Harleeeee Quinn.

Depending on who is portraying him, the Joker is arguably one of the scariest villains in the comic world. Part of what makes him scary is the idea that he’s just as crazy as Batman himself, expect Batman channels his craziness into something positive whereas the Joker is a mess of hate and… well… something I can’t comprehend because I’ve sat here for 10 minutes trying to think of a word.

Bottom line: Jack Nicholson’s version was always a let down to me because no matter who I talked to their opinion always seemed to be that Nicholson got it right. Because of that, I kind of always thought nobody would ever touch the Joker again, and since Nicholson apparently was so great, that’s how everybody would see the Joker from that point on. I’m glad the new movies are being bold enough to step out of Nicholson’s shadow, and I’m really looking forward to Heath Ledger’s version who looks a little crazier.

One aspect of the Joker that I also like is his side-kick introduced in the animated series. Harleen Quinzel is a doctor at Arkham Asylym where the Joker is locked up, and (this is how good the Joker is with other people’s minds), she goes crazy working with him. She takes on his gimmick and calls herself Harley Quinn.

I never really thought about it until all this press about Mary Kate Olsen’s relationship with Heath Ledger, but I got to thinking she might make a pretty good Harley Quinn. It would be a stretch and a true test of her ability but, if executed correctly, would define her as an individual and give her some credibility that one of those sisters needs to make it now that they are no longer considered child actors.

“Hey, hey, Mistah J…” 

I don’t know, I’m just the idea guy.

Do you think that particular casting move would be taken seriously? What would the hype be like, do you think? Harley Quinn hasn’t been seen on live-action screen yet, so, who do you think would give a good portrayal?

*****

Slightly off-topic, but: here is a video someone made using the audio for The Dark Knight trailer and footage from the old 60s Batman show.