Warning: spoilers for Batman White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #4 are ahead!  

In DC Comics, Harley Quinn often has a bad reputation of being a villain. Tied up with the Joker, Harley Quinn has become a symbol of mischief and chaos that sometimes eclipses her more redeeming qualities. However, this duality that Harley has is part of what makes her such a compelling anti-heroine. Fortunately, in her new comics, Harley has had the chance to show readers a completely new side of her character and personality, unlocking a new level of emotional resonance that she has.

Harley's series, Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn, by Katana Collins, Sean Murphy, Matteo Scalera, Dave Stewart, and Andworld Design, covers her journey as a single mother of twins in the wake of the Joker's untimely death. This is set in an alternate timeline where the Joker was a hero battling mental illness, while Batman was a villain, jumping off from the Batman: White Knight series by Sean Murphy. With a new female serial killer in town leaving an elaborate trail of film noir-style murders in her wake, the Gotham City Police Department has called on Harley's help as a psychiatrist to unravel the mystery at hand. As she works the case, Harley must balance the demands of being a new mom alongside reconciling with her past criminal demons. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that this is no small feat.

Related: Who Is DC's Deadliest Non-Powered Villain?

A central theme in this series is weaponized motherhood, both in Harley's arc as the protagonist and for the villain of the story, Starlet. Issue number four in the series revealed that Starlet was Ethel, the nanny of Harley's FBI agent partner, Hector Quimby. When he was a child, Ethel protected him from his abusive actress mother, Sofia, who was angry at him for having been born during a pivotal moment in her career (story by Katana Collins and Sean Murphy, script by Katana Collins, art by Matteo Scalera, colors by Dave Stewart, and letters by Andworld Design). This exploded one day during a heated fight when Sofia threw a glass into Ethel's face, permanently scarring her and dashing the latter's own dreams of becoming an actress. As Starlet, Ethel acts on the rage she feels towards figures in Gotham's film world that created a hostile environment for young mothers and actresses, including Hector's mother.

Harley Quinn White Knight Comic Variant

Motherhood is the root for both Harley Quinn's heroism and Starlet's violence, suggesting that it is a double-edged sword that can redeem as much as it can consume. Harley is deeply afraid that she is not a good mother to her twins, but in reality, the love that she has towards her children motivates her desire to use her skills and knowledge towards the greater good. It is this drive for self-improvement on behalf of others that makes Harley Quinn truly the hero of this series, whether she knows it or not.

For Harley Quinn, The Standards Of Motherhood Are Akin To The Standards Of Superheroism.

Harley Quinn and Batman kiss in White Knight comic.

Motherhood undoubtedly comes with its own set of pressures, and thus far, Harley has demonstrated how they intersect with the demands of being a superhero. As a single mother, Harley is alone in her endeavors with raising her children. Similarly, Harley feels a comparable sense of isolation and anxiety while working the Starlet case. She confides this in Bruce Wayne, who is incarcerated in the wake of the events of Batman: White Knight. For Harley, managing this balance is like "walking on a tightrope."

Related: Harley Quinn's Insanity Makes Her A Hero, Not A Villain

Harley Quinn's notion of being a good mother and a good hero has developed considerably since the beginning of the series. In issue #1, Harley tells Bruce, "I'm missing the mom gene. I'm failing at motherhood. I'm failing at keeping a job... I can't even keep my house clean." For Harley, this demonstrates how she sees herself as unworthy of being a hero because of her less than ideal circumstances as a mother. In her mind, the difficulties she experiences as a single mother precludes her from being the hero that Gotham needs. Bruce reassures her by saying that her eccentricity is her greatest strength, one that the Gotham City Police Department sorely needs. This sets the stage for the story's celebration of Harley's imperfections.

This sentiment is echoed later on in issue #4, when Bruce tells Harley to embrace her own flaws. She says, "I feel like I've been walking a tightrope, trying to find the balance between all these versions of myself–the doctor, the criminal, the converted good guy... the Mom. I'm all of them and yet... I'm also none of them." While she has separately accepted herself as a mother and as a "converted good guy," she still struggles to reconcile how the two of them can coexist. In a parting word of assurance, Bruce says, "Some of the smartest people I know are also a little... eccentric," encouraging Harley to break out of conventional standards and expectations for how heroes and mothers should act.

Harley Quinn's Perfect Foil Is The Series Villain, Starlet.

Starlet on the variant cover of Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #4 comic.

With motherhood and heroism two of the series's central tenets, they come together explosively in Starlet's identity as a character. Harley and Starlet both provide different images of unconventional motherhood and its effects. Though Starlet is not Hector Quimby's biological mother, she was acknowledged by him in issue #4 as "more of a mother to [him] than [his] mother was." Through Hector's relationship to Ethel, it can be drawn that motherhood is more than a biological condition, but an ongoing relationship built on protectiveness and active nurturing.

Thus, many of Starlet's attributes as a character bring out the questions that Harley has wrestled with throughout the series. While Harley is empowered to become a better version of herself because of her children, Ethel is driven to violent revenge. Starlet's response to her own version of motherhood stands in stark contrast to Harley's, making her an ideal foil to the hero of the story.

Related: Dr. Harley Quinn's Therapy Is Batman's Greatest Threat?

Harley's investigation into Starlet's case has prompted a number of existential crises for her, and it is likely that further interaction between the two of them will elucidate answers to these questions. As her relationship with the Joker evidences, one of Harley's greatest strengths as a character is her ability to empathize with others. This, coupled with her rumination on what it means to be a good mother, makes Harley uniquely suited for breaking Ethel's cycle of violence.

Though still ongoing, the series has identified how motherhood exists beyond conventional rules and expectations, and the same applies to being a superhero. Whether she knows it or not, becoming a mother has given Harley plenty of opportunity to self-reflect on what she wants her legacy in Gotham City to be. Her children provide her a chance to leave the darkest parts of her past behind her, and become the hero she'd never thought she'd be. For Harley Quinn, the Starlet case is the perfect opportunity for her to discover that no one but herself can define the rules of being both a superhero and a mother.

Next: Interview: Katana Collins & Matteo Scalera Talk Harley Quinn's 'White Knight' Series