Warning: Contains Spoilers for Punchline: The Gotham Game #2It's been long perceived by fans that Harley Quinn was obsessed with the Joker ever since she became his partner in crime, but DC Comics has officially confirmed that this was never the case. Harley Quinn's origin is one of the best known in comics. Ever since her debut in Batman: The Animated Series, fans were curious about how she came to be. This led to the famous Mad Love story arc which depicted her as Joker's psychiatrist that fell head over heels for him and helped him escape before becoming his sidekick. This was elaborated in further detail in Stjepan Šejić's take on the story, Harleen, which became a New York Times Bestseller.

Things got even more interesting though when Harley ended up leaving the Joker and tried making a name for her own. Due to years of abuse though, she's faced an uphill battle for independence as she would constantly find herself considering going back to Joker. This led fans to speculate that Harley Quinn had an obsession for the Joker that couldn't be broken until she finally found freedom in her relationship with Poison Ivy. Ever since she became an antihero, the Joker has played a lesser role in Harley's life much to the delight of her readers because her relationship with Poison Ivy helped bring out the best in her and push out the abusive aspects of her past with the Joker. However, it turns out that one of the biggest core aspects of her origin isn't what fans believed it to be.

Related: Harley Quinn's First Encounter with Joker Totally Redefines Her Origin

In Punchline: The Gotham Game #2 by Tini Howard, Blake Howard, Gleb Melnikov and Will Robson; Batman and Nightwing are in the Batcave, going through Punchline's criminal record in an effort to figure out her next plan. When watching a video clip of her declaring her love for the Joker, Batman tells Nightwing that "she confuses love with obsession," to which the latter tries to compare her to Harley Quinn. However, Batman vehemently disagrees with him and states that Harley never had an obsession for the Joker. Instead, she "fell victim to direct manipulation" that took her years to undo. Still, she ended up winning out by shaking "herself free of his emotional depredations" and became an even better villain than Joker.

This Revelation Changes What Joker Obsession Looks Like

Joker Obsession Harley Quinn

Since it's been confirmed that Punchline is the one obsessed with the Joker and not Harley, this opens up the gateway for what readers expect from someone fascinated by the Clown Prince of Crime. Unlike Harley Quinn, Punchline is someone who is more willing to carry out what he wished for Gotham, even if the two are apart. Had Harley truly had a Joker obsession, her pathway to being one of the best antiheroes in DC Comics would likely have never happened. The whole point of her arc was to make a name for herself even when she was a victim of the Joker's psychological manipulation that had her reach low points during her journey. Punchline, on the other hand, is a woman without the Joker yet still devoted to his cause. She's not been manipulated by him but rather is motivated by the chaos he wrought. She doesn't see herself as independent but rather an extension the Joker himself.

It's amazing to see decades of speculation around the fans' favorite DC antihero be shown in an entirely new light thanks to one brief moment of analysis from Gotham's greatest detective. Punchline is not just the Joker's new girlfriend, she's also redefining Harley's origin with the Joker. Since DC Comics is on the verge of another mass reboot with the upcoming Dawn of DC relaunch, it looks like big lore-changing revelations are about to be made with Harley Quinn being just the tip of the iceberg.

Next: Harley Quinn Calls Out Joker's Girlfriend For Being A Cheap Copy

Punchline: The Gotham Game #2 is available now from DC Comics!