Arleen Sorkin, The Voice Of Harley Quinn, Has Passed Away At Age 67

Arleenn Sorkin and Kevin Conroy passing away in the same calendar year just doesn't feel right. Kevin Conroy, to many people, was the voice of Batman. In my opinion, Kevin Conroy was the definitive Batman in many ways. But there were versions of Batman that came before Kevin Conroy, and there's been many versions that have come since. Harley Quinn did not exist without Arleen Sorkin. I've written about it before, but "Batman: The Animated Series" is one of the more influential versions of the caped crusader that we've ever seen. It reinvented certain characters like Mr. Freeze, but it also created new characters. I feel like many people don't know this, but Harley Quinn did not exist before "Batman: The Animated Series," which is crazy to think about because of the modern age, Harley Quinn has become something of an icon. Modern audiences know her as being the live-action character that Margot Robbie portrayed, but before all that, we had her in animated form. 

I feel like the idea of Harley Quinn is a pretty out-there concept. Giving the Joker a girlfriend seems like a really bad idea. But the way it was handled in "Batman: The Animated Series" was emotional and a pretty haunting allegory for abusive relationships. Arleen Sorkin brought so much to that character. She was funny when she needed to be funny, she was tragic when she needed to be tragic, and she was threatening when she needed to be threatening. As much as I enjoy Margot Robbie's interpretation of the character, I don't feel like she was given as much depth as Arleen Sorkin's version. 

Sorkin was also featured on the soap opera "Days Of Our Lives." She was on that show for 427 total episodes, but most of the world will always know her as Harley Quinn. Her interpretation of that character went beyond just "Batman: The Animated Series." She reprised her role in multiple animated shows and returned to give another spectacular performance in the Arkham games, which are some of the most badass things I've ever seen. 

Voice actors rarely get the credit that they deserve. In many ways, it's meant for that to be the case. We only know the voices. We never know the faces.  But many of the voices were key parts of our youth. There is no Harley Quinn without Arleen Sorkin. Rest in peace.