From comics to animation to live-action, Harley Quinn has been the victim of some pretty terrible things. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most brutal, depressing and cruel incidents that any version of the iconic character had to go through. Since we’ll be talking about the details of Harley’s lowest moments, beware of spoilers ahead.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 (laughing)
00:02 - Come on, remember how much fun you had in that costume?
00:07 - No, I didn't have fun.
00:09 - Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:11 and today we're counting down our picks
00:13 for the top 20 worst things that happened to Harley Quinn.
00:17 - It took losing something I truly love
00:21 for me to see that the target on my back
00:24 was bigger than I thought.
00:25 - For this list, we're looking at the most brutal,
00:29 depressing, and cruel incidents
00:30 that any version of the iconic character had to go through.
00:33 Since we'll be talking about the details
00:35 of Harley's lowest moments, beware of spoilers ahead.
00:39 Which of these moments shocked you the most?
00:41 Let us know in the comments below.
00:43 Hey, Mojoholics, for a chance to win cash prizes,
00:47 play our live daily trivia challenges
00:49 every day at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern
00:52 only at watchmojo.com/play.
00:55 Number 20, losing her home because of a traitor,
00:59 Birds of Prey.
01:00 Although Harley Quinn makes a fair amount of enemies
01:02 during Birds of Prey, she's also fortunate
01:04 to have a small amount of friends like Doc.
01:07 But their alliance is permanently damaged
01:09 after a stunning betrayal.
01:11 During a rare moment of downtime at her secret apartment,
01:14 Harley is suddenly attacked by multiple forces.
01:17 - You said they wouldn't find us.
01:18 - Relax, no one knows we're here.
01:21 - Harleen Quinzel, this is Gotham Police.
01:24 - Okay, so they know.
01:26 - In the chaos, her apartment is blown up,
01:28 she's nearly killed, and her beloved pet Bruce disappears.
01:32 It's only after Harley loses so many precious things
01:35 at once that she realizes her friend Doc is to blame.
01:38 - No.
01:39 - I'm sorry, Lotus Flower.
01:42 - You sold me out.
01:43 - Too many people offering me too much money.
01:47 - The look of betrayal and sadness on her face
01:50 after this explosive incident was heartbreaking.
01:52 While Harley's done a number of bad things,
01:55 she didn't deserve to be sold out by a friend.
01:58 Number 19, being abandoned and replaced by the Joker,
02:02 the new Batman Adventures.
02:04 During a routine night out on the town,
02:06 Joker abandons Harley because he didn't have enough money
02:09 to finance her escape.
02:10 - Hey, where's mine?
02:13 - Sorry, kiddo, I could only afford one.
02:16 - You cheap, petty, pigeon, pasty-faced creep.
02:19 - She ends up swiftly captured and booted into Arkham.
02:23 Once the Joker comes into a big inheritance,
02:25 an excited Harley eagerly awaits for him to get her,
02:28 but he does the exact opposite.
02:31 Instead of springing Harley,
02:32 the Joker puts out a public ad
02:34 to replace her with a new sidekick.
02:36 - Come on, Red, so Mr. J got a little stressed over money.
02:40 Now that he's loaded, Puddin' will buy my way out too.
02:43 - Oh yeah, right, sure thing, Harl.
02:46 - Joker seeks new hench girl?
02:49 It was pretty harsh that she was left to rot
02:51 by her boss/boyfriend while he enjoyed a charmed life
02:55 with someone new.
02:56 Fortunately, Harley gets some well-deserved payback
02:59 after Joker loses his ill-gotten fortune.
03:02 Number 18, unintentionally putting a bounty on her own head.
03:06 Harley Quinn, volume two, issue number seven.
03:09 - And what's worse, every person I ever wronged
03:12 now felt free to come and take their pound of flesh.
03:14 (gunshots)
03:16 - After being randomly attacked by a series of assassins,
03:19 our favorite anti-heroine understandably wanted to know
03:22 why she was being targeted.
03:23 Her best friend, Poison Ivy,
03:25 eventually figures out that a mystery enemy
03:27 is using Harley's own computer at night to raise the bounty.
03:31 The duo decides that they should try
03:32 to catch the antagonist in the act.
03:34 Later that night, Poison Ivy is shocked to learn
03:37 that a sleepwalking Harley was behind everything.
03:40 The anti-heroine had no clue
03:42 that she had put a hit on herself.
03:44 And to make matters worse,
03:46 the computer that could have stopped it all
03:48 was destroyed during a surprise attack.
