Harley Quinn Just Found Her New Rival, And It Puts Batman's Family In a Tough Spot

WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V #7!Harley Quinn just found herself a new rival—one of the Bat-Family’s own. Normally, it would be a no-brainer for Batman’s allies to side with one of their own, but the DC vs. Vampires universe has put the surviving of the Bat-Family in an awkward position. With Harley facing off against the evil vampire queen, Barbara Gordon, there’s no doubt they’ll be rooting for her instead. So much for Bat-Family loyalty.

Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt’s DC vs. Vampires: World War V returns with issue #7, and the war between humans and vampires just got even more chaotic—because now, Darkseid has entered the battlefield, turning a two-sided war into a three-way bloodbath. As revealed in the previous issue, Darkseid arrives on Earth-63 in the midst of an all-out battle between humans and vampires.

However, issue #7 makes one thing clear: there won’t be a winner among Earth’s factions. As soon as Darkseid unleashes his Parademons, both sides start retreating, realizing they’re hopelessly outmatched. Amid this escalating war, Harley Quinn—who has been largely absent from World War V so far—finally steps back into the spotlight.

A Recap of the Bad Blood Between Harley Quinn & Batgirl in the DC vs. Vampires Universe

Comic Comes From James Tynion IV & Matthew Rosenberg’s DC vs. Vampires #12 (2022) – Art by Otto Schmidt

Before diving into the new developments in World War V #7, a quick recap may be helpful—especially since Harley Quinn has been largely absent from the narrative for over three years. While she’s made brief appearances in World War V before issue #7, her last significant role in this universe was back in 2022’s DC vs. Vampires #12 by James Tynion IV, Matthew Rosenberg, and Otto Schmidt. That issue ended with Harley being captured by the newly crowned Vampire Queen, Barbara Gordon. Before her capture, Harley and Batgirl had been allies, working together toward a shared goal: killing the Vampire King, Dick Grayson.

Harley played a pivotal role in the original DC vs. Vampires series because her blood contained a potential cure for the vampire plague. Thanks to a serum created by Lex Luthor, her blood was not only lethal to vampires who drank it but also key in Dick’s downfall. In a dramatic twist, Barbara—having just been turned into a vampire by Dick—tricked him into drinking Harley’s blood, killing him and usurping his throne. Since DC vs. Vampires #12, Harley has remained Batgirl’s prisoner. However, Harley's prisoner-status changes in DC vs. Vampires: World War V # 7.

Harley Quinn Vows to Kill Vampire Queen Barbara Gordon, Kicking-Off Epic Rivalry

Comic s Come From Matthew Rosenberg’s DC vs. Vampires: World War V #7 – Art by Otto Schmidt

During the chaos unleashed by Darkseid’s Parademons in DC vs. Vampires: World War V #7, Batgirl is briefly knocked off her feet—giving Harley the perfect opportunity to arm herself and make her escape. Before leaving Barbara to fend off the incoming horde, Harley delivers a parting message: "Hey, Barbie, if you survive this, come find me… so I can kill you myself." With that, a new rivalry between these two Gotham icons is officially set in motion. And given that Harley’s blood poses a serious threat to vampires, it’s more than likely that Batgirl will take her up on that invitation.

With Harley free and vowing vengeance if she ever crosses paths with Batgirl again, a future showdown between the two seems inevitable. And when that battle does happen, there’s little doubt that the remaining Bat-Family will be rooting for Harley over Barbara. After all, Batgirl betrayed them all when she took up the mantle of Vampire Queen. The surviving Bat-Family —including Luke 'Batwing' Fox, Helena 'Huntress' Bertinelli, Stephanie 'Spoiler' Brown, Alfred 'Green Lantern' Pennyworth, Damian 'Robin' Wayne, and Cassandra 'Black Bat' Cain—may very well Harley in her fight against Barbara when the time comes.

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What’s Next For Harley Quinn in the DC vs. Vampires Universe?

Fans Could Be Seeing a Harley Quinn & Robin Team-Up in the Near Future

Characters sitting on car in DC vs Vampires World War V preview

Among the Bat-Family , Robin is the most likely to cross paths with Harley next, given his lead role in the series and his vendetta against Batgirl. Ever since Barbara killed Nightwing and took the vampire crown for herself, Damian has been determined to end her—despite being a vampire himself. Unlike most who lost their humanity after turning, Damian has managed to hold on to his, making him one of the vampires’ fiercest adversaries and a key ally to the human resistance. A vampire-killing team-up between Robin and Harley Quinn, with Batgirl as their primary target, would undoubtedly be legendary.