Warning: Spoilers for Harley Quinn #45DC Just Became Fans’ Biggest Criticism About Batman into an entirely new character, and they managed to accomplish in Gotham what Bruce Wayne couldn’t. Harley Quinn is fighting to bring crime back to a section of the city that has been cleansed of it, which proves that Gotham being crime-free is indeed possible – Batman simply hasn’t done it.
In Harley Quinn #45 by Elliott Kalan, Mindy Lee, Tríona Farrell and Lucas Gattoni, Harley Quinn embraces villainy again to combat the gentrification of Gotham’s Throatcutter Hill neighborhood. A businesswoman named Althea freed Throatcutter from crime with the help of her own superhero, Amenity. When Harley fights Amenity, she makes a direct comparison between him and Batman: “You think I’ve never dealt with a spoiled trust fund kid with a closet full of toys? That’s all I do!”
The similarities between Harley Quinn’s new threat and Batman don’t end there; Althea and Amenity’s mission to clean up Gotham mirrors Batman’s, except that they succeeded where he failed, utilizing his resources.
Harley Quinn’s New Villains Rid Gotham of Crime When Batman Couldn’t
Throatcutter’s Renewal Proves Batman Could Bring More Change Like Bruce Wayne
Gotham City is known for its perpetual crime problem, but Althea – with the help of Amenity – managed to do the impossible and end crime in one part of the city. Throatcutter Hill, once home to scoundrels like Harley Quinn herself, has been renovated to favor the rich as a safer neighborhood – at the expense of its lower-class inhabitants. She looks at the city in a similar way to Batman as she reflects on the recent lack of crime, while Amenity enforces her changes in a more traditional, Batman-like way. Together, they rebuilt a part of Gotham using their privileges.
Batman’s own goals aren’t far from those of Althea and Amenity. His main mission as Batman is to rid Gotham of its criminal element so that crimes like the murder of his parents don’t happen to anyone else. However, a common complaint is that acting like Batman is not the way to bring about such change. Instead, Batman could do more good in Gotham, leveraging his wealth like Bruce Wayne to improve the city. Althea proves that this fan criticism is justified, as she easily surpassed Batman in cleaning up Throatcutter Hill with money instead of vigilantism.
Batman should use his wealth instead of his fists if he wants to fix Gotham
Harley Quinn’s Villains Show Her Violent Method Won’t Be Enough
Batman dedicated years to his venture in Gotham, while Althea did what she set out to do in a short time. So no matter how much time Batman spends fighting crime, it wouldn’t be as effective as following her example and utilizing money instead of fists. While Althea’s cleanup is more beneficial to the rich than Bruce would have in mind, he could still employ her methods without the full gentrification aspect. If Batman If he really wants to bring about change in Gotham in the same way that Harley Quinn’s enemies do, he will need to shed the cowl and share his resources like Bruce Wayne.
Harley Quinn #45 is now available from DC Comics.