Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2!It seems that the Joker is finally baring his soul to the world and revealing how he feels about Harley Quinn. In The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2, Joker walks down memory lane and gives his honest opinion about his former partner-in-crime.
The story of Joker and Harley Quinn isn't so much a love story as it is a tragedy. Dr. Harleen Quinzel was once a psychologist working at Arkham Asylum and was assigned to treat the Joker. Through the Joker's devilish charms and Harleen's own infatuation with the clown, the doctor shed her life to become Harley Quinn, the Joker's most infamous sidekick. While the two worked together for years, the only one keeping any semblance of a relationship alive was Harley. Truthfully, the Joker was never that interested in Harley, save as someone he could easily leave holding the bag during his criminal endeavors.
Related: Even Joker Admits How Harley is a Better Villain Than Him
But maybe there was more than meets the eye when it came to their relationship. Even the Joker seemed willing to admit as much in The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2 by Matthew Rosenberg and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Something strange is going on with Gotham’s most notorious criminal. The Joker is in California and launching a new mission to “clean up” the rest of the country, and yet in Gotham, another Joker is struggling to make sense of things after being shot in the head. Unable to make heads or tails of things, the Joker seeks out the one thing he feels will stabilize him: Harley. He visits her residence only to be assaulted with a baseball bat. Despite the damage she doles out, Joker insists there's a comforting presence to Harley, going so far as to call her 'home'.
Does The Joker Actually Love Harley Quinn?
While it’s a somewhat sweet moment, there is more than one Joker running around at the moment. Even Harley has her doubts that the man that showed up on her doorstep is actually her former ‘Puddin’. So the chances are that whatever feelings this particular Joker has for Harley, it may not be how he actually feels. Still, to see a Joker come out and admit that they actually have positive feelings for Harley is a huge step, even if it's being said by a likely doppelgänger.
The Joker was not a good partner to Harley Quinn, if he can even be considered on at all. He used and abused Harley Quinn and nearly killed her. All he ever gave her was the bare minimum to keep her in his thrall. The only conclusion one could make is that he just doesn’t care for her. But if this possible Joker reflects the thinking of the genuine article, then is seems he did, on some level, actually have feelings for Harley. It’s honestly a bit hard to believe, but it’s interesting to see this side of the villain explored. It seems that even when Joker has nothing to his name, he'll always hold some feelings for his former partner, Harley Quinn.
Next: Joker's Official Timeline Finally Makes Sense in DC Lore
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