think?) at one point that she only got through university by spreading her legs for lecturers or is that not canon?

Either way whether she "acts" like a total moron or is a total moron makes little difference. Joker likely keeps her around cause she's tits on call that he can slap around and who is to stupid and attached to leave him.

If that's canon, I fucking hate the Mad Love writer for having to go to that point. Bad enough that the Animated series never used her intelligence, but to make it she only got where she was by laying on her back? Insulting.

And that becomes especially ergregious with the fact that she got into Arkham Asylum (even as an intern) meant she had to have at least proven to someone that she was capable of swimming with that school of piranha.

God, I don't want even to look up to see if it's true.

 

[leviadragon99]

I have to say, Herman irked me by dismissing Harley during the drinking round as "someone who has never done anything but prance around in her skimpy outfit" etc.

That shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the character, the reason we all roll our eyes over Harley's costumes in the Arkham games and new-52 comics is because she is a character that is... well not innocent, but certainly naïve. She entered the Joker's life as a smart but unwise person that thought she could get massive respect in her field from psychoanalysing him when no-one else could and he manipulated her masterfully, played first on her professional curiosity, then her feelings to the point where she would help him beyond what even he intended.

All too quickly when she was so dedicated to him, he abused her terribly because he could, showing the full tragedy of her fall.

 

[MikeN]

I have to say, Herman irked me by dismissing Harley during the drinking round as "someone who has never done anything but prance around in her skimpy outfit" etc.

Not just that but describing her as a 'whore' was incredibly misogynistic. The dismissal of Harley as just eye candy ignores the episode "Mad Love" where Batman tells Joker that Harley came closer to killing him than the joker ever did.

 

[Firia]

"Harley Quinn is a whore."

And I am done watching your show. The casual misogyny leading up to the above quote is not cool.

 

[Chris Pranger]

"Harley Quinn is a whore."

And I am done watching your show. The casual misogyny leading up to the above quote is not cool.

As I mentioned on Twitter, I'll talk to Dan about this. We can definitely be more careful about that sort of low-brow language and reference. We can and will do better. My apologies.

 

[plainlake]

I swear Hermans voice is getting lower and lower, it is like kittywhispers.