Harley Quinn is a character.
Harley Quinn ( Harleen Frances Quinzel ) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm , and first appeared in Batman : The Animated Series in September 1992 . Her name is a play on the name `` Harlequin '' , a character which originated in the commedia dell ` arte . The character made her live-action cinematic debut in the 2016 film Suicide Squad , portrayed by Margot Robbie .