Warning! Spoilers ahead for Future State: Harley Quinn #2

DC comics has a tendency to turn their villains into heroes, and heroes into villains, flipping the script on their traditional roles completely. Amongst these reconstructed characters is the eccentric Harley Quinn. One of the most well-known faces in the DC universe, Harley has been fans' favorite local psychiatrist, psychotic sidekick, and passionate hero all in one lifetime. Her growth from love interest to one of DC's strongest heroes shows her multidimensionality, but it also proves that she has spent the majority of her time on the sidelines, when she was always meant to be so much more.

Harley's reputation has, for the most part, always revolved around her time spent with the Joker as his main love interest for years. While she may have come into his life well into the late 90's, she made drastic changes to both his storyline and Gotham as a whole. Her role was as the Joker's crazy girlfriend, following him like an obsessed fangirl, despite the abuse and manipulation he inflicted upon her. It wouldn't be long before she left the killer clown behind to forge her own path. No matter how hard the Joker tried to constantly cast her aside, her introduction to DC quickly built her a devoted fan base that supported the character, love interest or not.

Related: Harley Quinn Becoming A Mother Makes Her A Greater Hero Than Ever

Her incredible popularity hinted at one thing from the very beginning: Harley would always be a pivotal character. However, her time as a villain wasn't long for this world. Despite being just as crazy and chaotic as the Joker himself, she has an optimism and empathetic nature to her that clashes with the role of a menacing super villain. Her motivations were never to live a life of crime, but to live her life freely. The recent release of Future State: Harley Quinn #2 holds the perfect evidence to prove that Harley was always supposed to be a hero.

Harley had a bit of a rocky start to her Future State storyline. Being kidnapped by Scarecrow and recruited to help him catch a villain didn't exactly match her to-do list, but she made the best of the situation. In a turn of events, Harley is able to outsmart both Scarecrow and the infamous crime lord, Black Mask. The issue ends in the arrest of the two villains, with Harley walking away scratch-free from the scene. This scene, in addition to her own psychiatric knowledge to track down another character last issue, prove her undeniable talent as both a detective and fighter.

Harley has spent so long as a side character, whether it be to the Joker or other main characters, allowing her to be underestimated. Still, it's not even her incredible fighting skills and intelligence that make her a natural hero. Harley has always proven to have a clear ability to understand right from wrong and, when she wants to, can act quickly enough to be the one who saves the day. The easier choice in this scenario may have been to go along with Scarecrow or attempt to join forces with Black Mask. Any other character, especially one with a villainous path, may have done exactly that...but not Harley Quinn. In a way, she has proven a stronger inclination towards heroism than other iconic Gotham heroes (yes, even Batman).

Next: Harley Quinn's Finally Going To Kill Joker For DC's Black Label