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I can’t think of two comic book characters that have received more of a glow-up in the past decade than Deadpool and Harley Quinn. Both were perenially B or C-level characters in Marvel and DC, and all of a sudden, they are firmly in the A-list of characters that people not only want to see on screen but read about as well. These two characters are so over the top and in your face that you would think they’d be a tough sell to a mainstream audience, but despite that, they’ve become some of the most well-known comic book characters in movies, comics, and even games lately.
Deadpool and Harley Quinn have always appealed to me because of their complete insanity regarding characters in comics. I get bored seeing the same old benevolent superheroes spout their speeches about justice and good and blah blah blah. I want something interesting with my comic characters, and Harley and Deadpool check that box with their consistent brand of madness. There’s a lot to dig into with these two, as they come from entirely different comic universes and play by some different rules. Let’s dig into everything there is to know about Deadpool and Harley Quinn.
Harley Quinn Introduction
Harley Quinn is quite an interesting character. She’s had some different origin stories over the years. Still, the most endearing and popular one that’s stayed with her to this date is that she was a psychologist named Harleen Quinzel, who was chosen to council the one and only Joker during his time in Arkham Asylum.
She became enamored with Joker and eventually fell madly in love with him and his brand of insanity, eventually leading to her becoming insane herself. She became the second in command to one of the most dangerous characters in comic book history. Over the years, she’s become a more interesting character than just a clown sidekick with a Brooklyn accent. These days, Harley Quinn has left the Joker behind, understanding finally that he never loved her, just loved that she was his to do with as he pleased. Harley is now a vigilante in her own right and has even joined Batman to fight the Joker during the Joker War storyline. Harley has also headed up her group of anti-heroes called the Birds of Prey and has also been an integral part of the Suicide Squad.
Deadpool
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Deadpool’s creation into the Marvel universe is a joke in itself, as he started as just a ripoff of Deathstroke in the DC universe, going so far as to have the same name and career as him. Deadpool is Wade Wilson, Deathstroke is Slade Wilson, so yeah, that happened. Deadpool’s origins are very similar to that of Wolverine, a character he loves to pester and team up with all the time.
Wade was a part of the Weapon X program just as Logan was, but instead of getting an Adamantium skeleton, he got a super dose of Wolverine’s healing factor and strength. He also was granted the ability to regenerate, which came in handy as Wade Wilson had terminal cancer when he was admitted into the program, and the procedures cured that right away.
Once he was cured of cancer, he made a suit, got himself a large arsenal of weapons, and became one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the world. He’s also been part of the biggest stories in Marvel history, finding himself up against the likes of Thanos, and has even had Lady Death take a liking to him. He’s walked the line of good and evil many times, but he often fancies himself as an anti-hero. He’s teamed up with the X-Men, had several adventures with The Avengers, and even helped lead the X-Force team with Cable. He’s bound to show up in pretty much any comic that you pick up, and these days, he’s one of the more popular Marvel comics out there.
See also: Ajax Deadpool Guide
Harley Quinn and Deadpool Appearances Together
Although it’s been one of the more asked-for crossovers I can think of in recent memory, Deadpool and Harley Quinn haven’t met in the comics. Now, that’s not to say that the wheels haven’t spun a bit on a mix between these two psychopaths, as artist Stephen Byrne has put together some concept drawings that got a ton of positive input. Unfortunately, Byrne had put together many other superhero crossover drawings that went nowhere, so this one was just for the dreamers out there.
The only official interaction between these two came from a small teaser commercial for the Harley Quinn TV show, where Harley makes fun of Deadpool for having his show canceled. This isn’t to say we’ll never get to see these two in a story together, but we’re going to be waiting for a while, it would seem.
Differences between Deadpool and Harley Quinn
- Deadpool is a mutant with superpowers, while Harley Quinn is a normal human.
- Deadpool often works on his own, while Harley Quinn is usually either a sidekick or part of a team during her stories.
- Deadpool was always in the military life, while Harley Quinn was ripped out of her everyday life as a psychologist to become the psychotic anti-hero she is today.
- Deadpool breaks the fourth wall constantly, talking to the readers and watchers often, while Harley Quinn also jokes about other shows, movies, and comics.
- Deadpool has died several times, only to find himself revived from his powers, while Harley Quinn has only ever died during the Knightmare plot, where The Joker kills her, although this is strictly in the Zach Synder cut of The Justice League.
- Deadpool is a mercenary, often taking jobs for money with little care for what side he’s on, while Harley Quinn plans her crimes and usually puts together a team herself to get what she wants.
Deadpool’s Abilities
Deadpool is one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel universe and has many abilities to help him through his crazy adventures.
