Harley Quinn vs. The Multiverse

After months of whispers and speculation, the trailer for MultiVersus has officially dropped and the DC presence is strong. Alongside Warner Bros’ most storied characters, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have all come to play in a contest to determine the greatest fighters in the Multiverse.

But let’s be real, the champion of this particular ring is Harley Quinn.

You doubt? Look, the competition may be fierce, but we can see Harley clearing pretty much everyone announced so far. Let’s break it down.
 

The Home Team: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman

Don’t think Harley Quinn has what it takes to beat the greatest heroes in the DC Universe? Better think again. In Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red #11, “Hypothetically Speaking,” Harley lays out her plans for how exactly she’d take out each of the A-List heroes of the Justice League, taking advantage of their core psychological motivations and weaponizing them against the heroes. Superman will exile himself if it meant someone else wouldn’t get hurt. Wonder Woman, as a figure of mythology, is subjected to the stories we tell about her. And as for Batman, well…Harley’s plan for Batman would have worked, if Bat-woman hadn’t shown up instead. Lucky for Harley, Kate Kane hasn’t gotten her MultiVersus invite yet.
 

Tom & Jerry

What you have to remember about Harley Quinn is that one of her greatest strengths isn’t her gymnastic agility, or her aptitude with a big mallet—it’s her degree in psychiatry. Her other great strength, particularly in the MultiVersus arena: pop culture awareness. She’s watched enough TV and cartoons to know who all of these guys are. And pretty much everyone knows that, left to their own devices, Tom & Jerry absolutely hate each other’s guts. All Harley has to do to take this team down is remind Tom of all the times Jerry’s caused him grievous bodily harm, and it’s back to your standard game of cat-and-mouse.
 

Finn the Human

Finn of Adventure Time is a well-traveled hero who, short of maybe Batman or Bugs, has more experience dealing with all kinds of cartoony nonsense than anyone else here. But he does have one reliable weakness: a debilitating fear of the ocean. As long as Harley calls dibs on stage selection, she can win before the fight even starts by setting the fight on a beach somewhere. I mean, the Crystal Gems live on a beach, so that’s probably a safe bet for a selectable stage, right? Speaking of…
 

The Crystal Gems: Garnet and Steven Universe

Don’t get us wrong: like anyone with eyes, ears and a heart, we believe in Steven. Nobody’s going to get you crying at your TV about the importance of acceptance and friendship faster than Steven Universe. But Steven is from a world where every conflict can be won with an openness of heart and a willingness to listen to the perspective of an enemy who always turns out to simply be misunderstood. Steven Universe has not met Harley Quinn. Harley’s about to give Steven a lesson in trust, which is to say, don’t give it to everyone. As for Garnet, she’s a pretty capable fighter, but like Tom & Jerry, she’s also actually two people. (Spoilers for the end of Steven Universe season one. It’s a really good show, honestly, go watch it if you haven’t.) If there’s one thing Harley’s learned from the Joker, it’s how messy breakups can be. All it takes is a little wedge of doubt between the Ruby and Sapphire who make up Garnet for Harley to split them apart and grab her win.
 

The Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny and Taz

Toon power is one of the hardest to overcome in a multiverse battle of clashing tones. After all, no matter what you throw at a cartoon, they always comically bounce back. The advantage Harley has is that she’s something of a cartoon herself. After all, she does originate from an animated series. Plus, Harley already seems to have Taz well handled in the reveal trailer. It’s Bugs Bunny who’s the problem. Bugs, with his quick wit and documented ability to saw Florida off the United States of America, is a much tougher customer than he may appear on the surface. But let’s remember Harley did find a way to handle Bugs’s DC counterpart, Captain Carrot, back in Convergence: Harley Quinn, so it’s a fight she’s prepared to win. She’s just got to bring a little tortoise to meet his hare.
 

Mystery, Inc: Shaggy and Velma

As you’ve already seen in the trailer by now, the normally cowardly Shaggy has been through a huge power upgrade on his way to this battle. But even as he ascends to anime-style power levels, Shaggy still has the same weakness for food. As long as Harley has one of her trademark egg salad sandwiches at the ready, she can have Shaggy fighting for her in no time. Now, against Velma, this is when Harley’s agility comes in handy. One swipe of her glasses, and she’s famously helpless without them.
 

Arya Stark

Now, it’s getting tougher. In case you’re one of the three people who hasn’t seen it yet, Arya Stark is everyone’s favorite little badass from Game of Thrones, a deadly terror with a blade and an assassin with a thousand faces. But Harley is something Arya won’t see coming and the only thing George R.R. Martin treats with more reverence than a knight on a mission—Harley Quinn is a reader. Game of Thrones is based on Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series and after a certain point, it diverges significantly from the course of the books. Which seems like information a certain Stark would like to know. With access to the hub of a multiverse, Harley can have her enemy abandoning the fight completely and looking for answers as fast as she can say “Lady Stoneheart.”
 

The Iron Freaking Giant?

Okay, I was not prepared for this one. This heartwarming gentle giant of incredible power is clearly going to be tough to beat—not just because of his size and strength, but because I can’t imagine anyone here having the capacity to ever harm him. Harley is crazy, though. So, maybe she can take advantage of his naivete like she did with Steven. Or, I don’t know, a giant magnet or something. Bugs probably has the ACME hookup.
 

Jake the Dog

Well, you can’t beat ‘em all. Finn the Human’s adoptive brother and best friend has all the stretchy powers of Plastic Man, which already puts him in a high tier. But on top of that, he’s also a dog. And as readers of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s Harley Quinn know, Harley would never, ever hurt a dog. Jake’s got this one.
 

Reindog

I, uh, don’t know what a Reindog is. We’re pretty sure this guy’s new here. Harley’s on her own.
 

Considering the roster so far, that’s still a pretty good hit rate! Maybe we’ve convinced you to give Harley a try as your main. If not, then watch out! As you know, Harley’s also known for breaking the fourth wall…and in a fists-first game like MultiVersus, do you really want to see what might happen if you make her mad?

MultiVersus, the free-to-play platform fighter from Warner Bros. Games and Player First Games, hits open beta this June. For more information on how you can get in on the Closed Alpha, click here.

Alex Jaffe is the author of our monthly “Ask the Question” column and writes about TV, movies, comics and superhero history for DCComics.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlexJaffe and find him in the DC Community as HubCityQuestion.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Alex Jaffe and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros.

Source: DC Comics