It’s the dawn of a new era for Warner Bros. Studios, and some 12 years after Man of Steel kick-started the DCEU, the DCU is rising from its ashes. While the DCEU struggled to live up to the success of its debut, the franchise at least turned out stellar performances from the likes of Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Viola Davis, and Margot Robbie. When it comes to the latter, there’s still a question mark hanging over whether she could play Harley Quinn in the DCU.
Even though most of the DCEU old guard has moved onto new projects, the fact Davis and John Cena’s Peacemaker have made the jump gives hope to the idea that Robbie could return as the Clown Princess of Crime. Since Robbie first appeared as Quinzel in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, many have called her the ‘perfect’ Harley Quinn. The actor herself has expressed an interest in playing the character again, so why hadn’t Margot Robbie been locked in as the DCU’s Harley Quinn?
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Margot Robbie was the ‘Perfect’ Harley Quinn
First appearing in Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s brainwave of Harley Quinn remains one of the most popular DC creations that didn’t debut on the pages of a comic book. Given a typically tragic backstory that tied Dr. Harleen Quinzel to the Joker, Harley Quinn has evolved to be much more than just Mr. J’s girlfriend. This was emphasized by Harley’s complicated DCEU relationship with the Clown Prince of Crime and Robbie’s many performances.
After becoming a standout of Ayer’s Suicide Squad, plans for Robbie and Jared Leto to lead a Harley and Joker spin-off were soon reworked as a Harley standalone. Birds of Prey again evolved to be more of a female-first ensemble, and while there were complaints the movie conveniently skirted around the Leto situation, Robbie still stole the show. The same can be said for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which brought Harley back as one of the few survivors from Suicide Squad.
Even though Gunn’s Creature Commandos is confirmed as the ‘true’ start of the DCU, the director used The Suicide Squad as something of a soft reset of the DCEU. Elements of this have already been folded into the DCU thanks to Davis reprising her role from the Suicide Squad movies and Peacemaker for Creature Commandos and the upcoming Waller series. The end of The Suicide Squad saw Waller release Harley and the rest of the Corto Maltese team, meaning she got something of a happy ending. Still, it feels like there’s a Harley-shaped hole in the DCU.
Robbie isn’t the first to play Harley, with Tara Strong becoming synonymous with her vocally and Kaley Cuoco more recently voicing her in the animated Harley Quinn. There was some disappointment that Strong wasn’t given a chance to play Harley n the DCEU, although this was soon forgotten when Robbie delivered her unhinged performance for The Suicide Squad – something Dini said she ‘nailed’. Also going in Robbie’s favor, the story of her Harley wasn’t confined to being Joker-adjacent like too many versions of the character tend to be. The quiet axing of Leto’s Joker was the best thing that could’ve happened to Robbie’s Harley as it let her head out on adventures of her own.
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What Has Margot Robbie Said About Playing Harley Quinn?
Even three years after Robbie last portrayed Harley Quinn, her version still has a special place in many people’s hearts. Gunn himself has expressed an interest in at least working with Robbie, even if not bringing her back as Harley. Posting on Threads in January 2024, Gunn explained:
“I haven’t talked to Margot about Harley for a long time,” Gunn said. “But I’d love to work with her again as Harley or as someone else. There are no plans at this time for anyone else to play Harley. I mean, other than in [Joker: Folie à Deux] or the animated shows.”
He directly referenced Lady Gaga’s casting in Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, and now that the movie has come out, audiences know Gaga delivered a wholly reimagined Harley “Lee” Quinzel. As this sits as an Elseworlds outing, it doesn’t affect Harley’s status in the DCU. Similarly, the character is yet to (knowingly) appear in Matt Reeves’ Robert Pattinson-led Batman universe – despite Barry Keoghan briefly appearing as Joker in 2022’s The Batman.
The DCU is skipping Batman’s origin story for The Brave and the Bold, and if the Dark Knight is already established in this world, there’s a chance that major villains like the Joker and Harley are. The problem is, that with a brand-new Batman away from Ben Affleck’s DCEU version, chances are there will eventually be a new Harley. Still, it’s unclear how/why the likes of Waller and Peacemaker have transitioned from the DCEU into the DCU, meaning Robbie could still play a slightly different version of Harley.
Barry Allen’s timeline meddling in The Flash could be a get-out-of-jail-free card for how Harley could appear in both the DCU and DCEU, but equally, Gunn could just as easily bring her over without offering any real explanation. That seems to be where things are heading with Davis and Cena’s returns for now, as Gunn has said all of Peacemaker season 1 is canon aside from the Justice League post-credit scene.
There’s one potential stumbling block, and it comes in the form of Robbie herself. Despite repeatedly seeming open to the idea of a Birds of Prey sequel that could’ve starred Poison Ivy and playing Harley again in a post-The Suicide Squad world, Robbie threw cold water on the idea during a January 2024 interview with Variety:
“I always wanted Harley to be a character that would get passed on to other actresses to play, the way there are so many iconic male characters. That was always the dream for her. Harley’s so fun and can go in so many different directions. You put her in someone else’s hands, and it’s like, ‘What are they going to do with her?’ The options are endless.”
It would be a shame to cast Robbie’s Harley Quinn aside here, but following Jason Momoa’s DCU casting as Lobo, and Gunn saying he’s willing to work with Robbie again, there’s any number of other roles she could play in the rebooted superhero franchise. In terms of bankable star power and a character that fans trust, it makes sense for the DCU to pick up where it left off with Harley Quinn. Whether Robbie joins the shrinking ranks of DCEU alumni or is destined to part ways with the studio, like Cavill, Gadot, Affleck, and the rest, fans are sure to welcome her Harley Quinn back with open arms.
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