Talk about a celebrity couple. The Joker and Harley Quinn have been making headlines ever since Harley first appeared in the DC universe in 1992. Before then, the Joker was pretty much a lone act, barring a few short-lived team-ups from time to time. But as they say, there’s someone out there for everyone, even for psychopathic clown crime lords.

Many people would be surprised to learn that the origin of Harley Quinn was not in the comics, but rather in the cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series. She first made her appearance in an episode titled Joker’s Favor. Since then, she has served as a sidekick and a lover to Batman’s arch nemesis in many different graphic novels, comics, animated shows, video games. The romance of Harley Quinn and the Joker will soon be brought to the big screen, with actress Margot Robbie set to play her in the upcoming movie Suicide Squad. It’s the first chance fans will get to see live action incarnations of the Joker and Harley Quinn together, and most of us couldn’t be more excited.

Like any good romance, Harley and Joker’s love story is not without its share of twists and turns. The Joker is known for putting his allegiance to Harley on the back burner time and time again in order to pursue his own twisted goals. A psychologist might even diagnose their tumultuous relationship as abusive, but we’re no psychologists and can’t help but be enamored by the psychotic chemistry between these two characters.

After all, the same psychologists would likely call the relationship between Bella and Edward from the Twilight saga abusive as well, and at least the story of the Joker and Harley Quinn is entertaining. Their antics might be a real problem for Batman and Gotham as a whole, but it’s undeniable that the two of them make for quite the fun pair.

How will this relationship be played out in the Suicide Squad? We can only postulate as of now, but there is a good chance that it will end with poor Harley Quinn getting her heart broken. The Joker’s loyalty is questionable at best, and as deranged as this version of him appears to be, the chances of him having any true feelings toward Harley seem to be slim to none. She will hang on his every word, he will use her as he sees fit, then toss her aside. But this is a narrative that Harley Quinn has grown used to over the years, and she still comes back to Mr. J. time and time again. Like they say, there’s just something about the bad boys.

As for Batman, Gotham’s very own Bonny and Clyde will undoubtedly be giving him plenty of trouble for the foreseeable future. For now though, he has his hands more than full with the Man of Steel in the soon to hit theatres Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s foes such as god-like aliens and sadistic clown couples that make us glad we aren’t Batman. One thing’s for certain, life is never dull in Gotham City, thanks in no small part to the twisting, turning, turbulent relationship between Harley Quinn and her Mr. J.

If you are a fan of this infamous couple, be sure to check out our collection of Harley Quinn and Joker t-shirts below.