As a youth, Marcie Cooper was recruited by the Grandmaster to join the Manhunters. Her grandfather, Dan Richards (aka, Manhunter), also encouraged her to join the group as he had years ago. The Manhunters gave her a job working at KGLX radio in Gotham City, alongside Molly Mayne-Scott, who was a former agent called Harlequin. Marcie began dating Northwind, and later Obsidian, both of Infinity, Inc., and infiltrated the superteam from within.
When the Manhunters began to strike at Earth, Marcie stole Molly's illusion-casting spectacles, taking the identity of Harlequin. She failed to recruit Obsidian to the Manhunters, and tried to kill her grandfather after he betrayed the Manhunters. Dan Richards was later killed by the Manhunter, Mark Shaw.
Single-minded in her attempt to destroy Infinity, Inc., she joined Injustice Unlimited and masterminded the assassination of Skyman: It was on the wedding night of Hector Hall and Lyta Trevor; Harlequin posed as Jade and used Solomon Grundy as her pawn in killing Skyman. She then took Grundy, gathered the Dummy and took the pair to meet with Artemis, the Icicle, and Hazard. The plan to murder the Infinitors was told to all and put into action. Pat Dugan was used as bait to bring the heroes to Stellar Studios, but the battle went bad for the villains. When Solomon Grundy realized he had been manipulated by Harlequin, he savagely beat her. Afterwards she was given over to the authorities. (Infinity Inc 51-53, 1988)
Harlequin has not been heard from since (though Roy Thomas has stated she was not killed).
Cooper did make a cameo appearance in Alan Scott's dream sequence in Underworld Unleashed: Abyss - Hell's Sentinel #1.
Some readers have speculated that she may be the mysterious Harlequin introduced in Green Lantern Quarterly. This new Harlequin is shown standing next to Golden Glider in "Underworld Unleashed" #1, whom some misinterpret as Marcie Cooper herself. Another piece of speculation entails Marcie Cooper having been the Marcy from Batgirl Special #1 and Secret Origins #20. That last idea was tentatively acknowledged by Millennium Index #1 (1987).
Read more about this topic: Harlequin (comics)
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“Each is under the most sacred obligation not to squander the material committed to him, not to sap his strength in folly and vice, and to see at the least that he delivers a product worthy the labor and cost which have been expended on him.”
—Anna Julia Cooper (1859–1964)