Who would have thought a lesser-known villain could prove to be the savior of the DC Extended Universe? Margot Robbie recently revealed that she and Warner Bros. are working on a Suicide Squad spinoff movie featuring Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn has been referred to as “The Joker’s girlfriend,” which was an accurate description when the character originally debuted. Over the years, as Harley Quinn’s popularity and depth increased, she turned into an anti-hero who no longer stands in The Joker’s shadow. Nor is she a B-level character. Harley Quinn comic books have sold well at times.
In Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie brought Harley Quinn to life and stole the show. Overall, Suicide Squad was a poor film but audiences truly took to Robbie’s portrayal of the insane and violent character. Charisma counts for a lot and Robbie brought incredible charisma to the role. With so many DCEU films falling short of expectations, no real surprises exist surrounding Warner Bros. decision to invest in a Harley Quinn solo feature.
Harley Quinn and Robbie have also been mentioned in discussions about other projects including a Harley/Joker team-up, Suicide Squad 2, and Gotham City Sirens. The possibility exists that Harley Quinn would appear in all three of these films provided all three are produced. In addition to appearing in team-up features, Robbie intends to reprise the role in a solo feature.
Would putting Harley Quinn in too many films lead to overexposure? That would be a possibility if the films were rushed into theaters and Harley Quinn was appearing on the silver screen more than once a year. Hopefully, any projects featuring the character would be spaced out enough to avoid overexposure.
Another question arises. Is there really a need for a Joker/Harley Quinn team-up film if Robbie can carry a film on her own? While her portrayal of Harley Quinn was a hit with fans, Jared Leto’s version of The Joker received a lukewarm response. Would fans want to see the two share screen time or would they prefer to see more Harley Quinn in her own feature film? A decent number of fans may wish for the latter.
