Harley QuinnMiraculously Retells Batman’s Origin Story in a Fresh Way

HBO Max’sHarley Quinnseries is popular enough to not only survive the stream service ’s recent battue , but manage to score afourth season . If you see the late instalment where the reformed family man Joker runs for Gotham ’s mayor , you likely know why . But asgood as Harley Quinn has been , I was appalled to pick up the series could tellBatman ’s origin storyin a genuinely refreshing way .

There have been plenty of comic strip that recognise Bruce ’s career as Batman as an prolonged way of dealing with the trauma of witnessing his parent get murdered by a mugger during a poorly thought - out walkway through Crime Alley . And there have been equally as many put forward that Bruce feel responsible for their deaths , whether he wanted to learn The Mark of Zorro that nighttime , or asked Thomas and Martha to take a walkway . And so many picture and shows have depicted Batman ’s basic origin story so many times that it ’s become a prank — a joke Harley Quinn is in on , starting with the episode ’s mythical statute title , “ Batman Begins Forever . ”

Getting into the big plot is n’t necessary ; just know that Harley Quinn goes root through Bruce Wayne ’s subconscious and discovers there ’s literally only one memory in his head starting when Bruce expect to take a walk and ending with 10 - year - old Bruce kneeling in shock by his parents ’ remains . The sea wolf , Joe Chill , seems to be a random but atrocious masked mugger who relentlessly follows the Waynes into the alley and guns them down , over and over and over again . In fact , Batman has constructed a town square , flank on all side by the Monarch Theater ( where they saw the film ) and Crime Alley , so he can live over the most traumatic moment of his liveliness every few seconds , torturing himself constantly .

Screenshot: WB Animation

It ’s a scenery that prompt Harley not just as a mortal but as a former psychiatrist . When she ca n’t watch it again , she seize a Bruce just so he can depend away from the tragedy for once , at which point the various Joe Chills turn their gun on the 10 - year - old and Harley , a sign that by mitigate the tragedy even for a endorsement , Bruce feel the need to penalise himself even further .

When Harley asks Bruce to attempt to think of a happy memory which they can escape to , all he can muster up is the time he settle into the cave below Wayne Manor and was attack by cricket bat . It ’s not a happy memory at all , because the closest Batman can fare to being felicitous is in a present moment that was formative to his endless warfare on offence and futile attempts to atone for his ego - perceive sinning .

Inside the cave are window to some of the retentivity he ’s repressed , none happy , but all result up to his career as Batman — which Harley get a line in blow but substantiate is implausibly obvious in retrospect . When Joe Chill tracks them down there , the twain escape into a memory of Batman rescuing Robin tied up to a arugula by Joker and the original , Batman : The Animated Series rendering of Harley Quinn ( Joker is designed after Heath Ledger ’s Joker in The Dark Knight , which is a grand contrast ) . When Chill guns down both villain , Harley turns to Batman only to happen upon he ’s transformed into 10 - yr - sure-enough Bruce again , dress in a now outsize Bat - costume . It ’s a powerful image , and one I do n’t recall ever having see before .

Screenshot: WB Animation

There have been many , many Bat - tales that posit that Batman is his true identity and Bruce Wayne is the facade . But Harley Quinn knows that ’s bullshit . For all its ridiculousness , the toon has always been keen at depicting these well - bang characters fall to terms with and trying to manage with their own problems , be they mental , relationships , pasts , traumas , etc . , but I feel the moment where Harley ask petty Bruce , “ Do I have your verbal consent to become your licensed therapist ? ” is an all - timer . Imagine Batman … with a therapist . A Batman who is taste to heal and get better or else of continually punching crook . Think of what could have happened if 10 - class - honest-to-goodness Bruce had seen a therapist after his parent ’ murders , and what a happier , respectable person he could have been . Now that ’s a Batman inception story I have it away I ’ve never seen before .

Harley ’s “ first session ” involves telling Bruce to research his idea for a truly glad memory , not a Bat - next one , and to use mindfulness to transport himself there . They do , foiling Joe Chill again , arrive in Bruce ’s last Christmas before Thomas and Martha ’s death but Chill tracks them down anyway … because , of course , it ’s Bruce himself under that mask . Adult Bruce . And he ’s been murdering his parent in his headland over and over again because that ’s how he ’s trying to deal with his psychic trauma : “ Everything I do as Batman is to make that one night right . Yet it is never enough . So why I must never forget . It is my self-mortification . My bat - shaped interbreeding to take over . ” Being Batman is torture for him , but torturing himself does n’t touch on anything and does n’t make him feel ripe , of course . It ’s why he ’s stuck , and why adult Bruce exact baby Bruce be take back to Crime Alley .

I was genuinely move when Harley reaffirms to adult Bruce that as his therapist , she ’s anticipate to seek to help him heal . And I was affect even more when Harley turns to child Bruce who ask , plaintively , heartbreakingly , “ Help me ” just before he ’s escort back to the moment he can not head for the hills from on his own . It ’s not grim and black . It ’s not Batman ’s origin news report . It ’s a horrific moment in the life of Bruce Wayne that has mess him up gravely and it ’s very , very deplorable — which , despite the zillions of retellings of Batman ’s origin story , it ’s never sincerely has been before .

Screenshot: WB Animation

Screenshot: WB Animation

The thing is , this was still an extremely funny instalment of Harley Quinn , which is the show ’s magic . So if you ’re going to ever watch poor Thomas and Martha Wayne see their fate ever again — and good knows you ’re go to get the opportunity — make it this one instead .

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Screenshot: WB Animation