- Super Strength- From the experiments done on him in the Weapon X program, Deadpool has unnatural strength that rivals any hero in Marvel.
- Regeneration- If needed, he can regenerate missing limbs, including his head.
- Superior Reflexes- He can see attacks from a mile away and react faster than any normal human.
- Expert Marksmanship- Deadpool is devastating with guns of all kinds and is known as one of the most deadly ranged combatants in the Marvel world.
- Supernatural Athleticism- Deadpool can easily flip around the battlefield and jump incredible distances. He’s also able to twist through the air and dodge bullets in the process, Matrix-style.
- Specialized Swords- Deadpool uses dual swords made of unique material that is the Kryptonite to Wolverine’s Adamantium. This makes Wolverine especially wary of him on the odd occasion that the two of them due battle because these blades can pierce Wolverine’s skeleton and hit his organs.
- Teleportation- Deadpool can teleport at will using a special device created by his good friend and arms dealer, Weasel. It’s not a power he has the whole time, but once he gets it, it becomes a hazardous part of his arsenal.
- Unending Arsenal- Thanks to his friend Weasel, Deadpool is stacked to the brim with artillery and rarely finds himself without the necessary equipment to get the job done, regardless of how tall the task is.
- Unpredictability- Deadpool’s unpredictability makes him one of the most difficult combatants to fight in all of Marvel. It has been put on display multiple times against Taskmaster, who has the extraordinary power to mimic anyone’s fighting style and usually fights heroes to a standstill. Against Deadpool, he couldn’t mimic anything and found him to be the first superhero he couldn’t copy the moves of.
Harley Quinn’s Abilities
Harley Quinn is far from super-powered, but she has made quite the name for herself in the DC world regardless, so let’s check out how she’s done it.
- Expert Gymnast- Although she comes from a background in psychology, she had some gymnastic abilities earlier in life, and her time with the Joker certainly put those on display as she’s one of the slipperier combatants out there.
- Immune to poisons- Whatever the Joker did to her by having her jump into a vat of acid has scarred Harley beyond repair, but one thing it has done is make her immune to anything in the way of poisons or toxins, much like the Joker himself.
- Hand-to-hand Combat expert- Fighting Batman for years will make you learn how to fight in a hurry, and during that time, Harley has become an expert in close-quarters combat, utilizing knives, bats, hammers, and her fists to beat down the opposition.
- Enhanced Strength- Her dip into the acid didn’t just give her immunity to poison; it also made her super strong in the process and allowed her to endure fights against the toughest heroes and villains that DC has to offer.
- Psychotic and unpredictable- This might not seem likeability. Still, due to her psychotic nature, it’s impossible to figure out what her next move will be, making it difficult to fight against heroes that rely on a set strategy.
Weaknesses
Deadpool
Deadpool is one of the toughest characters in all of Marvel regarding fighting. He can regenerate, has super strength, and is equipped with every weapon you can imagine, so how the hell do you beat someone like that? Well, one thing about Deadpool is that he’s very weird, so if you happened to have some chimichangas nearby, you could theoretically distract the Merc with a Mouth with them to give you an opening to attack. He’s also primarily human, so a fatal strike such as decapitating him would work and has almost been his end on several occasions. He’s also vulnerable to being frozen as well.
Harley Quinn
Harley is a bit easier to deal with than Deadpool because she lacks many of the mutant abilities that make him so hard to kill. Still, she’s a bright and deadly combatant that has never died in the comics, so that alone means she’s tough to deal with. One way to take down Harley is by attacking those that she loves. She straight-up loses it when the Joker is in trouble during the comics and seems to lose her head whenever it happens.
She’s also vulnerable to overwhelming strength. While she’s quite strong herself, she is just a human, so she can be beaten with solid blows, and Batman has taken her down like this on many occasions. You have to disarm her first, though, as she has no qualms about killing her enemies, and you have to be willing to do the same if you want to take her out of a fight.
Who is Harley Quinn in Love With?
Harley has had a few love interests over the years, but the main squeeze for the crazed Harley Quinn has usually been the Joker. Their relationship is a twisted and very abusive one. Still, for some reason, the fascination with the Clown Prince of Crime that started when she was counseling him as a psychologist in Arkham Asylum has not died down.
Aside from the famous Mista J, Harley has had other love interests, and in recent years, Poison Ivy has been the relationship that fans have pined for. DC listened, putting the two in a relationship not only in the comics but also in the acclaimed Harley Quinn show too, which, if you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead and do so immediately because it’s fantastic. Harley Quinn has also dated Nightwing, Deadshot, Lobo, Shazam, and even Batman! She’s made her way around the DC roster pretty impressively and is known as one of Gotham’s most serial daters and killers.
