Harley Quinn Just Took a Note From Guardians of the Galaxy (And Added a Bit of Incest to It)

Last week’s episode of Harley Quinn delivered one of the most emotionally devastating moments in the series’ history with the sudden death of Frank (voiced by J.B. Smoove). Despite the show’s trademark irreverence, Frank’s murder – supposedly at the hands of Brainiac’s (voiced by Stephen Fry) robots – hit surprisingly hard, particularly as he died in the arms of a devastated Ivy (voiced by Lake Bell). The scene represented a shocking tonal shift for a series that had just finished staging an elaborate musical presentation about Brainiac’s tragic backstory. However, as Episode 7 reveals, Frank’s legacy will continue in a way that both honors his memory and manages to make things infinitely more disturbing.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Harley Quinn Season 5, Episode 7

Episode 7, titled “Frankette,” opens with a somber funeral for Ivy’s plant-human hybrid son. The ceremony quickly establishes the finality of Frank’s death while showcasing how deeply his loss has affected everyone, particularly Ivy, who sobs uncontrollably while dabbing her eyes with a tissue. As Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) delivers a heartfelt eulogy filled with fond memories and characteristic jokes about Frank’s need to always have the last word, the mourners are surprised by a pre-recorded video from Frank himself. True to form, even in death, Frank has ensured he’ll get the final say.

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The recorded Frank reveals he’s left Ivy his “most precious possession” – the tissue she’s currently using to dry her tears, which he casually identifies as his “cum rag.” Disgusted, Ivy immediately tosses the tissue into Frank’s open casket, a reaction Frank perfectly predicts in his recording. What follows is an increasingly detailed set of burial instructions that Frank narrates with uncanny precision, as if he’s watching the funeral unfold in real time. The mourners grow increasingly frustrated as Frank’s recording continues for hours, detailing hundreds of specific “final wishes” that must be followed precisely.

The exhaustive process eventually reveals Frank’s true intention. The combination of his genetic material in the tissue with Ivy’s DNA from her tears creates the perfect conditions for the birth of Frankette, his daughter and successor. Frank’s recording acknowledges the incestuous nature of this arrangement, given that Ivy is technically his mother, but dismisses any concerns with his typical crass humor. This bizarre resurrection plot somehow manages to be simultaneously touching and deeply uncomfortable, a balance that has become Harley Quinn‘s signature. Surprisingly, the scene echoes a key MCU moment from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Harley Quinn’s Frank Has the Same Fate as the MCU’s Groot

While Harley Quinn puts its distinctly adult-oriented spin on Frank’s posthumous reproduction, the core concept bears a striking resemblance to one of the most emotionally resonant moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the sentient tree-being Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) sacrifices himself to save his newfound friends during the battle with Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace). His final words – the now-iconic “We are Groot” – marked one of the MCU’s most genuinely heartbreaking deaths, giving emotional weight to what could have been just another superhero spectacle.

However, the film’s mid-credits scene revealed that Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) had salvaged a twig from his friend’s remains, which soon sprouted into Baby Groot. This clever narrative decision allowed director James Gunn to maintain the emotional impact of Groot’s heroic sacrifice while ensuring the beloved character could continue in the franchise to some extent. Importantly, Gunn has clarified that Baby Groot is not the same character as the original Groot. He’s Groot’s offspring, with his own distinct personality and development arc throughout the subsequent films.

The parallel to Frank’s situation in Harley Quinn is unmistakable. Both characters leverage their plant-based physiology to enable a form of continuation after death. This strategy allows both franchises to have their emotional cake and eat it too—the deaths remain meaningful and final, preserving their narrative impact while still allowing a new character to carry on the legacy of the original. It’s a surprisingly elegant solution to the common problem of how to balance emotional stakes with audience attachment to popular characters.

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Harley Quinn‘s characteristically transgressive approach to this concept is where it distinguishes itself. While Guardians of the Galaxy presents Baby Groot’s growth as an innocent, hopeful moment amid the team’s grief, Harley Quinn can’t resist adding layers of crude humor and taboo to Frankette’s origin. By explicitly acknowledging the incestuous implications of Frank using his mother’s DNA to create offspring, the show winks at its audience while pushing the concept into decidedly R-rated territory.

It’s particularly fitting that Harley Quinn would borrow and adapt a concept from Guardians of the Galaxy, given the professional trajectory of James Gunn himself. After completing his Guardians trilogy for Marvel Studios, Gunn crossed the proverbial aisle to become co-head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. This corporate transition mirrors the creative adaptation we see in Harley Quinn – taking a concept that worked well in the PG-13 Marvel universe and reimagining it with the adult sensibilities that characterize DC’s TV-MA show.

New episodes of Harley Quinn Season 5 premiere on Max every Thursday.

Did you like the introduction of Frankette in Harley Quinn Season 3? Or are you still shocked that Ivy is the grandmother of her own daughter? Share your thoughts in the comments!