DC Explained: Who Are the Gotham City Sirens?
Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, & Catwoman – the baddest ladies in all of Gotham city. Eat your heart out, Bats! It’s the Gotham City Sirens.
Gotham has no shortage of memorable characters. For International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating three of the most iconic ladies to every tango with the Batman: Harley Quinn, Selena Kyle, and Poison Ivy. Also known as the Gotham City Sirens.
Courtesy of DC Comics
Who are the Gotham City Sirens?
The nickname for this trio comes from comic book and screenwriter Paul Dini. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s often right beside Bruce Timm’s during the credits for Batman: the Animated Series. The triad of Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy are the TLC of the DC universe. You’ve got your Crazy (Harley), Sexy (Ivy), and Cool (Selena).
If you know, you know (because you’re old.)
Over time, each of these brilliant villains has evolved to embody complex roles as anti-heroes. Sure, their principles and loyalties have caused them to break a few laws. But is law always serving the greater moral justice? Or fun?
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Harley Quinn
As any Batman scholar knows, Harley Quinn is an Animated Series original character and Paul Dini brought her to life. She was originally a small-bit character as one of the Joker’s henchmen in the episode “Joker’s Favor”. But she was so well-loved, she became a regular staple in Gotham.
It’s a tale as old as time: therapist starts a new job at a local asylum, meets a clown-faced psychopath, and falls madly in love. We’ve all been there, right, ladies? Harleen Quinzel becomes known as Harley Quinn and helps the Joker break out of Arkham and the two do crime together.
Over time, and thanks to some incredible authors, Harley finally leaves the Joker for good – the abusive dynamic of their relationship is well-established. Since then, Harley has undergone a series of adventures to find her own sense of right, wrong, and loyalty. She’s a frequent member and headlining character of the Suicide Squad, and she can be found fighting alongside a Bat about as often as she fights against one.
Selena Kyle
The notorious cat-burglar Catwoman often found herself at odds with the Batman in the early days of her career. And she was a thief, sure – but Selena’s thefts often had an underlying motivation to help the less fortunate.
Her backstory has changed from story to story, but there are some similar lines throughout. Selena grew up poor, and her mother died young, usually due in some way to the negligence or brutality of her father. Only her father isn’t her real father – her father is actually the head of one of Gotham’s major crime families.
Courtesy of DC Comics
Apart from some similar family dynamics, there’s another aspect of Selena’s life that stays the same regardless of which Earth she’s on. And that’s her steamy relationship with the caped crusader. These days, in the main DC comics timeline, she and Bruce are married and she’s living and thriving as a member of the Bat-family.
Poison Ivy
Thanks to an experiment gone awry, Pamela Isley was imbued with many abilities typically held by plants. She’s immune to poisons and has a kind of control over all things green and flowering. Poison Ivy is well known for her poisonous kiss and the use of pheromones to influence people’s actions.
Her deep passion for the wellbeing of mother nature has led some to call her an “eco-terrorist” (rude.) But in a world where vast numbers of people still believe global warming is a hoax, Team Ivy is starting to look pretty reasonable.
Courtesy of DC Comics
What’s Next for the Gotham City Sirens?
The comic book series that gave this trio their name ran from 2009-2011, but disappeared when DC did their New 52 reboot. A few years later, Suicide Squad‘s David Ayer stoked plenty of rumors about a Gotham City Sirens project. But as Birds of Prey began to look more like a sure thing, Ayer confirmed that the Sirens were officially on hold.
Personally, I’m not mad about it. I’m not sure that David Ayer is the right choice for this kind of girl-power narrative. Now, if you’re pitching me another Cathy Yan movie about the HBICs of Gotham, I’d say “shut up and take my money.”
Courtesy of DC Comics
With the premiere of The Batman featuring all kinds of Gotham villain easter eggs, fans are already calling out for Zoë Kravitz’s Selena Kyle to team up with her Gotham sisters in a follow-up film. I mean me – I’m “fans”.
There are already rumors that Anya Taylor Joy is being considered for Matt Reeves’ version of Harley Quinn. And with Kravitz turning in a resoundingly excellent performance, the theoretical production now just seems to be missing its Poison Ivy.
Who would you choose to play Poison Ivy? Are there any storylines you’d love to see the Gotham City Sirens bring to the big screen? Let us know in the comments. You already know how I feel.
