Do we like them?

Do we like Harley Quinn?

A character from Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

Our score: 6 out of 10. Funny, loyal and more caring than she lets on, but she's still a crook who keeps going back to a terrible boyfriend. We'd back her, from a safe distance.

Harley Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series. She first appeared in the 1992 episode "Joker's Favor", where she was meant to be a one-off henchwoman. She was an instant hit, and she became the Joker's sidekick and love interest, with a Brooklyn accent and a lot of energy.

Her backstory is that she was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. The tale goes that she fell for her patient, the Joker, and swapped her career for a jester costume and a life of crime. Her cheerful, chatty style makes her one of the most likeable villains in Gotham. She is also one of the most tragic, because the Joker treats her badly and she keeps going back to him.

We score her a 6. She's fun and loyal, and she's not as ruthless as the people around her. But she does a lot of damage along the way, and she often chooses the wrong side for the wrong reasons. Her best moments come when she's with Poison Ivy or when she's trying to make a life of her own.

Over the years she breaks away from the Joker, tries going straight, and sometimes works with the heroes. Different versions of her end up in very different places. Some stay in crime and some leave it behind.