It kind of seems like he is messing with her here as well. This is no different from the other times he’s asserted his love and/or desire for her. The only difference is she’s not falling for it. If she melted in his arms instead of biting his lip, it would be pretty close to other depictions of their relationship.

Joker knows Harley wants to be loved. His advances here do not indicate attraction at all. They indicate a person who is not above using sex as a weapon. Both to assert his power and to delude Harley into thinking he loves her. Textbook abuse, and textbook Joker.

We agree on some things, and we disagree on two basic points: Is the scene in question representative of the Joker, and is it true to the reality of abuse.

The Joker was never a smooth operator when it came to abusing Harley. Never. At the heart of the original story, as intended by Dini, Joker was every bit the cliche that most abusive partners are. This was underlined multiple times in Mad Love. He LIKES being in control. He LIKES being thought of as “smooth” and…