Originally, she was conceived solely as the main squeeze of her beloved Mr. J (even her real name is “Harleen Quinzel” for crying out loud), but she’s since grown beyond her obsession with the Joker and many incarnations of the “Clown Princess of Crime” have since had her branching out on her own to the delight of fans everywhere.
So we here at ComicBook.com thought it would be best to celebrate the occasion by listing off the 10 Best Harley Quinn Costumes!
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What is your favorite Harley Quinn costume? Watch the video at the top of the article or simply scroll down and read our slideshow to see if it made the list!
10. New 52
Who needs a Jester cap with that hair? In 2011, DC Comics relaunched all of its titles, and with it, many of the characters were revamped as well, Harley Quinn being no exception. The New 52 showed Harley Quinn with a sleeveless top, tight shorts, and boots. Her hair color was also designed to resemble her original jester cap but the biggest change revolved around her bleached perma-white skin, which she attained after being kicked into a vat of acid by the Joker so she’d look more like him.
9. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Netherrealm, the studio responsible for Mortal Kombat, left little to the imagination with their first crack at Harley Quinn’s costume. While still retaining the pigtails, they were positioned down instead of up, and her braless vest is held together by four clasps. An important note here is that Harley Quinn generally doesn’t have superpowers. And seeing as how the game squares her off against the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman, then it stands to reason that if this were real life, this outfit would undoubtedly not keep Harley Quinn alive for very long. Luckily, it’s not real life, so sure, why not fight in your underwear?
8. DC Bombshells
If you ever wanted to see what Harley Quinn might look like if she was a 1940’s style pin-up model, then DC Bombshells is for you! Originally set to be a line of statuettes, the increased popularity of the sculptures led to it getting its own comic series set in an alternate reality where female heroes hold the fort down during World War 2 while the men are away, ย and speaking of men, this version of Harley clearly doesn’t need one since she’s dating Poison Ivy.
7. Assault on Arkham
This Harley costume comes from the 2014 direct-to-video animated film that’s set in the same universe as the Arkham games. Set approximately two years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum, the costume looks like a hybrid between the classic Harley Quinn jester costume, and her outfit from Batman: Arkham City (though she’s missing the tighter-than-tight corset). It’s a good look that isn’t too intricate considering the timeline of the plot.
6. Batman: Arkham Knight
Who wouldn’t love Harley in a tutu? Her outfit in Batman: Arkham Knight seems considerably toned down than it had been in previous games, but perhaps that’s because she’s been without her puddin’ for some time at that point? The tu-tu is a welcome addition to her look that helps sell her gymnastic background, and somehow the collar and sleeves matched with the corset works for her (though let’s be honest, it’s Harley Quinnโฆ there’s not a lot that won’t work for her.)
5. Injustice 2
This Harley Quinn costume was a considerable improvement from the first game. While Injustice 2 actually featured a bajillion variables on the look, we’re talking about the main one featured at the start-up. While the costume seems to be inspired by several different versions of Harley (the hair from Suicide Squad, the corset from the Arkham games, etc), you throw in a gun holster and a cool leather jacket and voila! You get a super cool Harley Quinn costume.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum
It looks good but can she even breathe? The corset was never tighter than it was here but she still manages to cartwheel like a pro. This Nurse Harley Quinn seems to be two things – (1. The epitome of every fan boy’s dream, and (2. Very reminiscent (an homage?) of Heath Ledger’s Nurse-Joker look from The Dark Knight which had been released the year before.
3. Suicide Squad
Say hello to the costume that took over Halloween circa 2015. It seemed like nearly every girl on Instagram was rocking spiked heels and “Daddy’s Lil’ Monster” half-shirts before Suicide Squad had even been released, and admittedly, few wore it as good as Margot Robbie did in the film. But as a costume, it was a live action look that felt true to the character (in contrast to say, those Joker tattoos – what?), and helped sell Harley Quinn as a recently released prisoner turned anti-hero.
2. Batman: Arkham City
Easily the best look Harley had from the Arkham series. The costume was all parts modern, sexy, and functional. She retained the playing card inspired diamonds on the leggings and the vest/corset wasn’t squeezing her so tight that it looked unrealistic. Even her straw-like ponytail dead-ends look like her hair had suffered a few too many dye jobs.
1. Classic Harley Quinn
Our favorite version of Harley Quinn, and probably Puddin’s too. The original Jester bodysuit look first seen on Batman The Animated Series is simply a classic and something that Harley Quinn still reverts back to from time to time (it’s made appearances in both the Arkham games as DLC and Injustice 2). It’s had tweaks here or there but for a long time was pretty much all she rocked, even being what she wore in the popular Gotham City Sirens book where she finally began to (somewhat) break away from her dysfunctional relationship with Mr. J.