03:50 This assassination incident was a reminder
03:53 that sometimes Harley truly is her own worst enemy.
03:57 - What did I do to you?
03:58 - Are you serious?
03:59 Look at my face.
04:03 - Number 17, watching the Joker die, various.
04:07 - You should have left me to die.
04:10 Then I could have been back together with Mr. J.
04:15 - It's no secret that Harley's relationship
04:17 with the Crown Prince of Crime is toxic
04:19 in every sense of the word.
04:21 But despite the Joker's many flaws and vicious acts,
04:24 she often finds herself hopelessly devoted to him.
04:27 That fact really becomes apparent
04:29 whenever the clown meets his end.
04:31 In "Suicide Squad," Harley is heartbroken
04:34 when Joker goes down with a helicopter.
04:36 She's also devastated when he perishes
04:38 at the end of "Arkham City."
04:39 Harley's even saddened to see the twisted clown go
04:42 in the "Injustice" universe.
04:44 While we may never fully know why she loves the Joker,
04:47 we can always recognize her intense grief whenever he dies.
04:52 - I lost my puddin'.
04:53 But you can get him back, right?
04:57 - Number 16, remaking the Joker, Harley Quinn.
05:01 - This acid will erase all that makes you Harley Quinn.
05:05 You'll be a nobody, a blank canvas,
05:08 a stranger on the streets.
05:10 (laughs)
05:11 Normal.
05:12 - In a reality where the antiheroine broke up
05:15 with the Joker, she goes through a lot of soul-searching
05:17 to avoid rekindling their romance.
05:20 Harley becomes so determined to keep him away
05:22 that she lets him fall into a vat of acid
05:24 that turns him into a normal guy.
05:27 Unfortunately, the process also messed with his memories.
05:30 When Harley learns that her newly normal ex
05:32 has knowledge that can save the world,
05:34 she realizes that she must make him into the clown again.
05:38 - Are you sure you can't just remember?
05:40 It's like I see the book, but everything else is cloudy.
05:45 - That's disappointing because I really, really,
05:47 really don't wanna have to do this.
05:50 - Watching her dump him into chemicals was rough.
05:53 Harley was finally completely free of the Joker,
05:56 but with the fate of the world at stake,
05:58 she had no choice but to resurrect her terrible ex.
06:01 Number 15, being slain by a vampiric Batman,
06:05 Justice League, Gods and Monsters Chronicles.
06:08 We'll be the first to admit that the version of Harley
06:10 that lived in this alternate world was seriously demented.
06:14 She took pleasure in slaying victims of all ages
06:17 and even kept macabre trophies.
06:19 So when a vampiric version of Batman confronted her,
06:22 he did not hold back.
06:24 When he finally caught her,
06:25 she was under the impression
06:26 that she'd be thrown into prison.
06:28 - All right, all right, all ready.
06:31 I know when I'm licked.
06:33 Go on, take me to jail, copper.
06:35 - But this Batman decided to permanently
06:38 keep her off the streets by draining her of blood.
06:41 His execution was so brutal that it made going to Arkham
06:44 look like a cushy vacation by comparison.
06:47 Based on Harley's screams of pain,
06:49 she would have much rather preferred to be locked up
06:51 than die like this.
06:53 - Just don't worry about me.
06:54 I'll break out when I'm done.
06:55 I'm just going through a personal crisis.
06:57 - Number 14, getting slashed and dumped by Punchline,
07:01 Batman, Volume 3, Number 93.
07:03 The Joker has had a few love interests
07:05 outside of Harley Quinn.
07:07 - Sayo pudding.
07:09 - Mikurasan.
07:11 - But a woman named Punchline stood out
07:13 because of her ruthlessness.
07:15 This new flame was far more violent
07:17 and deadlier than the antiheroine.
07:19 When the two first crossed paths,
07:21 Punchline decided to make a bad first impression
07:23 by fighting Harley.
07:25 The antiheroine tried to convince the new villainess
07:27 that the Joker was no good.
07:29 However, Punchline ignored the warnings
07:31 and used a knife to slash Harley's neck.
07:34 Things went from bad to worse
07:36 when the antiheroine was thrown into a flow of sewage.
07:39 Fortunately, Harley survived the injury and toxic dip.
07:43 The next time she saw Punchline,
07:45 the antiheroine spoke with her fists
07:47 instead of giving relationship advice.
07:50 - It's got me thinking about my own love life.
07:52 I mean, I don't want to biff it like you did.
