While The Suicide Squad is set in the DC Extended Universe, it's also a movie that feels somewhat standalone in nature. That might explain the lack of direct references to the 2016 take on Task Force X, but when it comes to 2020's Birds of Prey, it did feel like director Cathy Yan's take on Harley Quinn was mostly overlooked.
Since James Gunn's reboot/sequel was released, some fans have argued that the movie was treading familiar ground with Harley's attempts to get over her abusive relationship with The Joker. Now, we know that could have been a result of the filmmaker never being clued in to what was going on with Birds of Prey by Warner Bros. (which shows a serious lack of connectivity in this shared world).
"To be completely honest, I didn’t even know about the Harley movie when I was writing the screenplay," Gunn tells Variety. "I found out about that awful late in the process. But I knew that, no matter which way you look at it, Harley has a past relationship with the Joker. So I needed her to be coming out of that in a certain way, and I needed her to make a healthy choice — healthy from her perspective — about where she’s going in her life and not being dependent on men."
Harley Quinn's subplot in The Suicide Squad has proved to be one of the more divisive elements of the DC Comics adaptation, though most seem to agree this was Margot Robbie's best turn as the villain.
Where she goes next remains to be seen, but it's certainly been something of a bumpy ride for the character in live-action thus far. Her sexualised portrayal in Suicide Squad was not well-received by many, Birds of Prey was embraced by critics more than regular moviegoers based on those box office numbers, and The Suicide Squad...well, despite widespread acclaim, it's struggling financially too.
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Warner Bros. should follow to make the perfect Harley Quinn movie!
10. Poison Ivy
The last time we saw Poison Ivy on the big screen, Uma Therman was hamming it up as the villain in the abysmal Batman & Robin. A faithful take on this character – whose desire to save the world’s plant life as an ecoterrorist of sorts is more relevant today than ever – is without a doubt long overdue, and this Harley Quinn movie is perhaps the perfect place to bring her back.
The dynamic between Harley and Ivy is well worth exploring, and that's particularly the case due to recent comic books confirming that their relationship is a romantic one.
Delving into that would be a big step forward for the genre, while it just so happens to be something fans have been desperate to see for years now. That aside, Ivy is a great character in her own right, and someone with a tonne of potential to really shine in an upcoming DC Comics movie.
9. Wacky Weapons
Harley certainly had her fair share of unique weapons in Birds of Prey, but they were all pretty grounded, and taking things down a sillier route now wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
From "Ha-Ha" knuckle-dusters to oversized guns, realism really should be thrown out of the window here for the sake of doing this fan-favourite anti-hero justice on the big screen. After all, the reason DC Universe's animated series is so popular is because it embraces Harley's crazy world.
A Harley Quinn movie doesn't need to go too over the top (to the point where it's not remotely realistic), but let the character have fun with some of the weapons fans love from the comics.
8. Ties To The Wider DC Extended Universe
Birds of Prey referenced the events of Suicide Squad, but only in a very vague way. Beyond her broken relationship with The Joker, you'd never know that Harley hated Amanda Waller or struck up an unlikely friendship (and potential romance) with Deadshot.
The best we got was a nod to the fact Harley recognised Captain Boomerang, and while the DC Extended Universe is growing increasingly standalone in nature, we'd hope that a Harley Quinn movie like this wouldn't be quite as cut off from this world as Birds of Prey.
For starters, it should absolutely tie into James Gunn's The Suicide Squad in some way, while also acknowledging Harley's history that we have seen on screen...and some we haven't too.
7. The Classic Costume
This was spotted in Suicide Squad, but that's about as close as the DC Extended Universe has ever really got to using it. It may not be the most realistic costume from the comic books, but that blink and you'd miss it moment with Harley dancing alongside The Joker proves that it a) works on screen, and b) would look pretty damn cool to boot.
We're not even suggesting Harley wears this for an entire movie, but getting to see Margot Robbie's take on the character kicking butt while decked out in it would be welcomed by fans.
Perhaps this is something we could see in flashbacks? After all, Harley's time terrorising Gotham City alongside the Clown Prince of Crime has only ever been addressed on a surface level.
