While her more recent stories see her seeking redemption as one of Gotham City's many defenders, Harley Quinn began life as a vicious villain. Now, an awesome cosplay brings back the bad old days of the Cupid of Crime, and confirms that prior to her redemption, Dr. Harleen Quinzel was genuinely terrifying.
Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Harley Quinn made her debut in Batman: The Animated Series. Originally meant to be a one-off, "gangster's moll”-type companion for the Joker, the character soon grew in popularity, and she made her official comic book debut not long after conquering the small screen. Dini and Timm would tell the character’s origins in the comic book one-shot Mad Love, where it’s revealed that Harley Quinn was originally a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who became so obsessed with the Joker that she helped him escape and became a super-villain. More recent arcs have seen Harley ditch the Joker and strike out on her own, becoming first an antihero, and now an outright hero.
Harley's had a number of looks throughout the years, from a 'Goth' look common to videogame adaptations to a more Roller Derby-inspired look in current comics. However, Harley's original costume is still iconic thanks to the enduring popularity of Batman: The Animated Series, and this is the look that costume artist Anastasia brings to life in a new cosplay. In a photo shoot shared by photographer chatsky.so, Harley returns to her roots, literally burning down the house and wielding a comically large mallet that, while it may look like a sideshow accessory, is still used to bludgeon anyone who gets in her way.
Harley's Villain Era Is Still Iconic
Anastasia and chatsky.so manage to capture Harley’s essence in the images above, and the addition of her trademark mallet makes them all the more iconic. Perhaps most importantly, they make her terrifying once again. Harley was always a goofy foil to the Joker, but the character was also scary. There’s something supremely unsettling about a bubbly young woman cracking jokes and cartwheeling around while enacting a plan that will nevertheless cause chaos and death. Anastasia and chatsky.so’s photos depicting Harley smiling in front of a burning building, or juggling bombs with a grin on her face, capture that creepiness to chilling perfection.
Harley Quinn may have rededicated herself to protecting Gotham after escaping the Joker's influence, but there's a reason the city still hasn't forgiven her - at the height of her villainy, she was every bit as terrifying as the rest of Batman's rogues gallery, and this awesome cosplay celebrates that fact in the perfect way.
Sources: chatsky.so
