‘Gotham’s Take on Harley Quinn Debuts With an Origin Story Twist

Gotham finally introduced its very own version of Harley Quinn this week, as Jeremiah Valeska’s right-hand-woman Ecco (Francesca Root-Dodson) returned to the show, donning a red-and white, Harley-inspired look, and proving she’s completely lost her mind. While Gotham probably won’t actually refer to Ecco as Harley Quinn (at least not until the end of the season), this is most definitely the prequel series’ version of the iconic character, and her persona comes with a very different origin than the one fans know from the comics.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from the latest episode of Gotham! Continue reading at your own risk…

On Gotham, Ecco never treated Jeremiah as a psychologist, at least that we know of to this point. She might be helplessly in love with him, just as Harley is with Joker, but that doesn’t seem to be the root of the madness she puts on display in this week’s episode.

Instead, she helps Jeremiah run a cult, putting perspective members through a trial in which they play a unified game of Russian roulette. Ecco giggles and tells Selina that staring death in the face is fun, which of course prompts Selina to ask the question, “If it’s so fun, why don’t you do it?”

Ecco reveals that she did in fact play the game, that she got shot in the back of the head, and somehow survived. Showing off a deep scar at the base of her skull, Ecco tells Selina that the bullet is just rattling around in her head, and that she can really feel it when it’s cold outside. She heavily alludes to the fact that the bullet in her head is driving her a little mad.

As if the costume wasn’t enough of a giveaway that this is Gotham’s take on Harley Quinn, Ecco utters one of Harley’s most recognizable catchphrases while fighting with Selina. After the first punches are exchanged, Ecco stands against a wall and tells Selina, “Oh puddin’, aren’t you delicious?”

She may not be referred to as Harley just yet, but it seems like Ecco is most definitely on her way to becoming the ever-popular villain.

What did you think of tonight’s new episode of Gotham? Is this the Harley Quinn debut you’ve been waiting for? Let us know in the comments!

New episodes of Gotham air on Thursday nights at 8 pm ET on FOX.