Is it possible that Harley Quinn is secretly holding onto the knowledge of who Batman is? One off-the-cuff remark from the Cupid of Crime implies that she could have easily figured out who the Dark Knight was years ago.
Fans all know that before she was a clown-themed criminal, Harley Quinn was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psyciatrist at Arkham Asylum. During her initial year, she came across the Joker and after just a few sessions, Quinzel was ready to throw her life away for the Clown Prince of Crime. While she was content to be the Joker's sidekick, Harley Quinn still possessed her keen analytical mind and occasionally put her talents to good use. In moments of lucidity, Harley is shown to be able to read people like a book, diagnosing their foibles and pinpointing their mental flaws and weaknesses. She may not practice anymore, but Harley's psychiatric skills are as sharp as ever.
And it seems that those skills could easily key Harley in on the secret identity behind the World's Greatest Detective. In Gotham City Sirens #2 by Paul Dini and Guillem March, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are attempting to form a partnership with Catwoman, but insist that she give up the identity of Batman before they make it official. Though Selina is drugged by one of Ivy’s special powders, Catwoman manages to fool her associates thanks to the assistance of Talia al Ghul. Instead of one man, Selina tells her friends that Batman is actually an identity that has been shared by several people over the years. Catwoman assures them that there's no way that one man can do all the things that Batman is known for, but Harley suggests that a motivation like childhood trauma could make it possible.
Harley Quinn Has To Know Who Batman Really Is
Obviously Harley Quinn isn’t wrong about Batman’s tragic origin story being what drives him. And while Catwoman’s story works in this instance, this was also some time ago, back when Harley was still fairly villain-oriented. Since her Gotham City Sirens days, Harley has found herself walking a more heroic path, even finding herself working alongside the Justice League, including Batman. With Harley's theory in mind, is it possible that extended time in Batman's company has led her to figuring out the hero's identity herself?
Harley Quinn is a lot of things, but she isn’t stupid. The biggest story that’s ever come out of Gotham is how Bruce Wayne lost his parents to violence. All Harley would need to do is take a rough stab at Batman’s age and trace it back to the Wayne murders, and she’d have the necessary trauma she believes would motivate Batman. Not to mention, her recent extended time with Batman in Gotham and on the League has more than likely given her a few more peeks into Bruce Wayne’s psychology. If Harley Quinn is half the expert she once was, there’s little doubt that she’s already pieced together who Batman is.