The Absolute Universe is an incredible new alternate universe that takes DC’s classic characters back to the start. In this world, heroism is on the back foot, fighting in small rebellions to overthrow corrupt regimes that control the world order. Its pitch was a darker reimagining of DC’s beloved heroes, stripping away seemingly essential pieces of their character and boiling them down to their rawest components to build them into heroes that look different but still feel exactly like the champions of a better tomorrow that we know and love. Without a doubt, the biggest name in the Absolute Universe right now is Absolute Batman.
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The Dark Knight has always been one of DC’s biggest names, and his newest version maintains that popularity even as it rewrites more about Batman than you can imagine. That includes the Dark Knight himself and his extended cast. One of the biggest changes in this universe is that Harley Quinn is Batman’s ally, rather than his enemy. Of course, that’s far from the biggest change about her. Absolute Batman #22 revealed her true origin and the shocking revelation that the Harley Quinn we’ve been following isn’t the original. She’s her daughter and, by extension, the Joker’s.
The Absolute Plot Twist of the Century
The issue heavily focused on Harley telling Batman her backstory. She told him how her mother used to be a Neuro MD who worked for Jack Grimm, but dedicated her life to bringing him down after seeing something terrible. Harley grew up terrified of her mother’s obsession and wanting to find a way to get out of that house, which she was convinced was haunted. She would write to her absent father, who seemed to share her concern for her mother. On Harley’s birthday, she finally gathered the courage to look into the closet where she heard the ghosts, only to find something much worse. Underneath their house was the original Ark M.
Harley’s mother was Doctor Arkham, and the hatred she once had for Grimm has long since transformed into admiration and love, as Grimm was really Harley’s father. Harley’s mom was the original Harley Quinn, being the Joker-obsessed genius doctor who used her expertise to further his goals. The Harley that we’ve been following all this time is the daughter of the original’s Absolute counterpart, and the character who actually has the Prime Harley Quinn’s backstory is just another pawn in the game. In fact, she’s a massive villain whose presence has haunted the narrative ever since her debut in the “Abomination” arc, and she’s only set to be more of a problem going forward.
A Reimagined Harley that Blends Her Origin with Robin’s
Obviously, Harley being the Joker’s daughter is a huge departure from the norm and the biggest familial change in this timeline outside of the Robins. In a way, her new origin even reflects Damian Wayne’s, who is the only missing Robin. He was raised by his mother, only to be presented ot his father when he was older and ready to take on better training. In the same way, the Joker kept away from Harley until the revelation would be the funniest to him. This Harley, much like Grimm claims Batman to be, is a sick joke that he waited years to cash in on.
Ultimately, this new Harley’s origin and her refusal to accept her connection to the Joker are the most informative parts of her character and the “Straw Man” arc as a whole. Her motto is to reject the evil truth, denying its power even if it is true. The Joker, meanwhile, is a character who revels in showing people the worst truths imaginable, and even twisting the narrative with lies to make the reality he wants people to perceive even worse. There’s a significant chance that the story about Grimm forging Batman and this issue’s final revelation are not true, and pretty significant evidence to even suggest that, but all that matters to the Joker is how Batman perceives it.
The Joker is a man who wants to control the narrative, while Harley Quinn is someone who has spent her entire time here rejecting the narrative. She sees and supports what she wants to, saying that the scary or uncomfortable truths that would hold them down have no power over her. She is Grimm’s antithesis, denying the psychological control he wields so effectively and effortlessly. Harley’s anti-establishment, anarchist methodology is even more apparent with this revelation, and it positions her as the perfect person to rip through the cloud of dread that Grimm and Scarecrow have drawn around Batman.
Absolute Batman #22 is on sale now!
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