MrMurdock's Machination of 'GOHAM CITY SIRENS'
With The Joker locked up in Arkham after the events of Batman: Knighthood, Harley Quinn joins forces with Poison Ivy and Catwoman, forming the Gotham City Sirens.
G O T H A M C I T Y
S I R E N S
With The Joker locked up in Arkham, Harley Quinn joins forces with Poison Ivy and Catwoman, forming the Gotham City Sirens. But what are their intentions, for good or evil?
With her puddin’ locked up in Arkham, Harley Quinn moves in with Pamela Isley, the Director of Botanical Research at S.T.A.R Labs in Gotham City. Isley's former roommate Selina Kyle aka Catwoman contacts her after her young protege Holly Robinson is kidnapped by Roman Sionis aka Black Mask. Isley agrees to help Selina on the condition she breaks into S.T.A.R Labs for her so she can take full advantage of the toxins and pheromones she’s produced. Catwoman agrees.
Wanting to help, Harley goes along with Catwoman and assists her, distracting the security guards while Catwoman retrieves the goods. The mission is a success and upon their return Pamela takes the substances herself and gains special abilities, dubbing herself Poison Ivy. Holding up her part of the deal, Ivy (along with Harley) help Catwoman rescue Holly from Black Mask. Black Mask believes he’s getting ransom money from Catwoman for Holly’s safe return, but she tricks him and the three manage to overpower Black Mask and his goons, rescuing Holly.
After the ordeal Holly decides she needs some time away from Gotham and Catwoman arranges for her to be trained by an old friend, Ted Grant. Seeing how well they work together the three decide to form a team, the Gotham City Sirens, and Catwoman moves in with Ivy and Harley. With Ivy’s new abilities, they coerce Edward Nigma aka The Riddler into working for them. Meanwhile, the G.C.P.D is investigating the break-in at S.T.A.R Labs. Pamela Isley is questioned about the event, however she easily deflects questions from the interrogating officer using her pheromone control abilities to seduce him. She’s let go from the interrogation and cleared of any potential involvement.
Harley, Catwoman and Ivy have great success as the Gotham City Sirens, stealing goods from Gotham’s criminals with careful planning thanks to The Riddler’s expertise. However things take a turn for the worse when they focus their attention on legitimate businesses. They not only attract more attention from the G.C.P.D, but also from Batman. A heist goes wrong when the Sirens bite off more than they can chew and end up in a stand-off with the police inside a jewellers and Catwoman is fatally wounded in a shootout. Batman arrives to diffuse the situations and take down the Sirens, but when he sees Catwoman's injuries his first priority becomes getting her to safety. Batman rescues Catwoman, and inadvertently allows Harley and Ivy to escape. He takes her to the Batcave and tends to her injuries.
With Catwoman recovered, Batman interrogates her about why she broke into S.T.A.R. Labs for Ivy. She simply tells him she owed Ivy a favour. Disgruntled, Batman warns her that if their actions don't cease next time he won’t let his personal feelings get in the way. During a brief moment they share a kiss and Batman lets her go. Before she leaves however, Catwoman removes a tracking device from her costume, one Batman had just placed on her moments ago. She tells him he can’t no longer keep tabs on her. Batman smirks as she leaves.
Back at the apartment Ivy and Harley are arguing with The Riddler about how the job was too hot and poorly planned, resulting in them almost caught. When Catwoman returns they agree to lay low for awhile, until the heat on them dies down. Harley and Catwoman console each other over their relationships with The Joker and Batman, respectively. Ivy maintains that they don’t need men in their lives, saying all they do is create more problems.
After their discussion, Harley comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t need The Joker in her life at all, and resents him for all the pain he’s put her through. With The Riddler’s help, she begins planning to break-in to Arkham to exact revenge on her ex-lover. Knowing that neither Ivy or Catwoman would approve of her plans, she keeps them to herself.
Meanwhile in Arkham, the administrative director Jeremiah Arkham has placed The Joker under the care of Professor Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist who is obsessed with finding out Batman’s secret identity. The Joker and Strange have numerous sessions where the latter tries to pry information from the former about The Dark Knight. The Joker goads the Professor much to his frustration. Aaron Cash, one of the senior guards at Arkham is one hand at all times during these sessions as The Joker has subdued Professor Hugo Strange in sessions in the past.
