Batman DIDN’T Just Kill Catwoman & Harley Quinn, Right?

The latest issue of Batman ended with a shocking cliffhanger, the “deaths” of fan-favorite characters Catwoman and Harley Quinn! The past few issues of Batman  pit the Dark Knight against a villain named “The Designer,” who had set in motion a plan to conquer Gotham City. Several years prior to the storyline, Designer concocted this plan with the help of Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, and The Joker, but was seemingly murdered by Joker before the plan could begin. However, the Designer returned, and was forcing each villain to play their original roles, with Catwoman’s role involving the theft of Bruce Wayne’s fortune.

While Batman attempted to track down the Designer, Catwoman and Harley Quinn, who came to Gotham to kill The Joker, had planned to steal Wayne’s money first before The Designer could. Catwoman tracked down the Underbroker, a criminal in Gotham capable of helping her in this heist, in his underground lair, but encountered Punchline, Joker’s new partner in crime, and love, instead.

In Batman #93, Batman finally comes face to face with the Designer, and learns the entirety of his original plan. Meanwhile, Harley Quinn engages in combat with Punchline, while Catwoman, manages to successfully transfer Wayne’s money into one of her own accounts, keeping it away from the Designer. However, things don’t go smoothly, as Punchline manages to get the better of Harley Quinn, and slits her throat, before disposing of the body in the sewers. Shortly afterwards, Punchline seemingly fatally shoots Catwoman, and thanks her for revealing the account numbers necessary to rob Bruce Wayne. As it turns out, The Designer DID die at the hands of the Joker, and the Clown Prince of Crime took his identity, and plan, to attack Batman. This issue seemingly killed off both Catwoman and Harley Quinn, but are they really dead?

Character deaths in comic books don’t last very long, and in many cases those comic book deaths are total fake-outs. While having two prominent Batman characters die is a great cliffhanger, there are many reasons to believe that neither character has truly perished at the Joker’s hands. Firstly, DC has spent the past few years setting up Batman and Selina Kyle’s romance, even telling a story revealing their future child, Helena. In fact, many stories from the Tom King era of Batman allude to a future between the two costumed crusaders, meaning that Catwoman’s alleged death is highly unlikely. Prior to Catwoman getting shot, Joker told Batman that his plan so far was meant to “break” Catwoman. Given that Catwoman is responsible for Batman losing his fortune, she would certainly be “broken” emotionally. Killing Catwoman immediately after her blunder wouldn’t give her time to reflect on said blunder and wallow in sorrow, something that Joker is certainly counting on.

As for Harley Quinn, her fate was revealed in DC Solicitations, showcasing a round two between her and Punchline. Given that her ultimate fate was left ambiguous after being disposed of, it’s not impossible that another character (like Poison Ivy) could emerge and save Harley. Harley Quinn has been established as more of a heroic character over the past few years, and to kill a character after their redemption would be really unsatisfying. Furthermore, the character is a fan-favorite, and while killing off a popular character would garner a lot of attention, it seemed unlikely that Harley would be left out of the “Joker War” altogether given her long history with the Clown Prince of Crime.

Thankfully it seems that Harley indeed survives Round One against Punchline, and will get a chance at victory in the inevitable Round Two. While it seems unlikely that Catwoman and Harley Quinn are both dead, they are definitely off the board for awhile. With the “Joker War” coming up, Batman is going to need all the help he can get, especially given his current financial status. While the reemergence of the original Nightwing, Dick Grayson, is reassuring, even the former boy wonder might not be enough to stop the Joker’s current scheme.

It remains to be seen how Batman will react to these supposed deaths, but needless to say, it will give the Dark Knight more reason to stop the Joker from harming anyone else, and ending the “Joker War” as soon as possible.