‘Arrow’ season 3 debate: Why a Harley Quinn story should happen

This has been an extremely busy week in regards to “Arrow” news: We’ve heard about Oliver and Felicity potentially getting a date, about more crossovers coming up with “The Flash” now that this series is starting up, and that the TV and movie universe for DC Comics are officially not connected in the same way that they are with Marvel. (Thank you, Geoff Johns, for that.)

Sadly, there was one character who received nary a mention, and continues to remain in the shadows: Harley Quinn. Maybe we’ll never see her again; she was clearly meant as just an Easter Egg in “Suicide Squad.” However, she probably is one of the most-demanded characters on the show. She’s beloved by this generation thanks to “Batman: The Animated Series,” and therefore she is one of the few modern villains that many viewers can say they were there for from the beginning. It’s almost like the “Boy Meets World” of comic-book characters.

At the moment, we really see a few simple reasons to implement her much further in the story, even if it is just for an episode or two.

1. Convenience – This wouldn’t be that hard. Just go down to ARGUS, learn that she is valuable for a mission or two, and then try to work with her. She’s not someone you have to stretch the story that far to get on board.

2. Identity – Given that so much of our association with Harley right now is with The Joker, this could be a great chance for her to shine on her own in a medium, sort of like she does in some of the recent comics.

3. Ties to a larger DC universe – We know that Johns confirmed that Batman will not be showing up on “Arrow,” but you could create a nice little Easter Egg through Harley that there is a caped crusader somewhere out there in Gotham City. We don’t feel like there will be nearly as many fans clamoring for a Batman appearance, mostly because that character already has billions of hours of exposure. She really hasn’t in a live-action environment to date.

One final thing: It’s not like all of “Arrow’s” foes so far in his run have been tied strictly to him and his own mythology in the comics. Just take a look at Clock King or Deadshot, who are both more commonly associated already as Batman villains.

We feel like we’ve stated the case here fairly effectively, and now we’ll just have to see what happens. For now, we just suggest heading over here to see some of those aforementioned “Arrow” highlights, or signing up for our newsletter if you want some updates on everything we cover sent right to you.

Photo: The CW