Since Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have been close. Their chemistry has carried over into the comics, video games and Harley's most recent animated adventure, Harley Quinn. While some stories keep them as flirtatious friends, others -- like DC Bombshells and Harley's New 52 run -- depict the two as lovers.
While Ivy and Harley's relationship is often fantastic and is miles better than Harley's relationship with Joker, at times Ivy is not Harley's perfect match. Here are five reasons why Ivy isn't so great with Harley and five reasons why they are a match made in heaven.
5. The Worst: Work Comes Before Love
While Ivy loves Harley, she also loves her work. She's dedicated everything to saving the environment. While Ivy is willing to save Harley when she needs a helping hand, she has also kept their relationship distant at times by prioritizing her work and making Harley feel like second fiddle.
Even in Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, a teenage Ivy prioritizes her cause over her new friend, 15-year-old Harleen. Harleen expresses interest in Ivy's fight against gentrification and the sexism in their school's film club, but she never takes it as seriously as Ivy, which causes Ivy to question whether Harleen truly cares about her and the cause.
5. The Best: Similar Moral Compasses
While both Ivy and Harley are primarily villains, they also have strong moral compasses. Harley -- despite being Joker's right hand for years -- originally wanted to rehabilitate the patients of Arkham Asylum. Even after her time with Joker, Harley focuses her energy into fighting for the disenfranchised of New York City with her Gang of Harleys, but she still loves to cause chaos.
Meanwhile, Ivy -- the self identified "eco-terrorist" -- has done horrific things for the greater good of nature; however, she does have boundaries. In Harley Quinn, Ivy acknowledges that what separates them from other villains is the fact that they have standards, which includes sparing innocent lives when possible. They also share a soft spot for animals, like when they save a shelter full of dogs in Harley Quinn #2. Sharing similar moral standards allows them to team up on many occasions and be stronger partners.
4. The Worst: Doctor-Patient Relationship
In Stjepan Sejic's Harleen, Dr. Quinzel is the psychiatrist for Arkham inmates Joker and Ivy. At the time, her romantic focus is Joker and she crosses every boundary a doctor should never cross with a patient, but Harley also develops feelings for Ivy. Harley even acknowledges it's inappropriate to have sexual relations with a patient -- but while the statement is about the Joker, it's never OK for a doctor to pursue a patient in a romantic way.
Harley Quinn further confirms that Harley is the psychiatrist who helped Ivy learn not to hate people as much. Throughout their history across mediums, Harley is often credited as the only human Ivy truly cares for, which puts a lot of pressure on Harley in order to live up to Ivy's high standards.
4. The Best: Healthy Polyamorous Relationship
Harley and Ivy have always been flirtatious, even when Harley is in a relationship with someone else. With Harley's New 52 run, their flirtations cross over into a romantic and sexual relationship; however, Harley actively pursues relationships with other characters and Ivy experiences no jealousy whatsoever.
It's a healthy depiction of a polyamorous relationship and DC confirms on Twitter that "they are girlfriends without the jealousy of monogamy." This shows how secure their relationship is and it is best illustrated in Harley Quinn #25, when Ivy helps Harley save her other love interest, Mason. When asked if she's jealous, Ivy responds, "Never. I'm Happy when she's happy."
3. The Worst: Ivy Sees Harley as Just a Friend
Whether they are romantic or not, Harley and Ivy are often depicted as best friends. In Batman: The Animated Series their closeness has been interpreted as romantic, even without the show directly saying so. However, most contemporary comics have been upfront about their attraction to one another and said goodbye to tiresome queer coding.
However, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #6 keeps the two as gal pals. Harley's romantic feelings are present, but Ivy does not seem to reciprocate. Even when Ivy risks never seeing Harley again, they do not part with a big romantic embrace; it's a platonic forehead kiss, which cements Ivy's seemingly friendly feelings for Harley.
3. The Best: They Publicly Display Their Love
Harley is an affectionate person, so having a partner who can match her romantic energy is important -- and Ivy has plenty of love for Harley. The physical attraction between the two is palpable and unlike past partners, Ivy is more than happy to physically show Harley how much she loves her.
Beyond how physical these two are in the bedroom, Ivy is also proud to be with Harley. From holding hands to plenty of kisses, Ivy shows to the world she and Harley are an item. She even throws in loving pet names like "peanut" and "banana bread," so Harley always knows she holds a spot in Ivy's heart.
2. The Worst: Ivy Prioritizes Harley's Well Being Over Her Own
In Harley Quinn, Ivy has Harley's back, even when she disagrees with some of Harley's choices. Despite coming through for Harley, Ivy's left hanging multiple times, which leads to Ivy pursuing a heist on her own and getting captured. While Harley and Ivy make amends, their relationship is on rocky grounds.
Ivy's blind faith in Harley is even more apparent in Gotham City Sirens. Harley betrays Catwoman and Ivy for the Joker and while Ivy believes she can reach Harley, she's stabbed in the back when Harley reveals she knows Ivy loves her. She's been manipulating her emotions in a way that's hard to move past.
2. The Best: Ivy Always Has Harley's Back
Through thick or thin, Ivy always comes through for Harley. In Harley Quinn, she is there to save Ivy from Batman and the Joker and in the comics, Ivy has many times come through to support Harley's wild hijinks, like breaking into Arkham and warding off several hitmen ready to kill Harley.
Even in less life-threatening cases -- like when Harley's uncle passes away -- Ivy is there in Harley Quinn: Road Trip Special. She travels cross-country with Catwoman to be the emotional support Harley needs in her time of mourning. She is even there to help Harley stop a Brooklyn neighborhood from being gentrified by developing the property into a wetland to prevent construction.
1. The Worst: Ivy Prioritizes Lives of Plants Over Harley's
Ivy always puts the environment above humanity. While Harley is sometimes an exception, this is not always the case -- as seen in Batman and Harley Quinn, when Ivy teams up with Plant Master to destroy all human life in exchange for the safety of the environment. However, if their experiment fails, every bit of life on Earth will die. Harley eventually changes Ivy's mind, but for a time, Ivy was ready to let everyone -- Harley included -- die for her cause.
This isn't the only time Ivy is willing to lose Harley for the sake of nature. In Injustice 2, Ivy joins Ra's, who wants plant and animal life to control the Earth. After failing to convince Harley to join her side, the two turn on one another. Ivy is willing to cut Harley out for the betterment of the Green, even though the two had a Vegas wedding prior to all of this -- which is confirmed in Issue 70.
1. The Best: Ivy Is Harley's Biggest Cheerleader
Ivy has proven time and again that she is Harley's biggest cheerleader. She acts as Harley's voice of reason and gives her brutally honest advice when needed, as seen in Harley Quinn Season 1 Episode 3, where Ivy tells Harley, "I just want you to know what you're up against because I love you."
This is one of several times Ivy has been blunt with Harley, but she does so because she has faith in Harley's abilities. Even with Harley's more terrible ideas -- like joining the Legion of Doom -- Ivy supports her no matter what. This creates a much healthier environment for Harley -- something she has been denied by her parents, her colleagues and the Joker, which makes Ivy one Harley's better significant others.