16 Years Ago, My Least Favorite Batman Arkham Game Humiliated Harley Quinn

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16 Years Ago, My Least Favorite Batman Arkham Game Humiliated Harley Quinn

The Batman: Arkham games have captivated the world with their most accurate portrayal of the Caped Crusader, where players can fly around in their Batsuit and beat up criminals. I mean, who does not want to bring justice to the rotten city of Gotham, right?

While the entire franchise has done a great job at giving a sense of realism to not just Batman but other characters in the games as well, I am truly disappointed at this one installment that just ruined one of the most compelling characters in the entire Batman universe.

Of course, I am talking about how Batman: Arkham Asylum reduced Harley Quinn into this crazy, obsessed lover who is totally “not” manipulated by The Joker. Let’s delve deeper into this.

Arkham Asylum rushed the origins of Harley Quinn

Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the greatest video games of all time. The game made by Rocksteady was released back in August of 2009 and acted as a blueprint for the best Batman franchise in history. The game takes place in the Arkham Asylum, and although in the comics, the place is depicted as a small asylum building, in the game, it is a full-fledged island with explorable areas like the botanical garden or the Arkham mansion.

Throughout the entire map, Batman can find interview tapes (35 in total), which feature conversations between the doctors of Arkham and their patients, including villains like The Joker, Killer Croc, and Harley Quinn. These tapes sort of give an insight into these characters, with Harley having four interview tapes, where throughout her interviews with The Joker, she transitions from Dr. Harleen Quinzel into Harley Quinn.

In the first tape, which is dated March 3rd in the game, Harleen was interviewing The Joker for the first time, and even then, it was sort of hinted that Harleen had a sort of infatuation towards The Joker when he stated how he’ll make Harleen’s first interview memorable, and she agreed saying that he already has.

Despite having only four lines from Harleen, it is quite clear that there was some flirtatious chemistry between her and The Joker. That’s just bonkers from The Joker’s side, considering he charmed Harleen’s socks off without ever interacting with her. By the second tape, which is dated March 4th, Joker had already broken out of his cell to bring flowers for his heartthrob.

This is how Arkham Asylum sort of ruined Harley because by the third tape, The Joker is already monologing about how Batman is the problem, and by the fourth tape, dated April 1st, The Joker is out of his cell, and Harleen has turned into Harley Quinn. This feels way too rushed, even by video game standards, and you cannot tell me that The Joker switched a psychiatrist’s psyche in just a month.

Rocksteady could have just made a few more tapes

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| Image Credits: Warner Bros.

I understand that it is literally not possible to invest that much depth into just the origins of Harley’s and The Joker’s relationship, and it inevitably has to be short. But we still should’ve gotten a bit more than just four tapes, considering the game was written by veteran Batman writer, Paul Dini, who is also the co-creator of Harley Quinn.

Maybe not a top-tier flashback, but Rocksteady could have at least introduced some more tapes to properly establish the dynamic between Harley and The Joker. The developers could have literally taken a page out of the one-shot comic, Mad Love, by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, where they go into detail about how The Joker opens up to Harleen about his past trauma.

In the same comic book, it is also established that Harleen did not just throw everything away and join The Joker on his venture just because he was being flirtatious. Harley did it because she sympathized with The Joker when he told her about his abusive father and how Batman hurt him. Harleen later concluded that The Joker is just a misunderstood figure who is constantly being victimized by Batman.

Harley Quinn did not deserve the treatment she got in Arkham Asylum

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| Image Credits: Warner Bros.

While Batman: Arkham Asylum has set the standard for superhero games and delivered on one of the best portrayals of the Dark Knight’s nemesis, The Joker, its treatment of Harley Quinn does not feel unjust, but also leaves the fans wanting more. In a game that nailed so many aspects of the Batman universe, it is honestly disappointing to see Harley have a rushed origin and just a sidekick role.

Her transformation that happened in a span of less than one month and in just four audio tapes, with barely any time to show the emotional and psychological weight of that shift, makes it kind of hard to believe that the game was written by Paul Dini.

Arkham Asylum did not just ruin the backstory of a beloved character, but also went on to shape how Harley would be seen in other games, movies, and comic books, where the flirty, impulsive, and crazy loyal persona became a template for her character. This left out so much of what made Harley powerful.

In Mad Love‘s version of Harley, we felt the tragedy behind her fall, how she got manipulated by The Joker and truly believed that she was just trying to save someone she thought was broken, and depth is missing in Arkham Asylum.

What stings even more is how much care and attention was given to The Joker’s development in the entire franchise. A villain who steals every scene and leaves and lasting mark. Harley, in contrast, does not get the same treatment, and her backstory feels like an afterthought and not cared for.

Harley Quinn is one of the most compelling characters in the Batman universe, and she did not just get unfairly treated; her potential in the franchise had gone to waste. Instead of getting a story of her own, she got left behind in the shadow of someone else’s spotlight.

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#Years #Favorite #Batman #Arkham #Game #Humiliated #Harley #Quinn

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