DISCLAIMER: This article may contain mentions of the R-rated themes of The Suicide Squad (violence, blood, etc.), as well as light spoilers.
The DC Comics Extended Universe has brought us many movie adaptations of their beloved comic book characters throughout the past decade. While many of the movies stand well on their own, most fall flat compared to the box office successes that are the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
As Marvel’s largest competitor in the superhero movie franchise, the hope that DC could outdo movies like Avengers: Endgame (2019) seemed to diminish among fans as each movie was released. Though the movies themselves were dark, gritty, and violent, which was what some fans were looking for in a superhero movie, they just couldn’t compare to something like Spiderman.
When the first iteration of the Suicide Squad was released in theaters in 2016, audiences were less than pleased. Many felt that the movie lacked passion and characterization in nearly every department.
That is, except for Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie stole the show and quickly became a fan favorite among audiences, as many believed she was destined to play the role of Harleen Quinzel. She was the fun contrast to the rest of the cast, who were edgier and just failed to appeal to the general public. As she knocked the heads off of bad guys in a bloody mess, she kept her charisma and charm that fans recognized from the comics.
Jared Leto
The Joker, played by Jared Leto, was the only thing capable of ruining Harley’s popularity. Leto put on a less than stellar performance as the notorious clown and having Harley so attached to him throughout the entire movie kept her from reaching her full potential as a character. Fans HATED the relationship between them, mainly due to Leto’s awful portrayal of the Gotham crime lord.
Birds of Prey (2020)
The movie liberated Harley from her ties to the Joker and allowed her to become her own person. Giving Harley her own story was an excellent touch in correcting the mistakes of Suicide Squad and making her even more likable in the process. Birds of Prey gave Harley a chance to be something other than the Joker’s trophy girl, and this is amplified even more in her next appearance.
At the time of The Suicide Squad’s release in 2021, fans had lost hope in the DCEU as a whole. The lackluster entries like Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam, and Justice League had left fans feeling unsatisfied compared to the stunning turnout of the last few Marvel movies.
Someone was ready to change this
Enter James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Gunn knows how to take a franchise and make it fun while keeping the action and characters that audiences have grown to love. His vision for The Suicide Squad was ultimately more cohesive than the 2016 version and managed to keep Harley Quinn at the center of it all. Even the violence and gore from the fight scenes were so uniquely Harley that audiences were captivated from the start.
In the movie, Harley is seen with a javelin, given to her by Javelin, who died in the opening scene. Though this isn’t Harley’s traditional choice of weapon, she makes it her own by using it to break out of the capital of Corto Maltese, where most of the movie is set. By killing nearly everyone in the capital building with the javelin (and maybe a gun or two), Quinn shows that she can roll with the punches at any moment and still come out on top.
And this is what fans wanted to see!
This is what the DCEU needed: a fresh start after so many years of mediocre movies. It has the potential to become one of the greatest film franchises out there, and I believe Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn will be at the forefront of it all… just make sure there aren’t any kids around while she does it.