When Harley Quinn was introduced to the DC Universe, she was more of a featured henchman to Joker who had yet to discover her own character, one who was absolutely obsessed with the Clown Prince of Crime. As her backstory began to unravel, fans became aware that Harley joined the Joker after falling completely in love with him while acting as his psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum. However, relatively new information has come to light which explains that Harley’s complete and utter infatuation with the Joker was never actually her own fault, but something of a hereditary fascination.
In Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass Chapter 1 by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh, readers are shown exactly how and why Harleen Quinzel ended up in Gotham City as a young woman. Harleen came to the city to stay with her grandmother, but upon entering her apartment, she realized that her grandma had died some time ago. Living in the apartment was a man named Benny who was friends with Harleen’s grandma before she passed, and allowed her to stay in the apartment for as long as she wished.
Related: Harley Quinn Can Save Gotham by Becoming the Anti-Joker
During the first night of Harleen’s stay in her late grandma’s former apartment, Benny told her a few things about her grandmother that she may not have known. One aspect of Harleen's grandma that is immediately alarming to readers is her love of clowns as Benny told Harleen that she had a number of clown portraits hanging in her apartment the whole time she lived there. The fact that Harley Quinn’s grandma loved clowns, and that Harley made her comic book introduction as perhaps the biggest lover of clowns, means that Harleen never had a chance when she fell under the influence of the Joker as that love
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