Summary

• Harley Quinn confirms Batman and the Joker need each other, despite their complicated relationship.
• The Joker's love for Batman is hinted at, leading to theories of a twisted, unreciprocated romantic interest.
• Harley Quinn suggests Batman and the Joker could achieve more as allies than enemies.

Fans of a particular theory about Batman and the Joker can rejoice, as Harley Quinn basically confirmed it to be true. It would be an understatement to say that Batman and the Joker have a complicated relationship. These are two opposing, polar opposite forces who, on paper, detest each other — but in practice, they need each other, hence why both prolong destroying each other.

It looks like Batman and the Joker need each other more than even some fans would think, at least according to Harley Quinn in Harley Quinn / Gossamer Special #1 by Amanda Conncer, Jimmy Palmiotti, Pier Brito, Paul Mounts, and Dave Sharpe. When a wild Gossamer (yes, that Gossamer from Looney Tunes) lands in the DC Universe, Harley nurses him to health and tells him about her life.

Harley spills some details about her past with the Joker. Of course, she eventually tells Gossamer about Batman and the Joker — and why she thinks they had a better relationship than Harley and the Joker ever had.

Harley Quinn Thinks Batman and the Joker Had a More Solid Relationship

The Joker Cares More for Batman than Harley

his love for Batman. The fan theory suggests that, in his own twisted way, the Joker's obsession and fascination with Batman stems from an unrequited love. No one would understand that theory better than the Joker's former flame, Harley Quinn.

Harley understands that the Joker didn't love her, but she was there to see clear signs of who he really loved.

It's no secret that Harley Quinn and the Joker's relationship was an unhealthy one that itself was rooted in unrequited love. She loved the Joker unequivocally and was willing to do anything for him. Meanwhile, the Joker manipulated her love to get her to do anything while never returning the favor. It would appear that now that she sees the forest for the trees, Harley understands that the Joker didn't love her, but she was there to see clear signs of who he really loved. She could tell that whatever she felt towards the Joker, he'd only return that love, care, and attention to Batman.

Harley Quinn s the Idea of Batman and the Joker as a Pairing

But Specifically, a Non-Romantic One

In the same breath with which Harley Quinn says the Joker and Batman have a better dynamic than she had with the Joker, she essentially says that she wants the two of them to become an actual item. While romance is likely out of the question at this point, one has to wonder if Batman and the Joker might actually make better allies than enemies. Harley Quinn and the Joker had a bad relationship but still proved to be a successful crime duo, so if Batman and the Joker already make a solid pair as adversaries, it's not hard to imagine what they could accomplish if they were on the same page as allies.

Harley Quinn / Gossamer Special #1 is available now from DC Comics.