WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Harley Quinn #3, by Stephanie Phillips, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia and AndWorld Design, on sale now.
Professor Hugo Strange is once again experimenting on the citizens of Gotham City, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew by taking on the Mistress of Mayhem, Harley Quinn. In the third issue of Harley’s self-titled comic, Professor Strange sends his stooge Lockwood to capture former Clowns from the recent "Joker War". Tragically, many of them are simply attempting to go straight after finding themselves pawns in the Joker’s schemes. Strange’s operatives invade a therapy session, hosted by Quinn, who is trying to make amends for her previous life of crime by counseling these people.
Strange has been a thorn in the side of Batman and his crime-fighting colleagues for over eighty years. He first appeared in Bill Finger and Bob Kane's Detective Comics #36, back in 1940, with his first batch of mutations debuting in Finger and Kane's Batman #1 the same year. Since then the villain has most notably been a criminal mastermind and a creator of monsters, experimenting on and transforming the citizens of Gotham City into monsters.
Harley Quinn is one of the rare comic book villains who has not only attempted to go straight but, for the most part, actually succeeded. The fact that she's using her psychology degree to counsel and help others is admirable. The Joker War destroyed lives, creating anti-heroes like the Clown-Hunter as well as victims who were drawn under the Clown Prince of Crime's thrall, much like Harley was at the beginning of her criminal career. Seeing her attempt to rehabilitate these people, where Strange just wants to experiment on and torture them, shows the difference between the two learned doctors.
It's been argued that Batman and Harley Quinn both use their trauma as fuel. The Dark Knight has always focused his negative emotions of rage, loss and the need for vengeance towards positive ends, and Harley was drawn back to the Joker for many years, before finally escaping their poisonous relationship. The fact that she turned her life around and wants to do the same for others corrupted by the Harlequin of Hate is truly heroic. Both characters have used the dark experiences that shaped them to guide others into the light.
Hugo Strange cares about nothing but his own twisted agenda, and the fact that the "Future State" era saw him become a leading figure in Gotham City is truly terrifying. This is a man who's every bit as educated as Harley, but who uses his intelligence to nefarious ends.
Hugo Strange is a dark reflection of Harley, and could be the perfect arch-nemesis for her. The two are close to the same level when it comes to raw intelligence, and Strange is clearly insane - a quality that Harley has a substantial amount of experience dealing with due to her prior affiliations.