Kevin Conroy On Why Harley Quinn Works Better Than Wonder Woman

Voice actor Kevin Conroy has spent a lot of time in the DC Universe. He’s provided the voice for […]

September 5, 2017, 1:51pm

Voice actor Kevin Conroy has spent a lot of time in the DC Universe. He’s provided the voice for what many consider to be the most iconic portrayal of Batman for over 20 years. Over that time, he’s come to know and love the most popular characters from the canon.

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So it makes sense that he’d have a few preferences.

Conroy was speaking with HeyUGuys about the new Batman And Harley Quinn animated movie when he was asked about the antihero’s enduring popularity, and he gave a surprising answer.

“There’s also a big new female audience in animation and they’re looking for more interesting characters for them,” Conroy said. “Wonder Woman is a wonderful superhero but she’s not very multidimensional whereas Harley Quinn is just nuts and just has so many different qualities that it’s fun for the female audience.”

Hmm. Well, he’s not wrong for liking one more than the other, and he’s not wrong for expressing an opinion.

One could argue that Harley Quinn is one of the most adaptable characters in the DC Universe, able to work in many situations. Much like Deadpool, she works well as a comedic foil to Batman’s heroism, at worst as the perennial punching bag for the Joker, and is at her best when bouncing off of the various Gotham rogues like Catwoman and Poison Ivy.

But maybe calling Wonder Woman “not very multidimensional” is selling the character short, especially in comparison to Harley Quinn who is only limited by the situations the creators put her in.

Wonder Woman might have a specific moral code and core personality traits. That doesn’t limit the character for every story unless it is in the hands of a less-than-capable storyteller.

Also keep in mind that Harley Quinn has been around for just about two decades; she was created in the animated series in which Conroy first voiced Batman, after all. Wonder Woman has been around for 75 years. So many stories have already been told to the point where some creators are either struggling to tell new tales or living in the shadows of old ones.

Batman And Harley Quinn is now available on Digital HD.