Tamal Kundu
‘Harley Quinn’ is a Max adult-animated series that revolves around the eponymous character, her romantic relationship with Poison Ivy, and her gradual transition from a villain to a hero. In season 4 episode 9, titled ‘Potato Based Cloning Incident,’ Harley makes a big discovery about herself and learns about her doppelgänger. She and Ivy race against time to defeat Lex and save the world from the apocalypse. Alfred rediscovers the purpose in his life as Kate Kane moves into Wayne Manor, and Batgirl and Harley’s friendship encounters a real challenge. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Harley Quinn’ season 4 episode 9. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Harley Quinn Season 4 Episode 9 Recap
The episode begins by underscoring how dire the situation is. The world is covered in what seems like perpetual darkness, the result of Lex firing his laser gun under the pretext of healing the Ozone layer. In reality, the effects are exactly what Lex intended. He wanted the darkness so Superman would lose his powers, and that’s exactly what happened. The side effects of his actions are of little consequence to him. However, one thing that needs to be noted here is that Superman’s powers don’t function that way in comics, at least no longer. His exposure to our Sun has changed him in such a way that even if he spends years in complete darkness, his powers will not diminish. But as always, ‘Harley Quinn’ takes the easy way out and chooses to sacrifice character lore for short-term narrative gains.
As Ivy and Harley try to figure out how to undo the apocalypse Lex has caused, a doppelgänger of Harley suddenly comes down the stairs, spooking them. This is a world of aliens, superpowers, and every possible species of fictional entities that humanity has conjured up, so the idea of cloning seems quite mundane. The real question for Harley and Ivy involves the person behind the act. Harley pursues her doppelgänger and learns that Gordon accidentally cloned her while trying to micro-wave a potato, and now the doppelgänger is 5% potato and 95% Harley. Realizing they are 95% similar, Harley quickly warms up to the doppelgänger, who reveals that she has been helping Barbara in Harley’s absence.
Meanwhile, Ivy goes to confront Lex, who reveals that he would have protected her from the effects of his plans, but she overstepped, making people question his authority. Harley and the doppelgänger rescue Ivy and suggest that she should try to take over the board and remove Lex from there. Realizing this is as good a plan as any, Ivy speaks to several board members, convincing them to vote for her. However, as she still doesn’t have the majority, she consults with Talia, who tells her to speak to Clegg, a man Ivy didn’t even think was real. She goes to speak to Clegg at a golf club, and even though Lex shows up, she flirts her way to securing Clegg’s vote for herself. However, she accidentally ends up killing the man. When Harley resets time with the help of the Flash, Ivy kills Clegg a second time.
Ultimately, Ivy succeeds in saving the planet; the laser is turned off and the Sun shines again in the sky. During the meeting, Clegg’s widow shows up and votes in her favor. However, just as she watches Lex leave Earth on his specially-made rocket, she can’t help but reflect on how hollow the victory is.
Harley Quinn Season 4 Episode 9 Ending: Who killed Nightwing?
The penultimate episode finally reveals the real killer of Nightwing. Harley refuses to believe when the doppelgänger tells her that she (Harley) killed Nightwing while having one of her sleepwalking episodes. Instead, she rushes to speak to Doctor Psycho, agreeing to be on his podcast in exchange for him looking into her subconscious.
It turns out that the doppelgänger was telling the truth. Harley killed Nightwing by choking him to death while sleepwalking. The doppelgänger spotted her doing it, became scared, and fled. As Doctor Psycho learns about this along with Harley, he insists on putting it on his podcast. Afraid of some of the ramifications if such a thing comes to pass, Harley knocks Doctor Psycho out and then convinces the Flash to turn back the time for a few hours, which effectively wipes out Doctor Psycho’s memory of the incident.
When Harley comes outside, the doppelgänger is waiting for her. The doppelgänger puts cuffs on Harley, declaring that, unlike Harley, she will be the perfect addition to the Bat family, prompting Harley to eventually kill the clone.
Is Barbara/Batgirl Dead?
Knowing that she killed Nightwing, Harley expresses her desire to leave the life of a hero, much to Barbara’s surprise, though, to be fair, she doesn’t know Harley is the one who killed Dick. Suddenly, Joker appears and shoots Barbara, leaving her fate in question. The scene is bound to remind the audience of Alan Moore’s one-shot graphic novel ‘The Killing Joke,’ where Barbara survives and becomes The Oracle. So, there is a considerable chance for her to survive this ordeal in ‘Harley Quinn.’
Read More: Harley Quinn Season 4 Episode 8 Recap and Ending, Explained
