Harley Quinn and Joker’s daughter origin story

The Joker and Harley Quinn aren’t just partners in crime. They have a four-year-old daughter named Lucy reveals Harley in Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Two #13 by writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo. Harley makes the heartbreaking admission after discovering that Black Canary is pregnant with Green Arrow’s child. That’s not all they have in common. An evil Superman kills both of their baby daddies: Joker and Green Arrow.

Black Canary fights Harley in the Arrow cave (actual name) but calls a timeout to throw up from morning sickness. Harley refuses to attack a pregnant woman…at least not physically. She puffs out her cheeks and imagines a fat Black Canary running around in fishnets. Canary isn’t amused by her humor. She asks if they can go back to fighting.

Harley displays a rare moment of seriousness. She sympathizes with the difficulty of being a single mother. The Joker’s sidekick recounts how her Puddin’ pretended to not notice she was gone for a year while pregnant. Harley decides Lucy is better off not knowing her father so she sends her daughter to live her sister. However, the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“She especially likes putting tutus on toy cars. She likes the idea of a ballerina car,” Harley describes her daughter. “I think that makes perfect sense.”

The grieving widows agree to team up to take down Superman but neither is successful. Canary is killed but resurrected by Doctor Fate. He transports her to a parallel world to raise her child with an alternate Oliver Queen. Harley is literally sent to Hell but returns to continue the ongoing fight against the Superman regime.

Harley Quinn has Mad Love for Joker

Harley’s origin story is also a love story collected in Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories writer Paul Dini and artist Bruce Timm. Harleen Quinzel was originally the Joker’s psychiatrist at Arkham Ayslum. Joker notes that her name sounds like Harlequin, which he describes as a “classic clown character.” In fact, the Harlequin and clown were often paired together in plays.

Dr. Quinzel became enamored with the psychopath, who told her tales about being abused by his father as a child. The only time his father ever smiled was at a circus clown whose pants fell down. Joker tried to repeat the performance for a laugh but his angry father broke his nose.

“You’re always taking shots from folks who just don’t get the joke,” he explains.

The Joker escapes the asylum but is quickly apprehended by Batman. Quinzel snaps when she sees Joker has been beaten up by the caped crusader. She adopts the persona of Harley Quinn and breaks the Joker out of Arkham.

Harley becomes convinced the Joker would show her affection if only he wasn’t obsessed with Batman. She has a dream sequence in which Batman’s head is mounted on a wall as a trophy. Joker and Harley are married with children. They have a boy and girl, who look like a mini Joker and Harley. Even little J.J. mistreats his unnamed sister. The implication is that Harley sees this kind of abusive relationship as normal.

Harley decides to kill Batman herself using piranhas based on one of Joker’s plans titled “The death of a hundred smiles.” He had rejected the idea because piranhas can’t smile. Harley has a stroke of genius and hangs Batman upside so that they appear to be smiling from his point of view. Batman insists that she phone the Joker because he wouldn’t want to miss the moment. The Joker is speechless, which she interrupts as a good sign. Cue dream sequence. Legendary comedian Jerry Lewis marries Harley and Joker. The still have twins and boy is still bullying his sister.

In reality, Joker is furious at the prospect of being know as the boyfriend of woman who killed Batman. Worse, she has to explain the joke of the upside down smile. The Joker knocks her out a window.

“You always take shot from folks who just don’t get the joke!” he yells in a callback to his earlier truism.

Harley internalizes his words and claims the trashing is her fault. She seems to sober up at the hospital where she swears off the Joker…until she receives a rose from him. Victims of abuse often write violence off as an aberration in an otherwise healthy relationship.

Harley and Joker wedding jitters

Harley’s dream comes true in Harley Quinn: Futures End by writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner and artist Chad Hardin. She books a trip to Bahamas but crash lands on an uncharted island where the Joker has been hiding out. The Clown Prince of Crime has become King of the natives, who worship him as a god. They insist Harley and Joker be wed to appease the volcano.

It’s a dream come true for Harley, who once again has a dream sequence. She imagines singing animals dressing her like Snow White. Joker peeks in on her and jinxes the wedding. The volcano erupts killing them both and foreshadowing their ultimate fate.

The groom says “I do” but the bride gets wedding jitters during the actual ceremony. A priest dressed as Batman explains that immediately following the ceremony they are to be sacrificed to the volcano. The Joker apparently had no qualms when he thought that only the bride was to be sacrificed. She yet again forgives his betrayal. They call a truce in order to escape though they are separate in the process.

It’s unknown whether Harley said her wedding vows or if her consent was even required. The natives try to force them into the volcano indicating the ceremony was complete and they are now officially married. Their marital status is also supported by the story title “Crappily Ever After.”

Batman marries Harley Quinn in Valentine’s Day Special

Harley Quinn breaks up with Joker

The Joker gets more than his heart broken in Harley Quinn #25 by writers Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Chad Hardin. Harley breaks into Arkham Asylum to save her current boyfriend Mason Macabre but runs into the Joker, who is the epitome of an abusive partner. The Joker calls Harley a “red and black bimbo”. His derogatory language is full of sexual innuendo implying that she likes it. He insists that she needs him and manhandles her until she finally fights back. Joker tells her to “Give in to it.” She kisses him and then bites off his lip. Harley explains that she has enough of her own crazy to deal with and that he brings out the worst in her. She tells him to stay away from her family and friends, the former of which is emphasized. This could be an indirect reference to Lucy so as not make the Joker aware of her existence.

Injustice takes place in an alternate universe so it’s uncertain whether the Joker and Harley have any children in the main continuity. However, it would help explain why Harley stayed in this abusive relationship for so long.

Sister from another Mister J

Duela Dent claims to be the Joker’s daughter from an alternate Earth. A multiverse Monitor murders her for traveling between Earths. Jimmy Olsen interviews the Joker about Duela in Countdown #50 by writers Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and artist Jim Calafiore. Joker acts heartbroken over the news of her death but then reveals she was daughter of a doppelganger.

“I don’t have a daughter! Never did!” he divulges though he may not be aware of Lucy.

Duela has no relation following DC Comics New 52 reboot. She is a mentally ill girl who starts wearing his severed face as a mask after his presumed death. Nevertheless, they do share blood. Duela injects herself with a vial of Joker’s blood in a desperate attempt to have a connection with him.