The Bat-Family is one of the largest superhero groups in comics, and there are many interconnected relationships within it. There are parental relationships between Bruce and Damian Wayne – or even Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain. But the one character combination that apparently never got much airtime is Nightwing and Harley Quinn. However, Harley’s recent official redemption leaves DC wide open to this surprisingly picture-perfect dynamic duo.
One of the benefits of great family dynamics is the different relationships that can form by bringing together different characters. Jason Todd is going to interact very differently with Damian Wayne than with Dick Grayson. Romantically linked characters like Barbara Gordon and Nightwing are going to interact differently with each other than Dick would interact with Stephanie or Barbara with Tim Drake. With such a large family and so many different members, the possible story combinations are nearly endless – which is why it’s all the more bizarre that Nightwing apparently never really interacted with the newest addition to the Bat-Family. : Harley Quinn.
Harley Quinn has officially joined the Bat Family
Harley officially joined the Bat-Family in Batman #111 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles. Although she does team up with Batman and help him out here and there, her interactions with Nightwing are always minimal. Although Harley Quinn and Nightwing have occasionally interacted during their comic book history, it’s almost exclusively when Harley was either an anti-hero or working for the Joker as an outright villain. Now that Harley has finally redeemed herself as a member of the Bat-Family, there’s a huge opportunity for Nightwing and Harley to work more directly with each other, especially considering how many common interests there are. they both have.
Nightwing grew up as a professional circus acrobat; he’s one of the best acrobats in the entire DC Universe. Harley Quinn, meanwhile, is an Olympic-level gymnast who can keep up with Batman and Catwoman. Harley is so slippery that she has already bested Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman by dodging and redirecting all of their attacks. Dick also knows Harley from the start, having worked under the name Robin when she appeared as the Joker’s associate, and thus watched her redemption arc in real time. Dick is far more invested in redeeming villains than his mentor, and Dick has even dated former villain Defacer in the past, causing similar deadly issues as Harley experienced with her recurring partner, Poison Ivy. There’s even an element of darkness and dysfunction in Nightwing’s relationship with Batman that echoes Harley’s experiences with Joker, albeit to a much lesser extent.
Harley Quinn and Nightwing must team up
Despite all of these common habits and interests – including a penchant for taunting enemies and cracking jokes in the middle of combat – Harley and Nightwing haven’t really been alone in a room together just to talk. When they’ve been alone together, it’s often interpreted as a rude joke, as Harley throws memes at Nightwing’s butt. In recent Bat-Family comics, Jason Todd and Tim Drake teamed up during the events of Knight Terrors, and in an unexpected twist, Cassandra Cain and John Constantine teamed up in Spirit World. The Bat-Family is no stranger to teams, within or outside of Bat-Family members. This makes Harley Quinn and Nightwing the biggest missed opportunity for a Bat-Family duo – however, with the former villain now an official Gotham hero, it’s time for that to change.