Catwoman and Ivy discover Harley’s plans too late. Leaving behind a note for them, Harley explains that this is something she has to do on her own. Fearing for Harley’s life, Catwoman contacts Batman telling him of Harley’s plans to break in to Arkham and kill The Joker but knowing how manipulative The Joker can be, they both believe that's not going to happen. Ivy, knowing full well how dangerous this mission to stop Harley will be, refuses to get involved telling Catwoman that Harley made her own choice and she doesn’t want to get brought down because of it. The two have a brief scuffle and Catwoman leaves for Arkham.
Thanks in no small part to The Riddler, Harley successfully breaks into Arkham and being a former psychiatrist there she has no problem locating The Joker’s cell. Aaron Cash sees Harley Quinn and phones the G.C.P.D Commissioner for back-up, telling him a breakout is underway. Angered by Cash’s assumption that she is there to break The Joker out she attacks him. Cash is knocked unconscious by Harley and she proceeds to The Joker’s cell with intent to kill him. However, when she comes face to face with him she can’t bring herself to do it. Despite all the years of abuse she’s suffered at his hands, she still loves him. Harley releases him from his constraints and The Joker heads straight to Professor Hugo Strange’s office where he murders him for trying to ruin the fun by deducing Batman’s identity.
Batman and Catwoman make their way to Arkham but they arrive too late. Harley and The Joker have released all the inmates and the Asylum is in chaos. They take down as many of the inmates as they can but are soon overpowered. It’s only when Ivy shows up that they manage to get back on their feet. Catwoman asks Ivy why she came back, and she says because it was the right thing to do. Ivy holds off the rest of the inmates using her abilities while Catwoman and Batman go after Harley and The Joker. The four confront each other and Catwoman tries to talk some sense into Harley and reason with her but it’s no use. They engage in a brutal fight in which Batman and Catwoman are victorious.
The G.C.P.D. arrive and round up all the inmates, escorting them back to their cells. The Joker and Harley are incarcerated on opposites sides of the Asylum. Commissioner Gordon thanks Batman, Catwoman and Ivy for their assistance in preventing a breakout at Arkham but arrests the latter two for their previous crimes. Catwoman and Ivy are both cuffed and escorted by police into the back of paddy wagons. However, enroute to the station Ivy releases her pheromones to convince the police officers escorting her to simply let her go, while Catwoman slips out of her handcuffs and subdues police escorting her escaping into the night.
S T A R R I N G
MARGOT ROBBIE … HARLEY QUINN
WALTON GOGGINS … THE RIDDLER
J.K. SIMMONS … COMMISSIONER GORDON
CHAD L. COLEMAN … AARON CASH
JACKIE EARLE HALEY … PROFESSOR HUGO STRANGE
F E A T U R I N G
JARED HARRIS … JEREMIAH ARKHAM
TITUS WELLIVER … BLACK MASK
GABRIELLA WILDE … HOLLY ROBINSON
C A S T I N G S N O T E S
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Margot Robbie as Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn
Robbie reprises her role from The Batman.
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Naomie Harris as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman
Harris truly stood out to me after her roles Skyfall and Spectre as Moneypenny. While she doesn’t have a central role in these films, her starring role in 28 Days Later back in 2002 showed she is perfectly suited for a starring role.
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Eva Green as Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy
Green is another alumni from the James Bond franchise playing Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. However, it was after seeing her in 300: Rise of an Empire and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For that convinced me she’d give a much need refreshing take on the character of Poison Ivy.
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Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne aka Batman
Affleck reprises his role from The Batman.
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Jared Leto as The Joker
Leto reprises his role from The Batman.
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Walton Goggins as Edward Nigma / The Riddler
Goggins has really come to forefront in the last few years after forever playing supporting roles. However, it was solely his work in Vice Principals that makes me believe he would give a great take on The Crown Prince of Conundrums.
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J.K. Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon
Simmons reprises his role from The Batman.
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Chad L. Coleman as Lieutenant Aaron Cash
Coleman’s roles in The Wire, The Walking Dead and most recently Arrow is what makes me believe he’d be great in this role.
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Jackie Earle Haley as Professor Hugo Strange
Haley can play a villain in spades, from George Noyce in Shutter Island to Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street and most recently Odin Quincannon on Preacher. I’d love to see his take on Professor Hugo Strange.
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Jared Harris as Jeremiah Arkham
Harris’ role as Professor James Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows combined with those from Mad Men and The Man from U.N.C.L.E I believe would produce a great take on Arkham’s administrator.
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Titus Welliver as Roman Sionis aka Black Mask
Welliver reprises his role from The Batman.
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Gabriella Wilde as Holly Robinson
Wilde I’ve only seen in Carrie and Endless Love, the latter of which has her in a starring role. I believe she could give a faithful take on the character, with room for a more substantial role in future instalments.