It can be argued that The Joker and Harley Quinn at one point had (if not, still have) one of the most painfully misinterpreted "romances" in DC history. For the longest time, it was misinterpreted by Harley herself, who often looked up to her beloved "Mister J" as a lover and a confidante who understood her better than anyone. Joker only ever saw Harley Quinn as a punching bag and a henchwoman who existed to do his dirty work. Even worse, after recognizing the love she always harbored for him, Joker would manipulate that to his advantage, convincing Harley to do just about any and everything for him when they were together.
It is only in the last decade that Harley has seen the light. As Harley Quinn rebrands herself from a hapless villain to a hero, she's finally seen the Joker for the abuse he's truly dished out on her. In the process, her unquestionable love for the J-Man has quickly transformed into pure hatred. But Harley Quinn of the main DC Universe isn't the only one forced to endure the Joker's menace.
Harley Quinn Reveals That The Joker's Abuse is a Multiversal Constant.
As Stephanie Phillips, Matteo Lolli, and David Baldeon's Harley Quinn #25 is slowly unveiling, there's a whole multiverse of Harley Quinns who have all been mentally tormented by the Joker's twisted idea of love. One Harley in particular (let's call her Evil Harley) is on a mission to kill every single version of Harley Quinn that she can find in the multiverse. As Harley and Old Lady Harley hypothesize why this Evil Harley wants to kill every Harley in the multiverse and not, say, "Mistah J" who spent years verbally/emotionally abusing them, they say the Joker "made me think I was the villain even when I wasn't. Made me think that your present couldn't outlive your past."
It seems as though this Evil Harley may have been so damaged by Joker's impact that she blames herself, going out of her way to destroy every possible version of herself as some self-inflicted punishment. It's always been clear that spending years with the Joker had an adverse effect on Harley, but this showcases how the Joker's effect is actually a multiversal constant within the DC Universe.
A multiversal constant refers to anything, person, or moment that's destined to affect every universe regardless of any differences. For example, Superman in the past has called Nightwing a multiversal constant because he's cool and confident in every universe he's encountered him in. For every version of Harley, the Joker is constantly destined to treat her horribly and fail to respect her. It's bittersweet to think that the Joker's torment of Harley Quinn impacted not only her so heavily across multiple universes, but was big enough to affect the fate of the multiverse in general.
Harley Quinn #25 is available now from DC Comics.