WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #103, by James Tynion IV, Carlo Pagulayan, Danny Miki, Guillem March, David Baron, and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Harley Quinn is one of the most famous examples of a villain who has transitioned into an antihero. For a while now, she’s been on the relative right side of things, though she has bounced back and forth across the hero/villain divide several times. Recently, she has firmly been evolving into a crime-fighter like the Bat-Family, the neighbors she has gained since she got a new apartment in Gotham.
Batman #103 continues Quinn’s journey on the road to virtue, as she uses a one-sided discussion to declare that she wants to be a better person and make a difference for the right reasons.
Quinn finds a plant that rightfully reminds her of Poison Ivy, her most trusted ally, in Robinson Park. Unable to talk to her friend, Quinn settles for a monologue with the plant as her only listener. During this conversion, Quinn recaps "Joker War," when she joined forces with the Bat-Family. Now that the chaotic battle is over, Quinn is left wondering what to do next, and it seems like she has found a solution.
Quinn says she wants to help people, a statement that’s a far cry from her previous methods Though Quinn doesn’t plan on saving the world, she’s starting with a mission that’s much closer to home. Quinn intends to save herself. “Maybe I wanna be a better person,” she declares. She has no intention of being a shining light of pure heroism, but Quinn wants to keep growing into the best version of herself, and that’s someone who helps people in need.
In a way, this development is a return to basics for Quinn. After all, she was initially a psychiatrist, so as a doctor, her mission was to heal others. Quinn’s new mission may not be as righteous as it was in her former career. Still, it’s still a goal that deserves some recognition for someone that used to be the Joker’s former sidekick and has since continued to occasionally delve into villainy.
It's hard to predict where this new path will take Quinn. She could choose to seek a working relationship with the Bat-Family, so she'd continue to mix it up with Batman's numerous villains. On the other hand, Quinn often thrives on her own, so she could follow an agenda that suits her individual needs. Maybe she'll clash with Punchline and continue their rivalry. Of course, it's also possible that she'll tire of talking to a plant and wish to find Poison Ivy. Any of these avenues seems entirely possible, and Quinn could follow each one of them at some point. And before any of that can happen, she has to deal with Gotham's young new vigilante, Clownhunter, and Batman's old rival, Ghost-Maker.
Quinn may not be a saint, but she has officially vowed to do better. She’s going to start holding herself to a higher standard because she simply wants to “do better.” Her vague goal of improvement could mean any number of things, but Quinn’s top priority has clearly become helping people however she can.