Posted 6:30 AM by Gerald So
I am open to creators changing characters' gender or genealogy to tell stories relatable to their changing audience. Some examples I think worked particularly well are Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) from the 2004 reimagining of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, Sam and Lois Lane (Joel de la Fuente and Alice Lee) from 2023's MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN, and Oswalda Cobblepot (Minnie Driver) and James and Barbara Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart and Krystal Joy Brown) from BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER.
It's helpful and most fair to view any reimagining as if you haven't seen previous versions. If you didn't know Starbuck or The Penguin had been a male character, you wouldn't think, He's supposed to be male. You would judge the reimagining in its own right.
In my previous post about BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER, I mentioned some of its reimagining seemed shallow. I was mainly alluding to its depiction of Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Jamie Chung)'s Harley Quinn persona. As originated by Arleen Sorkin in BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, her demeanor as psychiatrist Quinzel was staid and professional; as Joker's sidekick Quinn, bold and bubbly. CAPED CRUSADER, on the other hand, has a bubbly Quinzel amd a laconic Quinn, appearently not influenced by Joker.
What's the point of an impassive clown? What drove this Quinzel to become Harley Quinn? In BTAS, Joker manipulated his asylum therapy sessions with Quinzel, driving her crazy in love with him. CAPED CRUSADER's Quinn has no such plausible origin so far.
She is revealed in the episode "The Stress of Her Regard," whuch sees her capture and manipulate several patients in the campy fashion of the 1960s Adam West BATMAN. A few BCC episodes experiment with tone, like "Night Ride," showcasing Gentleman Ghost as a bona fide evil spirit, eventually trapped by voodoo priest Papa Midnite. However, only "The Stress of Her Regard" strays too far from BCC's overall noir tone.
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