For many years, Harley Quinn has been working as a villain on the Joker’s side ever since she met DC Comics, but over time, she finally became an independent hero. Harley was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, but she was lured to the temptation of evil by the most evil resident of Gotham DC. Since then, she has embarked on the path of villainy as the Joker’s girlfriend and romantic partner.
In recent years, Harley Quinn has left the Joker’s side and devoted herself entirely to becoming a hero. Of course, given the seriousness of her past crimes, Harley Quinn’s redemption will always be easier said than done. After all, this is the same character who for years played a key accomplice to the Joker’s murders or committed his own cruel deeds. Even as a supposed hero, she struggles to resist her murderous habits and from time to time continues to strive for nefarious plans. In any case, she leaned more towards being an antihero than a full-fledged hero.
Related: DC’s First Harley Quinn Learned Batman’s Identity Long Before the Joker
But everything changes in DC vs. Vampires: Killers #1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Mike Bowden and Eduardo Mello. In this story, Gotham is in the middle of a vampire apocalypse, and Lieutenant Gordon collects a vial of Lex Luthor’s blood (previously in the series he was considered an instant vampire killer). Having no other suitable options, he gives it into the hands of Harley Quinn. Before he is (presumably) killed off-screen, Gordon asks Harley to pass this on to someone who will understand it, because this is the key to saving humanity. Even though he told Gordon, “That’s really not what I do,” Gordon puts it in her pocket. Having convinced himself that saving the world sounds “pretty cute,” Harley takes the risky step of swallowing the contents of the vial, infusing his Lex blood to further protect him. This is by far the most heroic act that Harley Quinn has done in her latest comic book issue.
Before she swallows the blood, she understands the consequences of her actions. She already has vampires (including then-girlfriend Harley Quinn, who has just become a vampire Catwoman) who want to hunt and kill her just to take the vial out of her hands. She understands that the injection of blood presents itself with a new mass of problems. Even though Harley admits it “sucks,” she understands that she is now officially humanity’s last hope. Therefore, despite the risk, she still does it to save humanity.
This is an incredible and amazingly selfless act on Harley’s part. It’s an act of dedication that readers have rarely, if ever, seen from Harley, even in her new playthrough as a hero. It’s a move that makes her run for the rest of this series, but nevertheless, it finally puts Harley Quinn in the same league as the likes of Batman and Superman as a full-fledged hero. From now on, Harley Quinn has no way back to villainy, as her redemption arc is complete and her future as one of the official heroes of the DC comics premiere looks bright.
