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7 DC Characters Improved by the Harley Quinn Animated Series
The Harley Quinn animated series has quickly become one of DC’s boldest and most creative projects. Since debuting in 2019, the show has taken Gotham’s Arkham-sized store of characters and turned them into some of the funniest, weirdest, and surprisingly most relatable characters in modern superhero television.
With Harley leading the way, the show has balanced chaotic comedy with clever storytelling, allowing underrated characters to shine, and even redefining heavyweights. The show has deepened character arcs, pushed forward representation, and given fans something fresh to connect with. And with that in mind, we’ve compiled seven DC characters that we think have been improved by the Harley Quinn animated series.
7) Bane
Bane didn’t make the top tier of our list, but he deserves special mention because Harley Quinn gave fans one of the most entertaining takes on the character ever. Instead of the menacing brute seen in comics, this iteration of Bane is a spoof of Tom Hardy’s intellectual and philosophical menace from The Dark Knight Rises. Only he’s not a formidable foe in the animated series. Instead, he spends most of his time much maligned and underappreciated by his villain peers.
Despite being played for laughs, the show also highlights Bane’s frustrations and loneliness, making him oddly sympathetic. This reimagining kept his threatening presence via his ability to “juice up” on his Venom compound and kick some serious butt. But making him somewhat socially awkward and the comic relief turned him into a fan favorite.
6) Kite Man
Before Harley Quinn, Kite Man was little more than a punchline in the DC universe. Originally introduced in the 1960s, Kite Man embodied the sillier side of Batman’s rogues — such as The Clock King and The Eraser — with a gimmick that felt too absurd to ever work in modern storytelling. But the series took that absurdity and leaned all the way in.
Kite Man (voiced by Matt Oberg) became one of the breakout stars of the show by embracing his dorkiness. His catchphrase, “Kite Man, hell yeah!” became a fandom favorite, and his earnest, lovable personality made him one of Gotham’s most endearing underdogs. It’s hard to see exactly what makes Kite Man a Supervillain at all.
In Harley Quinn, however, his optimism and sincerity turned him into a cult favorite. He represents the idea that even the lamest villain is worth your time, and his storyline gave him dignity without erasing his comedic roots. The series also gave him unexpected depth through his romance with Poison Ivy. Their relationship highlighted Kite Man’s vulnerability, insecurities, and genuine love. While the romance didn’t last, it allowed Kite Man to become more than a gag character. He’s still goofy but he’s also fully fleshed-out, which is why fans love him. He’s even got his own animated spinoff, Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
5) Joker
It’s almost impossible to make the Joker feel new in any real sense — the Clown Prince of Crime has been reinterpreted countless times across film, television, and comics. His manifestations range from Cesar Romero’s campy antics in the 1960s to Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning take. Yet Harley Quinn managed to find a fresh angle and look at what happens when Joker tries to live a normal life.
In the series, Joker (voiced by Alan Tudyk) is — of course — first presented as Harley’s abusive ex-boyfriend, embodying every toxic trait fans have come to expect. But after losing Harley and facing defeat, Joker shockingly reinvents himself. He becomes a suburban stepdad, falls in love, and even engages in local politics. This Joker still keeps his chaotic edge, but his more grounded story arc gave us a great laugh and gave him some semblance of humanity without sacrificing his unpredictability.
Joker’s abusive dynamic with Harley has often defined him, making him one-note in certain stories. By moving him beyond that role, the show allowed him to grow in ways the comics rarely do. He’s still dangerous, but now he has. This evolution made Joker less of a campy caricature of chaos, and more of a complex, three-dimensional character.
This shift worked because it contrasted so sharply with his usual role. It was an unexpected, hilarious, and oddly heartwarming reinvention that proved Joker can still surprise fans after nearly a century in Gotham.
4) Doctor Psycho
Doctor Psycho has always been one of Wonder Woman’s strangest and most problematic villains. Created in the 1940s, the character was often portrayed as a misogynistic telepath obsessed with power. While that foundation remains, Harley Quinn managed to modernize him into both a parody and a surprisingly nuanced figure.
