DeadpoolmeetingHarley Quinnseems like a crossover just begging to happen if current circumstances were different at DC and Marvel. Yet, according to writer Jimmy Palmiotti, there was a “secret” crossover in the works during his run onHarley Quinnwith Amanda Conner, pieces of which still survived in the finished product.
Appearing at the Dragon Con 2024 panel “Harley Quinn: In the Spotlight,” Palmiotti revealed how the unofficial crossover almost came to be. “We were friends with the guys writingDeadpoolat Marvel at the time,” Palmiotti explains, more than likely referencing Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, who co-wroteDeadpoolfrom 2012 to 2015.
Palmiotti thendetailed how the secret crossover almost came together:
“We said, ‘Let’s do a crossover without[Marvel and DC]knowing we’re doing a crossover.’So we said, ‘You guys create a character like Harley and put her inDeadpool, we’ll create a character like Deadpool and put him inHarley.'”
Deadpool and Harley Quinn Almost Starred in an Unseen Crossover
How Wade and Harley Almost Met (Under Marvel and DC’s Noses)
The plans for the crossover were quite elaborate, with Palmiotti going on to state, “Without telling anybody, we were even gonna make the Marvel cover and the DC cover connect.” Yet before the crossover could even begin, one side got cold feet. “The guys doingDeadpoolchickened out,” Palmiotti explained, as theDeadpoolwriters were fearful that Marvel would catch on to what they were doing and fire them from the book. Sadly,the would-be crossover was over before it even got the chance to start,but elements wound up working their way intoHarley Quinn, regardless.
Harley Quinn’s First Canon Appearance Settled Her 2 Official Superpowers in DC Lore
Does Harley Quinn have superpowers? Yes. Were these powers established in her first comic canon appearance? Double yes. Can we stop arguing now?
The “Deadpool” surrogate showed up in Harley Quinn anyway asthe obsessive stalker Red Tool, who made his first appearance inHarley Quinn#3 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Chad Hardin, Alex Sinclair, and John J. Hill.Red Tool is actually Wayne Wilkins, a hardware store employee who loses his arm during an incident involving Harley and a weed-whacker. Wilkins soon becomes obsessed with Harley, replacing his arm with a bionic prosthetic and donning a very Deadpool-esque costume to consummate his love/hate relationship with Harley.
“Red Tool” Is Harley Quinn’s Answer to Deadpool
DC’s Very Own Off-Brand Merc with a Mouth
If Red Tool is supposed to beHarley Quinn’s answer to Deadpool, one has to wonder what Harley’s equivalent would have been like inDeadpool. The little-knownSpider-Man villain White Rabbitcould have been a good stand-in for Harley in the Marvel universe, or theDeadpoolcreative team could have come up with an original character instead. While fans never got to see the secretDeadpoolandHarley Quinncrossover, perhaps the characters could find another way to cross paths some time in the future.
Harley Quinn
Deadpool
The merc with the mouth first appeared in an issue ofNew Mutantsin 1990, and since then has gone on to get his own series and a massive cult following. With his incredible powers of healing and regeneration, Deadpool was initially depicted as an X-Men villain but went on to become an anti-hero. After getting his own movie series starting in 2016, the third Deadpool movie finally brings the wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
