Even though Harley Quinn has practically joined the Bat-Family as a true hero, there’s one dark universe where Harley is still a villain. In the world of Injustice, Harley is partly responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people — and she has yet to pay for her crimes.
Many comic book fans will be familiar with Harley Quinn’s journey from villain to anti-hero to just a regular hero. It’s a path she’s been on for nearly thirty years. Currently, Harley is practically a member of the Bat-Family, and Harley often helps Batman in saving the citizens of Gotham when he calls upon her. This journey of redemption — going from the Joker’s sidekick to being part of the Bat-Family — took a long time. Harley’s redemption also included things like working off her prison sentence in the Suicide Squad. But not every version of Harley Quinn has earned her redemption. In fact, the darkest crime Harley ever did was essentially forgiven out of necessity.
Harley Quinn Helps the Joker Murder Lois Lane
In the parallel Injustice world, Lois Lane is murdered by the Joker, which also sets off a bomb and obliterates Metropolis. In short, this leads to Superman taking over the world. Readers can see the beginnings of this tragic chain of events in Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 by Tom Taylor, Mike S. Miller, Jheremy Raapack, Axel Gimenez, Diana Egea, Andrew Elder, and Wes Abbott. But Joker doesn’t act alone; he is accompanied by Harley Quinn every step of the way. She’s there when Joker murders Jimmy Olsen and kidnaps Lois, she helps Joker perform surgery on Lois, and she’s only ever concerned for herself. Even after Superman is poisoned by fear toxin and tricked into killing his own wife, Harley only cares about leaving her submarine behind.
Harley Quinn’s interactions with Joker show that Harley Quinn is a villain in this universe. It’s clear that she has no regret, and she never actually pays for their crimes either. After Superman realizes what he’s done, he murders the Joker in cold blood. Evem, as Superman takes over the planet, Batman and his resistence fighters put Harley Quinn under their own protection. They’re not happy with what she’s done, but if they hand her over to Superman he will kill her. So, instead, Harley Quinn becomes a key part of the resistance.
Harley Quinn Doesn’t Care About Lois Lane Or Superman
While Harley does manage to prove herself a hero, in the Injustice universe, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Harley played a pivotal role in creating the terrible situation to begin with. It could argued that, after fighting against Superman’s regime for five long years, Harley has earned her redemption. But it’s also fair to say that there is no redemption for this version of Harley Quinn: a seemingly careless mass murderer.
Check out Injustice: Gods Among Us #1, available now from DC Comics!
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
