Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn)

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## History

### Early Life

Harleen Frances Quinzel was born to Nicholas and Sharon Quinzel in Gotham City. Harleen took an interest in criminal psychology from early in her childhood from her father's legal troubles. Nicholas had a gambling problem and found himself getting far in over his head with the debts he owed with one of the city's crime families, and Harleen was often exposed to the fights her parents would have about their poor financial standings.

As a way to escape the worsening home conditions of her family, Harleen took up gymnastics in her adolescence. She found it provided a welcomed distraction and helped her become more in tune with what her body's capabilities and limits were. And in school, Harleen was an honors student that excelled in her science classes. She showed genuine passion in her interests and propelled herself forward with the idea that some day she'd be successful enough to leave her poor household to start a life of her own.

All that hard work finally paid off when Harleen turned eighteen and went to Gotham University to study psychiatry and biological science. Moving onto the college campus was a freedom she dreamed of having forever, and it tasted so sweet. Her desire to keep herself free from her parents and their constant fighting pushed her to focus solely on earning her degrees and making the most of the scholarship opportunities that she had earned. And within six years, she graduated with her degrees.

Her first job out of school had been as a psychiatrist for Gotham General Hospital, but it wasn't to last. She was far too eager to pursue the criminal psychology interest she had held since her childhood, and Gotham provided the perfect home for her to feed that obsession: Arkham Asylum. Quincy Sharp assigned Harleen to a special case, one inmate that only had one alias: The Joker.

None of the other doctors could seem to get through to the psychotic clown. Very few felt safe even being in a room with him, and none thought he could ever be helped. But for Harleen, she saw an opportunity. If she could do what the others couldn't, and fix The Joker, it would be the achievement of a lifetime and cement her as one of the best in her field. She took the job immediately, and started her work with Joker. But the clown saw right through her. All the loneliness and uncertainty that swirled just under the surface for Harleen was a weakness The Joker could exploit, and yet she held a quiet confidence and savvy in the face of his madness that impressed him.

As the sessions continued, Harleen believed she was making progress with The Joker. Little did she know that he was the one progressively making her increasingly mad with each meeting. She felt like he understood her, that he cared, and surely that had to be proof of him getting better, right? After all, what kind of sociopath would be capable of such great empathy? And as the sessions grew longer, Harleen could no longer deny her feelings to herself. She loved The Joker and couldn't stand to see him locked up any longer.

Finally, on the day of an organized jailbreak of the Arkham inmates, Harleen had to act on her feelings and save her beloved Clown Prince from a life of eternal imprisonment. She had spent the weeks leading up to the jailbreak studying the blueprints of the facility to sneak him out while violent inmates drew all the attention to the main exits. Upon freeing Joker, she was brought to the Ace Chemicals Facility by her new lover. It was time for her to prove her loyalty to him once and for all. Despite the fear of taking such a risk, she obeyed his wish and took a plunge of faith into a vat filled with various chemicals.

On that day, Harleen Quinzel was no more. The woman who emerged from the chemical bath had her skin turned as pale as paper. She looked just like her partner now, and she needed a new alias to honor him forever going forward. From that moment on, she was reborn as Harley Quinn, the Clown Princess of Crime to serve by her prince. Nothing could possibly ever come between them now, and surely she'd never be alone again, right?

## Powers and Abilities

### Abilities

* **Toxic immunity**
* **Certified psychiatrist**
* **Master acrobat and gymnast**
* **Skilled at stealth and theft**
* **Intimidating leadership skills**
* **Skilled hand to hand combatant**

### Weapons

* **Two pistols with holsters on her belt**
* **Oversized circus mallet**
* **Metallic baseball bat**
* **Occasionally will carry dynamite sticks or an RPG for more violent missions**