The new Birds of Prey trailer confirms what most of us already suspected: Harley Quinn and Joker have split up. The toxic romance is officially dead and the titular antihero is heartbroken. Now she’s all alone, trying to figure out how to mend her broken heart.
In her own words:
“The Joker and I broke up. I wanted a fresh start, but it turns out I wasn’t the only dame in Gotham looking for emancipation.”
As the trailer goes on to show, Harley fills the void left by her former lover with several friends who are just as dangerous as she is. The criminal mastermind encounters Black Canary, Huntress and more as she tries to recover from the breakup. The introduction of these characters could end up being huge as well, as Warner Bros. is already reportedly planning on giving them both their own spinoffs in the near future.
A split between Ms. Quinn and the Clown Prince always seemed destined to happen. There was no indication that Jared Leto, who played the Joker to Margot Robbie’s Harley in Suicide Squad, would be appearing in Birds of Prey. Considering how inseparable these two characters are often depicted as being, the only realistic solution to excluding the madman from the film would be to either kill him off or end the romantic relationship.
A set photo released earlier this year also hinted that the pairing had run its course. A tattoo on the former Dr. Quinzel’s body used to read “Harley + Pudding.” The latter was her pet name for Joker and is now very obviously crossed out. If that wasn’t proof enough, the psychotic villain confirmed it for us all in the trailer. Maybe one day they’ll reconnect, but for now, the beautiful, deranged Harley Quinn will be riding solo when Birds of Prey hits theaters on February 7th, 2020.
