Harley Quinn Develops from “Suicide Squad’s” Eye-Candy into a Dynamic Lead in “Birds of Prey”
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey previously known as Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn — phew, thankfully they changed that one — was one of the most highly anticipated comic book films of 2020. After Margot Robbie’s debut as DC’s darling psycho, Harley Quinn, in the 2016 movie Suicide Squad; people were left wanting even more of Harley.
Birds of Prey takes place after the events of Suicide Squad; which ends with the Joker breaking his girlfriend — Quinn, herself — out of prison and the two of them run off in their own twisted criminal glory. Birds of Prey begins with the screeching halt of her and the Joker’s relationship, and Harley is not taking it well. The Joker was the reason “Dr. Harleen Quinzelle, Ph.D” changed her name and left her job as an asylum psychologist, he was the reason her life had become so crazy, he was the reason she lost her mind, he hurt her, he abused her, and now he’s gone. Harley is a very mentally sick woman who relies heavily on the presence of her “puddin’,” the Joker, so when he kicks her to the curb she has to find a way to deal with the rejection and her new way of life.
So, when Harley no longer has the luxury of the title of “the Joker’s girlfriend,” she is suddenly the target of everyone she has ever wronged. Most notably in the film, Harley becomes at odds with dreaded crime-lord, Black Mask — portrayed by Ewan McGregor. Luckily for Harley, she teams up with a few killer “birds of prey” in an unexpected alliance. Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and Huntress work together to show Black Mask who’s really in charge.
DC finally responded to fan’s pleas for more Harley content four years after Suicide Squad with their second female headlining movie of the decade. The thought of following up DC’s Wonder Woman gave Harley some big shoes to fill, but after the worldwide release of her film on Valentines Day, it was clear she made her mark.
One thing I was pleasantly surprised about in this film was the lack of screen time for Harley’s puddin’. In fact, for the heavy impact as he has on the set up of the plot of the film, the Joker doesn’t even show up once. Jared Leto portrayed the clown prince of crime in Suicide Squad, he received very mixed reviews as a result of his performance. ScreenRant thought he was an excellent addition to the DC family. They gave a comprehensive list of 15 reasons why Leto’s Joker was the best one yet; a few of my favorite reasons being “#10 he’s an ACTUAL Gotham City gangster crime lord” as well as “#4 he’s the first live-action Joker working with Harley Quinn on-screen.” However, there were plenty of people who disagree and believe that Leto’s Joker is the worst iteration thus far. Insider wrote about Leto’s performance and compared him to the forever-praised Heath Ledger’s Joker;
“‘Suicide Squad’s’ biggest challenge — and biggest promise — was the Joker. Heath Ledger made an indelible mark on the role in ‘The Dark Knight,’ so when Oscar-winner Jared Leto signed up for the job, expectations were high. Could he stand out from Ledger’s shadow? The answer is no. No, he doesn’t.”
Due to the back and forth of the opinions about Leto’s Joker, there was much speculation about him returning for his girlfriend’s debut headlining movie. However, by the time the credits roll, Leto’s name is nowhere to be seen and Harley has moved on.
Personally, I enjoy the new Joker, however, I am thrilled that he does not appear in Birds of Prey. This is Harley’s movie. In a time where it is more important than ever for little girls to see actresses listed as top-billed and a woman’s name in the title of a film, it would have been a massive let down for the Joker to appear and steal the show. There was so much going on in Suicide Squad that introducing a character like Leto’s was dynamic but not distracting, but I believe that if he reared his ugly scars in Birds of Prey he would have taken the spotlight — and the headlines — from the female leads who deserve it.
Another major positive I regarded after leaving the theater is that Harley was much less sexualized in Birds of Prey than she was in Suicide Squad. In her first appearance on the big screen, Robbie was in a skin-tight white t-shirt with the phrase “Daddy’s lil’ Monster” written over the chest. The shirt is semi-sheer, messily dyed, and tattered; the rips deliberately placed to reveal her ribs and stomach. The most glaring detail in her outfit being that she’s clearly wearing a push-up bra a few sizes too big. In Birds of Prey, Harley is sporting a pink sports-bra; looking much more comfortable than what must have felt like a corset before. She has exciting rainbow streamers and frills covering her new jacket. In Suicide Squad she even adorned a choker — *cough* dog collar *cough* — with the Joker’s pet name on it, and in Birds of Prey she’s sporting a charmed necklace with her beloved pet hyena, Bruce’s, name engraved. Even just looking at the differences in her shorts; the length, the tightness; yikes! I feel for both Harley and Margot Robbie. Joanna Robinson said it best on twitter when comparing the costumes;
With Suicide Squad being directed by a man and Birds of Prey being directed by a woman, Robinson’s point is rather poignant. Harley may literally be showing more skin, but now it feels more like a choice, the outfit feels much more like she’s dressing for herself, dressing for fun. The choppy bangs and red suspenders are authentically Harley Quinn, where the ripped fishnets and smeared lipstick of her old outfit felt very Joker.
Even just look at her expressions, in Suicide Squad she was always putting on a childish pout or a sexy smirk, whereas in Birds of Prey Harley wore a full genuine grin — except when her world shattered into pieces as she dropped the world’s most beautiful breakfast sandwich, in which case, Harley was certainly not smiling. Yep, that was literally a plot point of the film. Female writers allow Harley to enjoy nasty, greasy food, where in Suicide Squad all she did was drink alcohol. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Robbie even spoke on the issue, promising that Harley’s new film would be “definitely less male gaze-y,” and I believe she is right!
I was extremely pleasantly surprised with this film. DC can be extremely hit or miss; Wonder Woman being one of my favorite movies, Aquaman being the only film I’ve ever almost walked out of a theater because of — but that’s a story for a different day. With that, I went to see Birds of Prey with low expectations but an open mind; and I was very impressed! It is easily my new favorite DC film and I am hoping to see more of this Harley in the future!
Written by: Amanda Vitello
Amanda Vitello is a communications student at Salem State University.