6. Putting The Guys In Their Place
One of the most enjoyable parts of Harley Quinn’s adventures is seeing her put guys like Batman and Green Arrow in their place. The take no nonsense anti-hero doesn’t hesitate to run circles around them both physically and verbally, and that’s something which needs to make it into this movie.
Birds of Prey sort of went down this route, but spent the entire movie emphasising the fact that men are terrible. That's actually kind of true, but it alienated some viewers and was too heavy-handed.
There are ways to address sexism and feminism meaningfully, without it feeling over the top and actually making it fun. Hence, we'd like to see her outsmart heroes like the ones mentioned above.
5. Plenty Of Humour
Suicide Squad had a lot of humour shoehorned into it, and that's why director David Ayer is now pushing Warner Bros. to #ReleaseTheAyerCut of his 2016 movie. Birds of Prey delivered a lot of laughs, of course, but it wasn't quite as funny as movies like Thor: Ragnarok and Deadpool.
Bringing in some female comedy writers for this spinoff would be a smart move, and the first true DC Extended Universe comedy might open up a lot of new storytelling avenues to Warner Bros.
Dedicating an entire movie to Harley Quinn getting over a breakup was a solid way to help her move on from The Joker, but it didn't lead to a lot of laughs, and arguably wasn't the best way to approach a story revolving around this character. She's a fun and weird personality, and while Harley deserves an impactful storyline, a movie more in line with Deadpool's would be better.
4. Bring Back The Birds Of Prey
As we mentioned, we loved Birds of Prey here at CBM, and while it did sort of drop the ball on giving characters like Huntress and Black Canary the screentime they deserve, we do want to see more of them. A spinoff of their own makes sense, but bringing them back here would be welcomed.
Chances are it would be a minor role, of course, but seeing Harley confront Green Arrow and Black Canary, for example, could lead to a fun exchange, and a pretty badass fight scene to boot.
If nothing else, this Harley Quinn movie could reintroduce the Birds of Prey to audiences in a big way, and reboot them to an extent so they're more in line with their comic book counterparts.
3. Batgirl
Thinking about all of the great female DC Comics characters who could show up here, a very long list of names come to mind. However, Barbara Gordon definitely needs to be included in some way.
Like fellow Batman & Robin character Poison Ivy, it’s about time Batgirl returns to the big screen, and while she's deserving of her own movie, she could be used here similar to Colossus in Deadpool. The Merc with the Mouth was at his best with a straight man like that or Cable, and the same could be the case with Harley as she finds herself forced to work alongside this sidekick.
While using her here in her Oracle persona (Barbara was left in a wheelchair after being shot by The Joker and went on to provide both the Birds of Prey and Batman with intel from their base) has some potential, Batgirl is arguably far more essential to the DCEU right now.
2. A PG-13 Rating This Time
The decision to give Birds of Prey an R-Rating really didn't pay off for Warner Bros. Like Deadpool, Harley Quinn works well in that setting, but she's also massively popular with younger moviegoers, particularly teenage girls. From a business perspective alone, that makes sense, and it definitely seemed like that R-Rated tone didn't do these characters that many favours.
Harley doesn't need a face full of cocaine or a long list of F-bombs to be funny and crazy, and while putting her in a family friendly setting might feel like a step backwards, look how well Thor's reinvention worked in Thor: Ragnarok; with the right creative team working on a project like this, Harley could be amusing, potentially push the boundaries, and remain compelling.
This rating might just be needed to convince a lot of moviegoers to give the character another chance, because one more disappointment, and Harley's time on screen could reach its end.
1. The Joker
The decision to have Harley Quinn break up with The Joker was a completely understandable one, and there's really no need for the character to be trapped in what is truly an abusive relationship.
However, making the Clown Prince of Crime on off-screen presence didn't really work, and the end to their relationship could have played out far more effectively had she been able to come face to face with him. With that in mind, a cameo here which could be a flashback or excuse for Harley to kick her ex-Puddin's ass, reuniting them on screen has plenty of potential.
It's not the biggest priority in all honesty, but it feels like there are better ways to wrap things up between these two and it Harley could get proper closure by physically putting him in his place.