Do not get me wrong. I love Joker as a dark psychological drama that simultaneously tells the origin story of one of the most iconic comic book villains. Joker 2: Folie à deux expands on the refreshingly offbeat DC vision with Harley Quinn reimagined by Lady Gaga.
I have every confidence in director Todd Phillips that his DC psychological musical will inspire me again. There’s one thing I’m concerned about, though: Harley Quinn’s romance with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). Why the Joker 2 love story could destroy years of DC workI explain to you here.
Toxic Love with Joker: Harley Quinn’s DC evolution has come a long way
Long before Margot Robbie catapulted Harley Quinn into the mainstream, and even before the character even appeared in the pages of a DC comic, she made her debut in the fantastical Batman animated series in 1992. Since then, Harley’s character has undergone a remarkable transformation .
In the beginning, Harley Quinn – in series and comics – was just one thing: Joker’s friend and loyal sidekick. Former Arkham psychologist Dr. Harleen Quinzel was manipulated, seduced and mentally broken by the Joker.
The Clown Prince of Crime became the center of their being and their mutual “love” was one-sided. The Joker only gave her recognition and affection when it suited him or as a reward for Harley’s loyal service. The only person who really means anything to Joker? Batman.
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Harley and Joker in Suicide Squad
Joker and Harley are anything but a power couple in Gotham’s underworld. Your relationship can actually only be described as toxic and violent define. Over time, the tragedy of Harley Quinn’s character became apparent. Behind the facade of the psychotic criminal and hyena owner is a woman who wants to be more than just her Mister J’s sidekick and emotional punching bag. It was only years later that she was able to completely break away from her unhealthy on-off relationship.
With the split from Joker, Harley Quinn finally became an exciting character. She explored her independence as a member of different teams and formed friendships that finally gave her what she couldn’t find all these years in the grip of her puddin: love.
Will Joker 2 destroy what Margot Robbie and Kaley Cuoco built?
The post-breakup era has long defined Harley’s stories in DC Comics. But only in the past four years has it been cemented into mainstream pop culture consciousness by two women: Margot Robbie and Kaley Cuoco.
As a live-action version, Margot Robbie faces the question in the films Birds of Prey: The Emancipation of Harley Quinn and The Suicide Squad: Who is Harley Quinn without the Joker? Sure, the character is still completely insane, unpredictable and naive. But she is more than a shrill personality. She is a creature of intricate facets, emotional scars, and (in a way) compassion.
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Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn
However, the most exciting and best Harley Quinn take in years brought The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco to life in the Harley Quinn animated series. This begins with the breakup with Joker and explores Harley’s chaotic self-discovery. She fights in the anarchic underworld of Gotham Recognition as a villain in her own right. In the process, she finally discovers an unexpected desire to be a heroine.
Unlike Margot Robbie’s Harley, this version takes it a step further. The focus is namely on the friendship with Batman’s enemy Poison Ivy, which is also an essential part of their story in the DC comics. Because from the friendship and the common fight for recognition as female super villains blossomed a romance that matures Harley Quinn as a character.
Harley Quinn doesn’t need another Joker, just Poison Ivy
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy’s queer relationship is a highlight in both the animated series and DC Comics. Not only because it does not require manipulation or humiliation. But because Harley can learn how a partnership with mutual trust actually works.
For the first time, Harley has found someone who enters into a dialogue with her and shows her empathy. This is the only way she can learn from mistakes and grow beyond herself as a character. She is allowed to have a healthy relationship without her figure and character being distorted or downplayed. Even murderous villains deserve love.
That brings us back to Joker 2. Even if we don’t know much about the plot so far, the numerous set pictures already reveal that Lady Gaga’s Harleen Quinzel also falls for the Joker’s psychotic charm – and even expresses it in dancing and singing.
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In recent years, however, the iconic DC character has evolved so much that another romance with the Joker is like a step backwards. Haven’t we come way too far in shows, movies and comics to revisit Harley Quinn’s emotional exploitation?
Of course, the love of two unpredictable psychotic people offers enormous potential for conflict for another exciting Joker film. But DC has shown us too many times in the past that Harley Quinn is a much more compelling character when she’s not trapped in the tragic victim role.
If Joker 2 were to tread these well-trodden paths again with Harley Quinn, that would be a mistake. Unfortunately, the title of the DC sequel, Folie à deux, suggests that Lady Gaga’s Harley “infected” by the Joker’s psychosis and thus becomes a victim of his delusion.
It would be really courageous if the DC live-action universe finally dared to do what the comics and animated series have long dared to do: show Harley Quinn not in a heterosexual relationship, but in a queer one, bringing out the best in her character .
Joker 2: Folie à deux is coming on October 3, 2024 to the movies.
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