Harley Quinn showrunner Justin Halpern has confirmed that the upcoming second season of the popular DC Universe animated series will tackle the romance between Dr. Harleen Quinzel and her best friend, Dr. Pamela Isley (aka Poison Ivy). Ironically, this announcement comes hot on the heels of DC Comics seeming to shy away from overtly allowing the gal pals to be a committed couple.
The subject of romance between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy has been a highly contested one since the two were first teamed up in Batman: The Animated Series. Even then, Harley Quinn's creators Bruce Timm and Paul Dini hinted at something between the two in the comics based on the cartoon, but were unable to directly depict a romantic relationship. It was not until over two decades later, during Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner's run on the monthly Harley Quinn comic in 2015, that they were confirmed to be lovers in a polyamorous relationship. Yet there are many fans of the characters who want Harley and Ivy to be firmly committed to one another, as they were in the reality of Injustice: Gods Among Us, where writer Tom Taylor revealed the two were married in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator.
Justin Halpern addressed the ship in a recent interview with Geeks WorldWide, saying that Harley Quinn season 2 will leave both women "in a place where they could really and truly experience a loving relationship and make it work." He continued, "I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll just say I think we get to the place where people want us to get to, but we do it carefully. We’re not trying to bait anyone or tease anyone. We pay off things off in a satisfying way but we want to make sure we earn it."
Halpern also commented on some fans' dissatisfaction with the lack of romance between Harley and Ivy, apart from a few teases. "We have caught a lot of heat for not having them together right away, and I get it," Halpern noted, "but our thinking was we didn’t want Harley to jump right back into another relationship when she was on a journey for self-discovery." He emphasized how important it was for Harley Quinn season 1 to establish Harleen and Pamela as individuals before trying to develop a romance between them. This was particularly important given the history between the two women in the reality of the show and the fact that Harleen used to be Pamela's psychiatrist and was the first person to connect with her on a human level.
Strangely, this development comes shortly after the conclusion of a Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy mini-series that was meant to explore the relationship between the two women. Many fans were upset by the conclusion, which affirmed the love the two women felt for each other but ended with Ivy planting a kiss on Harley's forehead rather than her lips. To further the confusion, a DC Black Label mini-series based on the Birds of Prey movie hinted at the two breaking up after Harley intentionally tried to prolong their tropical vacation by intentionally stranding them on a deserted island together. Wherever Harley and Ivy stand in the comics, fans can rest assured that season 2 of Harley Quinn will address the Harley/Ivy romance.
Source: Geeks WorldWide