OTP: One Troubling Pairing

Couples or romantic relationships are prominent throughout our media and society. They are everywhere: in the streets, at school, on television, in music. But what happens when villains partake in relationships?

Harley Quinn and the Joker are one of the most iconic villain couples since Harley’s introduction as the Joker’s female sidekick in “Batman: The Animated Series.” Numerous comics and T.V. series have featured the famous duo. In every portrayal, The Joker mentally and physically abuses Harley. He kicks, punches, threatens, and reminds Harley just how little she means to him. And yet there has been an increasing amount of people that view the interaction between these two characters as “relationship goals,” especially after the release of summer blockbuster “Suicide Squad” in August. While the movie did not feature explicit physical abuse, it mirrored the toxicity of Harley and the Joker’s relationship: both characters were portrayed as obsessive, though the Joker was more controlling than Harley. In spite of this, the movie still insinuates that this type of abuse is romantic by having the two get together at the end.

Despite the apparent abuse some think that these two characters balance each other out.

“They are great for each other!” says Camille Shapiro, Class II. “Joker would be abusive to anyone. But because Harley is also abusive, she can kind of handle The Joker’s abuse.”

“People only see their abuse as affection,” agrees Sophie Wang, Class II. No matter which portrayal is viewed, the relationship between these two characters is an unhealthy one to say the least.

Unfortunately, this type of relationship is being presented in a positive light to an audience that is young and impressionable. As a result, staying in harmful relationships is encouraged. Although these are fictional characters, the way their relationship is portrayed is important.

“Children model their relationships on the ones they see in life, on T.V. A lot of aspects of our culture romanticize abusive relationships,” thinks Julia Anderson, Class II. “A lot of people romanticize having overly jealous partners, say that fighting shows that your partner cares about you, et cetera, because these shows are where people get their ideas about relationships.”

This idea that abusive relationships are “romantic” has the effect of sparking unhealthy and fraudulent implications of how one is to treat their partner. And yet, the creators of the infamous killer couple continue to explore their complicated affair.

Thankfully, the 2011 revamp of DC Comics’ characters known as the New 52 began to depict Harley Quinn and The Joker in a less severe way, show that in some cases a move is being made away from this abusive relationship and towards the exploration of the value of each character in their own right.