Harley Quinn (TV series): Difference between revisions

** The Joker, naturally. This guy actually sends a henchman to deliver Harley a message, that ends with said henchman blowing up, his blood and guts splattering all over Harley and Ivy. He also {{spoiler| murders his accomplice - the Scarecrow - over rage when they discover Batman's identity - wasn't the Scarecrow's fault, he was just angry and had to kill ''somebody'', Scarecrow being unlucky enough to be there.}}

** The Penguin is worse. He executes a minion (something even Bane never does) who makes the mistake of saying "Hi!" to him after he had gotten annoyed with several others who had bothered him with that word. He even remarks offhand to a disguised Clayface that he had killed another henchman, as if that was a regular occurrence at the Iceberg Lounge. {{spoiler| Pretty fitting that he is one case in this series of a villain's [[Karma Houdini Warranty]] being revoked.}}

* [[Bedlam House]]: Arkham is only a mild case in this version, as the faculty seems to be trying harder, at least. A flashback episode, however, shows that it used to be much worse.

* [[Black Comedy]]: With Harley as the protagonist, this is a natural, plus a lot of [[Gallows Humor]] thrown in.

* [[Corrupt Politician]]: A flashback paints Harvey Dent (not yet the villain Two-Face) as this. He promotes use of unethical and illegal methods of security at Arkham, because he knows voters would admire a DA who is tough on the inmates, and later orders the police to open fire on the Joker even if they have to shoot Harley in the process - he was only truly concerned that he'd lose reelection if the Joker escaped on his watch (although at very least, he has enough decency to tell them to stand down once Ivy holds up her hands and surrenders). Harley calls him out with the moniker "Two-Face" for the first time, her way of calling him a hypocrite, which in hindsight, makes his later name an [[Appropriated Appellation]].

* [[Country Matters]]: Dr. Psycho uses the word on nationwide TV in reference to Wonder Woman - no surprise there, as he's always been a chauvinist. Poison Ivy remarks that he is now the least employable person on the planet, while Harley comments that if Psycho had henchmen, they might have advised him to instead use the "B-word". Later, Psycho's inability to keep himself from using the word becomes a [[Running Gag]] until Season 2, where he seems to have kicked the habit. Ironically, this is the only cuss word that is bleeped out in the show's dialogue.

* [[The Gadfly]]: Catwoman. Selina in this version is something of an instigator and gloryhound and often steals things as a jest simply to prove she can, like how she takes Ivy's jacket and puts it on before Ivy realizes it.

* [[Good Costume Switch]]: A variation, as Harley never truly stops being evil. She starts the series still the Joker's "hench-wench" and wears the jester outfit from ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''. However, after forsaking him, she regards this costume as a slave-garment, and switches to a different outfit with a halter, short-shorts and no mask to prove she's her own villain.

* [[Original Character]]: Frank the Plant is the only villain created specifically for the series.

* [[Race Lift]]: Queen of Fables is changed from Caucasian to black; Catwoman is changed from Caucasian to Cuban/Italian, possibly a [[Homage]] to the [[Eartha Kitt]] version in the live action ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' series.

* [[Rogues Gallery Transplant]]: Many villains on the show have previously had little, if anything, to do with Batman. Dr. Psycho is a [[Wonder Woman]] villain, and Dr. Trap was from the short-lived ''[[Chase]]'' comic. Characters like [[Lex Luthor]] and [[Darkseid]] seem to be clearly in [[Hero of Another Story| Villain of Another Story]] territory when they appear.

* [[Self-Deprecation]]: The show has gotten a lot of guff due to Sy Borgman being a stereotypical old Jewish guy, but a quick look at the credits shows quite a few Jewish names among the writers, suggesting this Trope.