07:54 - Number 13, being executed for her employees' jokes,
07:58 Countdown presents "The Search for Ray Palmer."
08:01 There are versions of Joker's origin story
08:04 where he worked as a comedian
08:05 before turning into a supervillain.
08:07 - My mother would say, "You should enjoy it.
08:11 One day you'll have to work for a living."
08:13 - No, I won't, Ma.
08:16 I'm gonna be a comedian. (laughs)
08:19 - One particularly grim take on this plotline
08:21 led to the untimely death of Harley Quinn.
08:24 On an earth where a vigilante named Owlman
08:26 tormented and assaulted people left and right,
08:29 a guy named Jack decided to strike back
08:31 by making jokes about the violent man.
08:33 After the comedian became successful,
08:35 his manager Harley asked him out,
08:37 but their romance was cut short
08:39 when Owlman attacked from the shadows
08:41 and slayed her on the spot.
08:43 She never committed a single crime or hurt a fly.
08:47 In the end, Harley was forced to suffer a devastating end
08:50 because Owlman couldn't take a joke.
08:56 Number 12, promising to take Harley's face off.
09:00 Batman, "Death of the Family."
09:02 After the clown prince of crime
09:03 voluntarily got his face removed,
09:05 he promised to put other Gotham residents
09:07 through this horrific surgery.
09:09 - What's a cutoff face between friends?
09:12 (Harley laughs)
09:13 Is this true?
09:15 - Yeah, guess right.
09:15 - Harley was one of the first to get this terrifying offer.
09:19 As part of the Joker's grand plan,
09:20 he wanted the antiheroine to look exactly like him.
09:24 The clown told Harley
09:25 that he would be taking off her face to really sell it.
09:28 When she understandably hesitates,
09:30 the Joker pushes forward
09:32 and declares that she never liked her face to begin with.
09:35 After she closes her eyes,
09:37 the clown reveals that he was just joking.
09:39 The traumatized look on Harley's face afterwards
09:42 made it clear that his threats cut deeper
09:44 than any knife could.
09:47 - All the cruelty.
09:55 Tears you apart after a while.
09:57 - Number 11, a reformed Harley gets sent back to Arkham.
10:00 "Batman," the animated series.
10:03 - You've made wonderful progress, Harley.
10:05 You've passed your competency hearing,
10:06 and tomorrow you'll be released mentally sane and sound.
10:10 - Wee!
10:11 - The antiheroine was ecstatic when she was declared sane
10:14 and released from Arkham Asylum.
10:16 Shortly after going free,
10:18 she accidentally tried to walk out of a store
10:20 with a dress that still had a security tag on it.
10:22 When Harley was approached by security,
10:25 she got defensive and accidentally broke a window.
10:28 This incident led her down a slippery slope
10:30 where she ended up committing a series of crimes.
10:33 When Harley had a chance to stop
10:34 and think about everything that happened,
10:36 she was convinced that the world would never see her
10:39 as anything other than a criminal.
10:41 - I tried to be good.
10:43 I really did.
10:44 But if that's not good enough, fine!
10:46 Let's get back to basics.
10:50 - Wee felt incredibly sympathetic
10:52 for the reformed villain's tragic journey.
10:54 Despite a desire to be good,
10:56 she couldn't avoid another trip to Arkham.
10:59 Number 10, getting pushed out the window by Joker.
11:02 The Batman Adventures, "Mad Love."
11:05 This storyline first played out
11:07 in the pages of the Batman Adventures,
11:08 but was later adapted
11:10 for the new Batman Adventures animated show.
11:12 - What?
11:14 Harley?
11:15 Oh, where the heck have you been?
11:16 Hmm?
11:17 Oh, mm-hmm, yeah, yeah.
11:18 Batman, eh?
11:19 Oh, you don't say.
11:21 You have who tied up where?
11:23 - To prove her love to Mr. J,
11:25 Harley abducts Batman in an old deathtrap gag,
11:29 and her plan would have succeeded
11:30 if Batman didn't get inside her head
11:33 and trick her into calling Joker.
11:35 Furious, Joker slaps her
11:37 and mercilessly shoves her out of a window.
11:40 - You always take shots from folks
11:42 who just don't get the joke!
11:44 (Harley screams)
11:47 - Needless to say, Batman played the clown like a fiddle.
11:51 Joker's hell-bent on murdering the Bat himself,
11:53 so to find out that Harley actually almost pulled it off,
11:57 that's gotta hurt his pride.
