No matter how many criminalsBatmanputs away, there seems to be a never-ending supply of them, and one iconic Batman villain actually did manage to find out the reason for why the crime rate never levels off. Research conducted byHarley Quinnmight finally explain why Gotham has so many criminals.
Many people often forget, butHarley Quinnused to be an accomplished psychiatrist. She spent a long time studying the mind and how various events can affect someone psychologically. While these skills aren’t usually given the respect they deserve, they are important to her character, as showcased inHarleen#1 by Stjepan Šejić.
In this fantastic issue, Harleen spends two years talking to people who served in war, andshe comes up with a pretty convincing theory about Gothamthat perfectly explains why there are so many criminals in the city.
Harley Quinn Has the Perfect Theory About Gotham City
Harleen#1 by Stjepan Šejić and Gabriela Downie
One of the major things that Harleen learns about the war criminals she talks to is that their brains have effectively shut down their ability to process empathy. As Harleen explains, when someone is in the middle of a war, seeing the enemy combatant as a human might make a soldier hesitate to fire on them.This hesitation might not be reciprocated by the enemy.It’s easier to fight in war and stay alive by not viewing the enemy as a human being. It’s a stronger version of the fight-or-flight response, and Harleen believes it’s been affecting Gotham City and its citizens, who only want to survive in a terrible place.
You Won’t Believe Which Celebrity Harley Quinn Dreams of Marrying, We Promise
Harley Quinn has a long list of romances throughout her tenure as a DC icon, but her biggest “canon” celebrity relationship is incredibly unexpected.
It’s not an understatement to say that Gotham City is a war zone., especially when there are Batmanevents likeJoker War. It seems that every single day Gotham is under assault by some new super-villain with plans to either level the city or take it over. Harleen believes that this constant assault has resulted in thecitizens of Gotham City being in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. They have to do everything they can to survive. It’s not easy living in a city where a 7.6 earthquake can hit one week and Bane can take over the entire city the next.
Batman Can Never Actually Save Gotham City
And Harley Quinn Knows Why
Because of this constant state of fight-or-flight, the citizens of Gotham no longer see each other as people. All they can think about is keeping themselves alive, which makes robbing and killing each other significantly easier. It’s a brutal way to live life, but there’s no denying that Harleen’s theory has merit.Gotham is constantly under attackfor one reason or another, which was also a plot point duringtheFear Statestory arc.
Batman has been fighting crime in Gotham City for decades, and it never seems like anything gets better.
Batman has been fighting crime in Gotham City for decades, and it never seems like anything gets better. He has put hundreds of criminals behind bars and there always seem to be more. It’s not that criminals are constantly traveling to Gotham City - it’s that every citizen of Gotham has the potential to be a criminal because they’ve lost the ability to empathize with one another. Because of this sad state of affairs, it’s unlikely thatBatmanwill ever win his war on crime, andHarley Quinnknows it.
