Harley Quinn: The 8 Best Original Characters Created Especially For The Show

The Harley Quinn animated series saw a funny, fresh and unique twist on a number of DC’s beloved icons, as well as bringing more life and screen time to lesser-known characters. And as with any new screen version of a comic book series, Harley Quinn also introduced some brand new original players created especially for the show.

These original characters help bring out a great new twist to some of the already existing characters, as well as enhance the show in their own way. Furthermore, some of these characters have the potential to appear in other DC shows or comics. From villainous relatives to old school friends, here are the best of Harley Quinn’s original animated creations.

Bethany

The end of season 1 saw the Joker seemingly die in the collapse of Gotham’s buildings. However, it is later revealed that he is still alive but with no recollection of his life as the Joker. In fact, he had fallen in love with the nurse who rescued him and became something of a stepfather to her children. That nurse was called Bethany.

While Reddit users weren’t a fan of Joker as a suburban dad, Bethany proved to be a good character. A hard-working mother of two, Bethany is strong and diligent, and isn’t afraid to call out Joker when needed, which is something to be commended in its own right. It’s unusual to see the Clown Prince of Crime in a relationship outside of Harley and DC’s newer addition Punchline, so Bethany being able to single-handedly soften the Joker is commendable. It would be interesting to see how their relationship pans out in season 3.

Herman

Two villains of Wonder Woman, Dr. Psycho and Giganta, are shown to be married when the first season began. However, Giganta promptly dumps him live on television after revealing he had been mind-controlling her all this time. At some point in their relationship, they had a son called Herman, who may be the only person Dr. Psycho genuinely cares for.

Initially a typical teenager at first glance, Herman proves to be smarter than expected. Taking the online persona of the Cowled Critic, Herman gave Harley’s crew a terrible review and claims Ivy and Dr. Psycho are a couple from an out-of-context photo. When confronted by Dr. Psycho, Herman shot back that his father made his life miserable and that he only wanted to impress him. The reconciliation between Dr. Psycho and Herman is surprisingly touching (even Ivy found it sweet to watch), and it shows a softer side to Dr. Psycho that is very rarely seen.

Jennifer

Jennifer is a childhood friend of Poison Ivy’s, and they promised to be each other’s maid of honor in kindergarten. Of course, this does not happen, as this role went to Harley. This does not sit well with the now married mother-of-four, nor does being called “Jen”.

However, after being threatened by Harley, Jennifer soon lets her hair down at the bachelorette party and becomes a member of the Cobb Squad with the rest of the bridal party to form an unlikely friendship in Harley Quinn. In fact, Jennifer surprisingly proved to be a bloodthirsty opponent during the battle between the Cobb Squad and Eris, going as far as biting her opponents and throwing Eris off the balcony as revenge for lying about bottomless mimosas. Jennifer may be one of the most ‘normal’ of the original minor characters, but she’s definitely not a forgettable one.

Tabitha

As one of the best characters in Harley Quinn, fans were delighted that King Shark received his own subplot in season 2. During Kite Man’s bachelor party, King Shark is summoned to fulfill an arranged marriage to keep the peace between two underwater kingdoms. His bride-to-be is Tabitha, a chain-smoking hammerhead shark woman.

Whilst she had no desire to marry him either, King Shark and Tabitha wed to keep their families happy, but they plan on dating other people. Regardless of what becomes of their relationship, Tabitha is a fun and good-hearted character with a lot of potential. It would be great to see more of her in season 3.

Mrs. Cobblepot

Harley Quinn is the first time that the Penguin, one of Batman’s oldest foes, was not depicted as an only child. The action of the second-ever episode “A High Bar” takes place at the Penguin’s nephew’s bar mitzvah, with his sister helping to play host at the lavish party.

Although she only has a speaking role in one episode, the Penguin’s sister (simply known as Mrs. Cobblepot) is not only a great original character, but one of Harley Quinn’s most wholesome characters. She politely asks Harley and Ivy not to swear for the kids’ benefit, comforts her son when he can’t shoot Harley, and even happily gives Harley and Ivy a party favor bag when they leave. She is the ultimate warm sitcom mother figure that is both endearing and funny.

The Macaroni

Alfred Pennyworth has been a loyal ally and father figure to Bruce Wayne since the very beginning, and Harley Quinn‘s version is no exception. But the show brought a new and exciting twist to Alfred that has surprisingly never been done before, and that is giving Alfred a costumed vigilante persona of his own.

Under the guise of The Macaroni, Alfred fought crime in Gotham’s increasingly crumbling streets whilst Bruce Wayne was physically unable to do so as Batman. His disguise is funny but also extremely fitting for the refined butler, and although not introduced until midway through season 2, it’s a real treat for long-term Batman fans to see Alfred become a successful crimefighter in his own right. It would have been brilliant to see the Macaroni fight some of Batman’s rogue gallery.

Joshua Cobblepot

Along with Mrs. Cobblepot, another original character that was bought into the Penguin’s family in the show was Joshua Cobblepot. As mentioned before, the episode “A High Bar” takes place during his bar mitzvah, where his uncle Penguin gives Joshua the chance to kill Harley after she accidentally ruins the party.

However, due to Harley’s psychology skills playing on his insecurities as a teenager, Joshua cannot bring himself to do it. He is revealed later as the person who let out a hit on Harley for this reason, resulting in a hilarious yet adorable exchange between him and Bane. The latter scolds the former for abusing his uncle’s corporate card instead of taking out the hit in cash and it is a brilliant and funny moment in the show, and one of the reasons why Joshua deserved more screen-time in Harley Quinn.

Frank The Plant

Out of all the original characters created for Harley Quinn, there is no question that Frank the Plant is the best. Inspired by Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors (and named after its director Frank Oz), Frank is a sentient plant bought to life by Poison Ivy at some point before the show’s timeline began and lives with her as some kind of roommate.

Frank is easily one of the funniest characters in the show and steals almost every scene he is in. He is crass to everyone around him, offers sarcastic comments or bluntly honest advice, and eggs both Harley and Ivy on to carry out crazy antics. Thanks to this and his crucial help rescuing Harley to warn her about Ivy, Frank soon becomes not only a valuable member of the crew, but a valuable member of the show’s cast. Frank certainly deserves a spin-off show of some kind.

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