11:58 When a battered and broken Harley
12:00 is finally ready to move on,
12:01 one gift from Joker pulls her back in,
12:04 and the cycle continues.
12:06 Number nine, Joker tries to kill her in front of Batman.
12:10 Batman number 663.
12:12 After Harley leads Batman
12:14 straight to the Clown Prince of Crime,
12:16 he picks up a razor and holds it up to her throat.
12:20 And it turns out that part of the Clown's plan
12:22 was killing off all of his former associates,
12:24 and Harley's the last one on the list.
12:26 No matter how much she adores him,
12:28 Harley's just another gag in Joker's eyes,
12:31 and he wanted Batman in the audience
12:33 when he delivered the punchline.
12:35 Although she tearfully tries to deny that,
12:38 she lashes out at the Joker.
12:40 But Harley tries to make amends by dying for him.
12:43 When the Clown disregards her
12:45 and turns his attention to Batman, she shoots him.
12:48 This sad scene exemplified how much of a vicious cycle
12:51 Harley is trapped in.
12:52 Number eight, getting shot by Deadshot.
12:55 Suicide Squad number 15.
12:57 We'd expect this from Joker,
12:59 but from her own Suicide Squad,
13:01 the Clown Prince of Crime has been declared dead,
13:04 and all that's left is his detached face.
13:07 Harley takes it about as well as you'd expect.
13:10 She steals the face
13:11 and abducts fellow squad member Deadshot.
13:14 She then drapes the face over his
13:16 and rants to him like he's actually Joker.
13:19 Deadshot plays along until he can get close enough
13:22 and then shoots her in the gut,
13:24 subduing her for the moment.
13:26 While Harley's little stunt crosses so many creepy lines,
13:30 it wasn't all her fault.
13:31 It'll take a long time to finally loosen
13:34 Joker's grip over her psyche.
13:36 Number seven, surrendering to the Joker, Harley Quinn.
13:40 - I've, what I'm gonna do may be a suicide mission.
13:44 If I don't see you back here,
13:46 maybe I'll see you on the flip side.
13:47 - To say things weren't going well for the anti-heroine
13:50 in her first season finale would be an understatement.
13:53 First of all, Harley was left helpless
13:55 while her best friend Poison Ivy was killed by the Joker.
13:58 Secondly, her plan gets her entire crew
14:01 and Batman captured by the Clown.
14:03 Harley reaches her breaking point
14:05 when she hears her allies will die at the Joker's command.
14:08 With nothing left to lose,
14:10 she's forced to completely surrender to the Clown
14:12 so her friends survive.
14:14 - Okay, I'm in the costume.
14:15 So what's the plan?
14:17 Want me to make you a chocolate cake?
14:19 Put on Legally Blonde, call you Puddin'?
14:21 - Watching Harley give up her freedom
14:23 to someone who inflicted so much pain on her
14:25 was nearly unbearable.
14:27 Thankfully, her sad sentence didn't last.
14:30 Number six, witnessing her boyfriend Guy Kopsky's death,
14:34 Harley Quinn number eight.
14:36 Before her criminal days,
14:37 Harley and Quinzel attended Gotham State University
14:40 where she dated someone that actually cared about her,
14:43 Guy Kopsky.
14:45 This funny man would do anything for his beloved Quinns,
14:47 including inadvertently participating
14:50 in an experiment of hers.
14:51 It was supposed to be a controlled test,
14:53 but it went south when Harleen's professor
14:55 spiked Guy's drink with diluted Joker venom
14:58 and shot a man he thought was going to kill his love.
15:02 Overcome with guilt, Guy points the gun at himself
15:05 and ends his misery.
15:07 Heartbroken and realizing how chaotic life can be,
15:10 Harleen decides to seek out
15:12 the only one she believes can truly understand her,
15:15 the Joker, making this whole tragedy a stepping stone
15:18 for her future of misfortune.
15:21 Number five, her suicide squad initiation.
15:24 Suicide squad number one.
15:26 After being forcefully recruited into the suicide squad
15:29 and sent on a mission,
15:30 Harley and several other villains are abducted
15:32 and physically tormented for information
15:34 about their employers.
15:36 Harley's painful ordeal includes being electrocuted
15:39 while reflecting on the heartache
15:40 that got her arrested in the first place.
15:43 It turns out that this was all a test
15:45 set up by Amanda Waller to see if they could be trusted.
15:48 And thankfully, our favorite Harlequin
15:49 was among the few to pass by not cracking under pressure.
