“When she’s Harley Quinn, she is scary”: Bruce Timm Opens Up On the Asian American Harley Quinn in Batman: Caped Crusader
As far as the masked vigilante superhero Batman is concerned, Bruce Timm can be easily credited for making one of the best versions of the character to date. Timm has helmed some of the most well-known animated DC series to date. Not to mention that he laid the foundations of the fan-favorite DC Animated Universe.
From Wonder Woman to Green Lantern, Timm has brought forth the stories of many superheroes. He has also brought many supervillains to life. One of them is Harley Quinn, who is more often than not related to Joker. This time around, however, Timm has decided to bring on Quinn as an Asian American in Batman: Caped Crusader.
Bruce Timm on Harley Quinn in Batman: Caped Crusader
HBO Max was initially going to bring Batman: Caped Crusader. However, Max eventually decided to let go of the project (via Deadline) with Amazon Prime coming to the save (via Deadline). It is said to be a story that would revisit the character’s ’40s noir film roots and showcase the early years of his fighting before he teamed up with Commissioner James Gordon and the GCPD.
Bruce Timm and character designer James Tucker wanted to make this series different from the popular animated series Batman: The Animated Series (B: TAS). Trying to make the series was going to be a challenge, but the makers had no plans of backing down. Consequently, fans are going to be presented with some elements they have not witnessed before.
For instance, making the show more diverse by making Dr. Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harley Quinn, Asian American instead of purely American and separating her from the identity as Joker’s girlfriend. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Timm said:
“A big part was just doing a basic flip. The original Dr. Quinzel was a little bit more serious, and then when she became Harley, she got really goofy and weird. So we thought, what if we reverse that? When she’s Dr. Quinzel, she’s a little bit more whimsical and fun, and then when she’s Harley Quinn, she’s scary.”
He also said that instead of completely letting go of her job as a psychologist at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, she uses her psychiatry as a weapon.
Bruce Wayne is Also Going to Be Different in This Series
When it comes to making things different in this show, costumes are not the only thing that will showcase a change. Timm has claimed that Batman will be different from the image the world has formed of him so far.
“He’s literally Batman; inside, that’s who he is. Whenever he’s Bruce Wayne, that’s not just him with a mask off, that’s him wearing a person suit. He’s trying to pretend to be something that he’s not.”
Tucker further explained this, saying:
“The idea was to keep him so removed that no one knows who he is, and no one knows what he’s about. We try to wipe out the foregone conclusion that he’s a hero, whether it’s for the police, regular citizens of Gotham, or the viewers.”
Clayface and Catwoman are also up for makeovers, which is just them going back to their looks in the original comic book. Rest assured, this show is going to be as good as what fans might be expecting if not better.
Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere on Prime Video on August 1.
