Many of us are tired of the reliance that female characters have on their male counterparts in movies and TV shows. An excellent example within the DC universe is the character of Harley Quinn.
Harley Quinn started out as a cartoon character that could easily be considered the Joker’s sidekick, but she loved him, which resulted in a very toxic one-sided relationship, but that’s a story for another time. I think that Harley Quinn’s character had a lot of personality from the start, and she could have been viewed as more than the Joker’s girlfriend, which brings us to the more recent years.
Although Suicide Squad (2016) didn’t receive the best reviews, it brought the personality of Harley Quinn to the forefront and established her as a character separate from the Joker. It was very exciting to witness the character development that happened between the Batman cartoons and Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn. She was more independent, and it wasn’t the Joker making decisions for her; she made them for herself. We love to see it.
In Harley Quinn’s own movie “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” she is just that. Emancipated. She’s no longer in a relationship with the Joker, and because of this, she is free. There are, of course, enemies along the way who want revenge against Harley and, since she doesn’t have the protection of the Joker, they think they can easily hurt her…luckily, they are wrong. The power of her alliances with characters like the Huntress and Black Canary helped her to escape the hardships she was facing.
I am beyond ecstatic for what is to come next with Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad, the new movie released this year. I can’t wait to see it! Until then…