In the show, Doctor Psycho (voiced by Tony Hale) is a disgraced villain who gets booted from the Legion of Doom after a sexist outburst goes viral. His abrasive personality and outdated worldview make him a annoying foil to Harley’s more progressive crew. At the same time, his telepathic powers often make him one of the most dangerous members of her team.
This balance of comedic failure and legitimate menace turned Doctor Psycho into a breakout character. He’s undeniably awful, but it’s the consequences of his awfulness that make him entertaining. By leaning into his worst traits while also giving him moments of competence, the show turned a dated villain into one of its funniest and most memorable figures.
Doctor Psycho was once considered irredeemably vile, with little appeal beyond being a caricature of misogyny. Harley Quinn gave him more relevance by satirizing those traits as well as making him a genuine threat. By positioning him as both a laughable relic of bigotry who has to face his critics, and a dangerous telepath, the series proved he could become entertaining without making him likeable.
3) Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy has long been one of DC’s most iconic femme fatales, often portrayed as a seductive eco-terrorist. But Harley Quinn gave Ivy (voiced by Lake Bell) her emotional authenticity.
In earlier portrayals, Ivy was usually defined by her powers or her connection to Harley. Here, she’s allowed to stand as her own character while also exploring a slow-burn romance with Harley that has become one of the show’s central storylines. Ivy is more grounded in this series — she has anxieties, insecurities, and real-life concerns, making her relatable in a way that previous versions often weren’t.
Season 5 even redefined Ivy’s origin, emphasizing how her powers are tied to trauma and isolation. This retelling added more nuance to her motivations, moving her away from a simple eco-terrorist into someone with layered emotional depth.
Ivy has often been pigeonholed into the “seductive villainess” trope. By giving her vulnerability, humor, and agency, Harley Quinn allowed fans to see her as more than a supporting act. Her love story with Harley is handled with care, humor, and heart while not being her defining character trait. Thus, transforming Ivy from a niche favorite into one of DC’s most compelling modern characters.
2) Clayface
Clayface has always been one of Batman’s more tragic villains — an actor whose body was transformed into living clay, leaving him able to shapeshift but never return to normal. Traditionally, he’s been depicted as either a horror figure or a tragic cautionary tale. But Harley Quinn took Clayface (another character voiced by Alan Tudyk) in the comedic direction of being a Broadway luvvie.
The show’s version of Clayface is obsessed with acting to the point of absurdity. Whether he’s disguising himself as an inanimate object or delivering campy, overly dramatic monologues, his love of performance makes him one of the funniest characters in the series.
Instead of being locked into his tragic origins, the animated series focused on Clayface’s theatrical personality. This gave him individuality beyond his powers, and the comedic edge transformed him from a side villain into a character audiences actively looked forward to seeing. He’s still sympathetic, but now he’s also a scene-stealing comedic gem. By mixing pathos with parody, the series elevated him into a true standout.
1) Harley Quinn
It’s only fitting that the character who improved the most in Harley Quinn is Harley herself. Since her debut in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn has gone from Joker’s quirky sidekick to one of DC’s most popular antiheroes across all media iterations. But her solo animated series fully cemented her as a leading character in her own right.
In the show, Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) finally breaks free of Joker’s toxic grip and forges her own identity. She struggles with self-doubt, navigates leadership, and discovers true love with Poison Ivy. This series fully embraces Harley’s chaotic spirit while giving her genuine growth, something many previous versions only hinted at.
The show doesn’t shy away from Harley’s flaws but instead uses them as part of her journey. She’s messy, impulsive, and often self-destructive. But she’s also loyal, brave, and genuinely trying to better herself. This balance made her more complex than ever, transforming her from a love-sick sidekick into one of DC’s most important modern anti-heroes.
Do you agree with our list? Who do you think the Harley Quinn animated series improved? Let us know in the comments.
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