The Harley Quinn-Poison Ivy romance has been the center of many fanfictions and has often been subtly hinted at in the comics. However, the lowkey anti-heroine couple will finally see its first on-screen exploration with the upcoming season ofHarley Quinn.
The sexual tension and attraction between the two were only hinted at in theHBO Maxseries until Episode 7 of Season 2: “Nowhere to Go But Down,” where it became fairly explicit. Finally, Harley and Ivy confessed their love for each other in the Season 2 finale, and fans have been wanting more exposure for their relationship on the show ever since. Finally, it seems that fans will be getting what they have long wanted.
In an interview withPopCulture.com, voice actor Ron Funches (who plays the character of Nanaue/King Shark inHarley Quinn), has revealed that the show will, in fact, include more romance between two of the most famed criminals of Gotham.
I think people really fell in love with it and the fact of them getting together near the end of the season is a beautiful thing and just watching them grow together as a relationship, I think, is what you’re going to see a lot in the next season.
Series co-creator Justin Halpern and co-showrunner Patrick Shumaker had previously stated that they would love to explore this relationship in the show in the future. Halpern said:
I’m less interested in if the Joker gets a new girlfriend or not than I am in [deepening] this relationship that we’ve spent two years building.
Mainly, the third season would focus on their relationship in the context of their previous failing affairs. Both Harley and Ivy have survived toxic relationships in the past, and the show will explore how that affects perhaps the first loving relationship they have had. Halpern shares his two cents about the idea:
That’s the big thing for us to chew on. The thing we have discussed preliminarily is the idea that these two characters have had a lot of toxic relationships in their past… So I think like, ‘what is it like to be in a good relationship after you’ve only ever been in bad relationships with abusive people?’ is a big theme we want to play with.
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy first met not in the comics, but inBatman: The Animated Series, in the episode “Harley and Ivy." In the episode, they find out how compatible they are with each other and go on to team up in future episodes as well. However, the first romantic angle between the two was established inHarley Quinn #1and then further in the 2013Harley Quinncomic series by Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti. In the latter, they finally get into a relationship.
The Harley-Ivy romance is further (and more explicitly) explored in the comic miniseriesHarley Quinn: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour, written by Tee Franklin and drawn by Max Sarin. Fans can expect a similar portrayal of the relationship in the HBO Max series as well.
