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How Batman: Caped Crusader Links to Margot Robbie's Birds of Prey? Explained
Batman: Caped Crusader reinvents Harley Quinn as a menacing psychiatrist with a disturbing background and goon squad. She becomes a formidable foe for Batman and Barbara Gordon.
The first season of Batman: Caped Crusader, an animated series by Prime Video, introduces a new aspect of DC storytelling by reinterpreting iconic 1940s characters, including the Birds of Prey, and introducing a new perspective on DC's iconic heroes. Batman: Caped Crusader delivers a new take on old favorites in more ways than one. In returning the character to his early roots, the showrunners have re-imagined Gotham City as classic film noir, complete with 1940s technology and fashion. It draws inspiration from the legendary Batman: The Animated Series and even shares a co-creator in Bruce Timm.
Batman: Caped Crusader has a Birds of Prey easter egg
Caped Crusader is a series featuring three popular DC Universe heroines: public defender Barbara Gordon, Detective Renee Montoya, and psychiatrist-turned-secret-vigilante Harleen Quinzel. Renee and Harley are in a romantic relationship, while Renee and Barbara are close. By Episode 6, they are shown hanging out and teaming up, akin to the Birds of Prey franchise. This storyline is intriguing for fans of the show, as it provides a quasi-Birds of Prey feel. Although not the most memorable take on the team in the Batman animated series, it remains an intriguing part of the show's first season.
Harley Quinn, rebranded as an anti-heroine, remains a prominent adversary in Batman's elite class. Many people identify with Harley due to her abuse survivor status, and her evolution into her own character would not be as meaningful without a Clown Prince of Crime. Margot Robbie's DCEU incarnation and Kaley Cuoco's Harley Quinn animated series both draw energy from their status as survivors.
Batman: Caped Crusader reimagines Harley from Day One, focusing on her twisted nature and 1940s ethos. The show reaches back to the Kane/Finger era, emphasizing weird mystery over traditional superheroics. Harley undergoes a complete makeover, emphasizing her background as a psychiatrist and taking it in a dark direction, dropping much of her previous character elements while maintaining her essence.
Caped Crusader is an early Batman story where he is hunted by the police and considered an uneasy ally by Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara. The story lacks other costumed figures, with Barbara working as a public defender and Batman's rogue's gallery resembling Dick Tracy gangsters. The supernatural forays like the Gentleman Ghost and Nocturna are a few, but with a strong emphasis on horror rather than wonder.
Harley, a character in the series, is known for her manipulative nature and romantic interest in Detective Renee Montoya. In her coming-out story, The Stress of Her Regard, she hypnotizes patients and keeps them under control. Her hobby is collecting recalcitrant victims in a prison called the Playpen, where she dresses in a variation of her traditional costume and mentally tortures them to the breaking point.
Harley, a friend of Barbara Gordon, is a successful therapist with a list of wealthy clients. Bruce Wayne is ordered to attend therapy with her after a public outburst of violence. Despite appearing friendly and professional, Dr. Quinzel's disturbing past emerges, and pieces of something far more disturbing emerge from the corners of her life.
She then dresses them in outfits matching her particular assessment of their psychological make-up. One of them is a giant baby, another is a Christmas elf, and so on. They've been utterly broken by her will, they obey her without question, providing a supremely creepy goon squad for Batman to face. It's a far cry from the joyful anarchist of previous incarnations, and yet it's still undeniably the same character, in the ways that count.
Caped Crusader's Harley has an unexpected foil
Harley Quinn's psychiatrist origins add interesting touches to the series, resembling figures like Hugo Strange and Jonathan Crane. She can strike at Batman's psyche and come closer to his secrets for comfort. The first season plays coy with Bruce Wayne's time under her care, but it could impact him in the future. Harley Quinn's evil nature differs from the chaotic chaos practiced by the Joker, providing a strong central hook in the show's grown-up storylines.
Caped Crusader offers Harley as an unexpected protagonist to cross swords with. Barbara, a good friend who went wrong, echoes Harvey Dent's connection to Bruce. Barbara confronts the harsh truth that someone she trusted was dangerously unhinged, bringing demons to vanquish and confronting the harsh truth. Both characters benefit from their differences from what Batman fans might expect, and thanks to the show's crisp writing and strong vision, surprises become part of the fun.
There's still the question of the Joker, who Caped Crusader is saving for a big entrance and whose possible connection to Harley has yet to be revealed. But the show has already established an identity for Harley, making her separate from him. This move risks undoing much of Harley's character. However, Harley successfully excites her abusive ex, making her the more prominent boogeyman. If they meet and form a relationship, it will be under radically different terms, making her newest incarnation both special and terrifying. This makes Harley's newest incarnation both special and terrifying.
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