15:53 While Waller's methods are overkill,
15:55 Harley stuck it out,
15:57 never stopping her witty quips during the electrocution.
16:00 In fact, we're pretty sure she liked it.
16:02 Number four, being strangled for misunderstanding the plan.
16:06 Batman number 570.
16:08 Harley's criminal career has just begun
16:10 and she may already be in too deep.
16:13 Most of Gotham has been reduced to a no man's land
16:16 and Joker plans to rule it all.
16:19 When he isn't belittling Harley
16:20 for her short-term independence and brain power.
16:23 When it looks like the end has come for his barren paradise,
16:26 he still has one last gag planned,
16:29 but Harley doesn't catch on to what he's thinking.
16:31 Fed up, Joker pounces and strangles her
16:34 to let the message sink in
16:36 as Harley chokes out in agony.
16:38 Joker's always got something up his sleeve.
16:41 Sometimes it's better to just go along with it,
16:44 especially if you wanna protect your wing pipe.
16:46 Number three, trapped in her own personal hell.
16:50 Harley Quinn number 20.
16:52 Shortly after Harley dies
16:53 in a completely avoidable jetpack explosion,
16:56 she wakes up in the middle of an intense standoff
16:58 between her crew and police.
17:00 (gunshots)
17:02 - Yahtzee.
17:07 - The violent incident ends after all her closest allies die
17:11 and she is left in the dark all alone.
17:13 Just as Harley begins to mourn,
17:16 she discovers that she's actually in hell
17:18 and none of it was real.
17:20 Unfortunately, her suffering was not even close
17:23 to being over.
17:24 Harley is set back to the start of the standoff
17:26 and learns that she'll have to experience
17:28 the harrowing ordeal on a loop indefinitely.
17:31 The prospect of being trapped in your own personal hell
17:34 for eternity is terrifying.
17:36 Luckily, the anti-heroine eventually finds a way
17:39 to get out of there scot-free.
17:41 - I ain't worried.
17:42 I know I'm going to heaven.
17:44 Anyone who can put up with Mr. J deserves a break.
17:47 - Number two, having Joker's baby
17:49 and then giving up the child.
17:51 Injustice year two.
17:53 In the Injustice universe,
17:54 Harley confides a major secret to a pregnant black canary.
17:58 Four years before Superman's regime,
18:00 Harley was pregnant with Joker's child,
18:02 a baby girl named Lucy Quinzel.
18:05 Because she wanted to give her daughter a normal life,
18:07 can't possibly imagine why,
18:09 she gave the child to her sister Delia.
18:11 You'd never think the normally chaotic Harley
18:14 would be so selfless.
18:15 However, she was fully committed to doing what was best
18:19 for her only baby's safety.
18:20 Even when the world got a little better,
18:23 Harley still pretended to be her daughter's aunt
18:25 instead of telling her kid the truth.
18:27 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
18:30 and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
18:33 You have the option to be notified for occasional videos
18:36 or all of them.
18:37 If you're on your phone,
18:38 make sure you go into your settings
18:39 and switch on notifications.
18:41 Number one, becoming Harley Quinn to begin with, various.
18:48 - I must admit, I was surprised
18:50 you wanted to intern here at Arkham.
18:51 - Well, I've always had an attraction
18:53 for extreme personalities.
18:55 They're more exciting, more challenging.
18:57 - And more high profile.
18:59 - You can't deny there's an element of glamor
19:00 to these super criminals.
19:02 - Taking the number one spot
19:03 is the bad day that started it all.
19:06 Harleen Quinzel was an intern for Arkham Asylum
19:09 who took an interest in you know who.
19:11 Unfortunately, after a few sessions,
19:13 the naive doctor was wooed by Joker sob stories
19:16 and sense of humor.
19:17 She became obsessed with him
19:18 to the point where she'd eventually become
19:20 his right-hand girl and on-again, off-again lover,
19:23 Harley Quinn.
19:24 Although we love Harley,
19:26 pining for Joker and donning the red and black ensemble
19:29 opened the door to all the insanity
19:31 and the seemingly endless cycle of abuse and torment.
19:34 To put it bluntly, Harleen's life was doomed
19:37 the moment she set foot in Arkham.
19:40 - Knock, knock, pudding.
19:41 Say hello to your new, improved Harley Quinn.
19:46 - Did you enjoy this video?
19:47 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo
19:49 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
19:51 to be notified about our latest videos.
19:54 (upbeat music)
19:56 (upbeat music)
19:59 (upbeat music)
20:01 (upbeat music)
20:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]