Harley Quinn's Batman: Arkham Redesign Almost Ruined The Character
Batman: Arkham redesigned Harley Quinn's outfit, but reduced her personality and left her character in a weird limbo that almost ruined her. The design choices taken in regards to Harley Quinn had an impact that lasted years and affected her portrayal across many media types. The changes made to Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham Asylum, which was released in 2009, left Harley in a position of negative changes that are only recently being reversed.
The Batman: Arkham games begin with Batman: Arkham Asylum, where Harley Quinn got her first significant outfit change. Harley Quinn also appears in Arkham: City, Arkham: Origins, Arkham: Knight, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League with varying outfits in each game entry. Harley Quinn was born as Harleen Quinzel, a girl with a criminal father who left her fascinated with studying criminal minds. Her role in the games varies, though she's generally the Joker's girlfriend or lover, filling the role of one of the anti-heroes or villains.
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One of Mark Hamill's best video game performances, Batman: Arkham excelled with its Joker as it fell flat with Harley Quinn. Arkham: Asylum deviated from the harlequin costume that Harley Quinn wore without change — aside from the occasional nightgown she'd wear in the comics — for over a decade, instead putting her in a revealing nurse outfit with plenty of cleavage and even a corset. While a little bit of the red and black original color scheme from her harlequin outfit remains, the only clown-inspired design that Harley Quinn has in Arkham: Asylum is in her make-up. This design put Harley Quinn on a strange development path that made her feel like a 2-dimensional
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