The History of the Gotham City Sirens

You’ve heard the phrase that, “a hero is only as good as their villain.” But Batman is too good for just one villain. He has an entire Rogues Gallery. Sure, you’ve got The Joker, The Riddler, Talia al Ghoul, and more, but the real villains pulling the strings behind it all are Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman.

They’ve found a way to circumnavigate the complicated relationships of Gotham’s underworld as a trio, but it’s not always easy, and it’s never safe.

But how did they get there? And how did they work together and become the Gotham City Sirens? Let’s shine a Bat-signal on the answers.

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Who They Are

Doctor Harleen Quinzel was a therapist specifically trained in dealing with the dangerous and manipulative tactics of villains. She had an opportunity to work at Arkham Asylum. It was a recovery psychologist’s dream come true. Not only that, but she got to work with the most sinister of them all: The Joker himself. Slowly but surely, The Joker manipulated her and convinced her to fall to her darker nature. She became his sidekick, Harley Quinn, wielding large bats and giggling gladly by his side.

Doctor Pamela Isley was a biologist whose passion for plants guided her mission in life. She valued her plants and potions above other people, and when an experiment exploded in her face (literally), she gained the ability to communicate and control plant-life. Her connection to plants grew stronger and stronger, and her toxic tinctures grew more and more deadly. She became Poison Ivy. She did everything in her power to restore the natural state of the world, and her crimes were for the good of nature and the Earth, not selfish reasons.

Catwoman, Selina Kyle, grew up on the streets of Gotham, doing anything and everything she had to in order to survive. It started small, with petty cat burglary, but being a criminal in the strangely political Gotham underground meant that you were either someone’s lackey or someone’s boss—and there’s no in between. Catwoman fought for what she believed in, helping other kids on the streets and raising all stray cats she found. Matters only got more complicated when she fell in love with Batman, but somehow the on and off pair made it work.

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How They Got There

Doctor Thomas Elliot was one of Bruce Wayne’s childhood friends. The two friends loved to play strategy games with each other. Both of them had genius-level intellect. Both of them were born to wealthy families. But Bruce had something that Thomas never would: a loving and supportive family. Even before Bruce’s parents were killed, Thomas envied everything that Bruce had. But even though both boys’ parents died when they were young, Bruce inherited a family fortune and Thomas didn’t.

Thomas did everything he could to gain what Bruce had, and destroy Bruce Wayne and Batman’s world from the inside out. Taking on the alias Hush, he worked with The Riddler to manipulate all of Gotham’s underworld trying to destroy Bruce’s life. Hush underwent intense plastic surgery in order to look exactly like Bruce Wayne. He acted like Bruce Wayne, trained like Batman, and worked to undermine every relationship Bruce had. This all rises to a crescendo when Hush literally cuts out Catwoman’s heart.

Batman is able to retrieve the heart, but at great cost. It’s not long after that he is believed by many to be dead. That’s when Thomas Elliot, disguised as Bruce Wayne, takes over Wayne Tech. Cleverly, Catwoman finds a way to steal all of Hush’s money.

Since she worked with Batman so long, she had truly come to believe in redemption. Catwoman decided that if some of Gotham’s villains had a genuine opportunity to stay out of trouble and live stable lives, that they could be safe and happy and not endanger the city. So she split up millions of stolen dollars between Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and herself. Their financial independence would usher in new lives where they could leave behind their villainous ways.

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How They Came Together

Even though Catwoman just got a new heart (thanks to Zatanna’s magic) she decided to go out and fight crime. She came across a new villain who was fighting to make a name for himself. He wasn’t a particularly good fighter, nor was he very clever. But in order to rise up through the ranks, he decided he would fight Catwoman. Even though she was a much better fighter, she hadn’t physically or emotionally recovered from getting a new heart. She was actually in danger, and Batman wasn’t there to save her.

Suddenly, small green vines roped up around the other villain’s legs, and bound him to a wall. Poison Ivy saved Catwoman, perhaps out of pity, or perhaps out of gratitude. It turns out that Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn were spending their time in The Riddler’s apartment (since Ivy easily mind controlled him) but after the three friends had a rather dangerous talk, they decided to move in together.

They went to The Broker, who helped villains find their own special hideouts, and secured a home of their own. Thanks to Hush’s money, they could live anywhere they wanted.

For years, they worked together, defended each other, and helped each other deal with the other jealous and juvenile villains of Gotham. They fought against The Joker, The Riddler, and more, all just to have their own peace and quiet. Finally, together, in their own space, they were the Gotham City Sirens.

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Who is your favorite member of the Gotham City Sirens? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!