Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, also known as Harley Quinn, is a fictional supervillain character appearing in media published by DC Comics. The character was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, and first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series in September 1992, voiced by actress Arleen Sorkin. She later appeared in DC Comics' Batman comic books, Harley is usually portrayed as the Joker’s love-interest, sidekick, henchwoman, and an enemy of Joker’s own archenemy Batman. Harley was originally a criminal psychiatrist at the prison Arkham Asylum, where she was seduced by the Joker into becoming his partner-in-crime. For many years, Harley had been abused by the Joker, and eventually left him, becoming an anti-hero. Though being around for nearly 30 years at the time of this writing, Harley Quinn has since become a legendary icon, with publisher Jim Lee considering her the 4th pillar character in DC Comics behind Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Harley Quinn's abilities include expert gymnastic skills, proficiency in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, complete unpredictability, immunity to toxins, and enhanced strength, agility, and durability. Harley often wields clown-themed gag weapons, with an oversized mallet being her signature weapon. The character has a pair of pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, which sometimes serve as her attack dogs. As a trained psychiatrist with a genius level intellect, she is adept at deception and psychological manipulation.
