Harley Quinn has swiftly become one of the most beloved characters in the Batman mythos, but she hasn’t been around quite as long as others. Harley was created for the classic cartoon, but that’s far from the only cartoon to feature the character.
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The Original (1992 - 2019)
Harley’s first appearance came in September 1992, in the 22nd episode of Batman: The Animated Series entitled “Joker’s Favor”. Those who haven’t checked in on the series in a while might be shocked to recall that she only appears in nine episodes throughout the series. Her introduction is laid out, she becomes an occasional antagonist for the Caped Crusader, and her toxic relationship with the Joker is established. She’s a psychotherapist who finds herself taken with the Clown Prince of Crime, but he treats her like trash and gradually loses her support. Harley’s final episode in that series was “Lock-Up”, sixty episodes after her debut. Though the show only ran for three years, this iteration of Harley outlived it.
The DC Animated Universe carried forward far beyond its initial 90s origin. Harley went on to appear in Static Shock, the 2001 Justice League series, the Batman Beyond movie, and two other animated films. All of these works take place in one somewhat stable continuity. Harley repeatedly leaves the Joker before returning to him, through a ton of wacky plans. In 2017’s Batman and Harley Quinn, she begins a brief fling with Nightwing that leads her to briefly aid the heroes in stopping Poison Ivy. Canonically, the final fate of the original Harley comes in the sci-fi future of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. After a battle with Batgirl, Harley was presumed dead, but her near-death experience led her away from her life of crime. Her illicit legacy is continued by her twin grandsons, the Dee Dee twins, who refer to her affectionately as “Nana Harley”. This iteration of the character was portrayed by Arleen Sorkin until her retirement in 2012, whereupon The Big Bang Theory star Melissa Rauch took over.
The New Clown in Town (2004 - 2019)
After her big debut and during the ongoing period during which that character lived, every big Batman cartoon gave Harley a brief appearance. In 2004’s The Batman, she’s a TV pop psychiatrist on the level of Dr. Phil before she’s taken by The Joker. In 2008’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, she has a different appearance but serves the same role. She also briefly pops up in the 2016 Justice League Action series. Like seemingly every Batman character, she has a couple of cameos in Teen Titans Go. In addition, she has a small role in the many Lego iterations of the Batman world. None of these works gave Harley anything close to a “starring” role and most limited her screen-time to an episode or two. Harley does have a fairly central role in DC Super Hero Girls, where she takes a more anti-hero persona as a friend and fan of the other heroes.
Harley in the Movies (2008 - 2021)
Though the TV series introduced and popularized the character, Harley has appeared in several animated films. Like her career in TV, many of these appearances take the form of brief cameos. She pops up in Justice League: The New Frontier, DC Super Heroes vs. Eagle Talon, Batman vs. Two-Face, Batman Ninja, and more. She’s a member of the central team of villains in the straight-to-video film Batman: Assault on Arkham. She takes her traditional comic book role in the 2021 adaptation of Injustice. In the bizarre 2019 crossover Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, she finds herself mutated into a hyena monster to do battle with both groups of heroes.
Harley also has a presence in the ongoing DC Animated Movie Universe. A version of her appears in the Flashpoint adaptation. She’s a central member of the titular team in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, largely designed after her New 52 look. She appears in Batman: Hush and, finally, in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. This version of Harley takes over the Suicide Squad after the death of Amanda Waller. Films in this franchise could continue to come out, so Harley’s fate could still develop.
Harley Quinn (2019 - Present)
It took 27 years, but Harley finally has her starring role in the medium that made her an icon. HBO’s adult-oriented Harley Quinn animated series feels like the character’s brain projected into 3 seasons of TV. The series follows Harley as she leaves The Joker once again and arranges a team of fellow villains to become the new crime lord in town. This Harley is, interestingly, played by another Big Bang Theory star, Kaley Cuoco. Fans of the character, look no further, the perfect iteration of Harley Quinn is the one with her name on the poster, but it took every other unique version to get to this peak.
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