Who is Deadpool in Love With?
Deadpool is in love with himself first and foremost, and really, he doesn’t need another soul as the voices in his head are plenty to keep him company until the end of time. When he does go searching for a significant other, though, the pool of women he’s been interested in is varied, to say the least. The most interesting of the bunch is, by far, Lady Death. Yep, you read that correctly. Deadpool is in love with the embodiment of Death, and strangely enough, the feeling is mutual as she’s obsessed with his ability to face certain death scenarios and come away from it unscathed.
She sees him as the ultimate get, and Deadpool does his best to die for her, only to fail hilariously multiple times. Thanos also had an obsession with Death as well, and this caused him to curse Deadpool with immortality to keep him away from Lady Death forever. Deadpool has had a handful of other romances, including Outlaw, Black Widow, and Copycat, aka Vanessa Carlysle, who is his love interest in the Deadpool movies. The most exciting fling he’s had is with Rogue of the X-Men. She’s one of the most powerful X-Men out there, and her power is to absorb any mutant’s powers. She uses this to absorb Deadpool’s deformities, and it’s one of the most twisted and touching moments in any of the Marvel comics. Their relationship isn’t long, but it was one of his better ones for sure.
Fan Theories About Deadpool and Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
One of the more exciting theories surrounding Harley Quinn is that her superpower is luck. This is backed up by a few different cases throughout the movies and comics that involve her claiming she’s just really lucky at certain points. If you ask me, she’s either lucky or invincible, as she rarely seems to be injured during her battles with superheroes or villains.
Deadpool
Following the ending of Deadpool 2, Deadpool has the keys to a time travel machine, and with that, he hilariously goes back in time and fixes many things wrong with the Marvel Universe. This includes going back into X-Men Origins: Wolverine and shooting that version of Deadpool.
The theory here revolves around him toying with the continuity of the X-Men films, and that’s why different actors constantly play them and why the timelines of those movies never quite lineup. It’s an out-there theory, but it at least explains some of the laziness those films suffered from.
Who Plays Harley Quinn and Deadpool in the Movies/TV Shows?
Deadpool
In the movies, Ryan Reynolds snatched the role of Deadpool in 2008. The role fit him well, but the movie he was in wasn’t great, so he had to campaign and pitch the movie Deadpool movie himself to get it made. It worked, and since 2016, Deadpool has been an integral piece of one of Marvel’s most popular franchises.
Harley Quinn
At this point, Margot Robbie has been the only live-action Harley Quinn, and she’s been an absolute star in the role, appearing in three movies to this point, with more possibly in the future. There is also a TV show on HBO Max called Harley Quinn. In that show, Kaley Cuoco takes on the role of Harley Quinn and has been awesome in the role, showing a much more violent and funny side of Harley that the movies don’t necessarily detail as much.
Who Would Win in a Fight?
Deadpool and Harley Quinn are pretty similar in terms of crazy personalities, but when it comes to the two on the battlefield, there is a big-time advantage for Deadpool. For one, he’s a mutant and one of the world’s most dangerous fighters. Harley Quinn manages to do a lot with a little, but when it comes to winning fights against people with superpowers, she’s usually out of luck.
Deadpool is too strong and too insane to lose a fight like this, and his use of guns alone would likely be enough to take out Harley. She’s strong, but she’s only human, and even with her enhanced strength, she doesn’t have the healing factor that Deadpool has, and that would be the big difference in the fight. Harley might have a chance here if she could trick Deadpool in some way or get him to accidentally harm himself, but her chances of outsmarting an equally insane person are not too high.
FAQs
Question: Has Harley Quinn ever met Deadpool?
Answer: This has never happened, and although there are Marvel and DC crossovers, we have yet to see or hear any news about this collaboration ever happening.
Question: Is Deadpool mortal?
Answer: Deadpool became immortal after Thanos cursed him with eternal life to keep him away from Lady Death.
Question: Is Harley Quinn still with the Joker?
Answer: Currently, Harley Quinn is with Poison Ivy and has left the Joker and finally seen him for the manipulative monster he is. She’s taken on the persona of an anti-hero lately and even fought alongside Batman in the Joker War storyline.
Conclusion
These two are destined to be compared to each other, and in comic book fans’ hearts, there is probably no better pairing we could see in action. Whether they’d make an excellent romantic fit or not, that’s a tough one to figure out, but regardless, if they ever got together, it would be high-octane insanity at all times and a blast to read. We will have to keep waiting and writing to DC and Marvel if we want it to happen, so keep pushing, and maybe one day, we’ll get this dream pairing that we deserve.
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