Once upon a time, it looked as though Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was being set up to rival Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman as the DCEU’s marquee female character, with the psychiatric nurse-turned-supervillain one of the main selling points of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Not to mention a spinoff that would see her star alongside Jared Leto’s Joker in a movie that was set to be written and directed by Focus duo Glen Ficarra and John Requa.
Obviously, the disappointing reaction from both fans and critics towards Suicide Squad set those plans back, with Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime quietly being swept under the rug, and when Robbie finally got the chance to lead her own superhero blockbuster, the results were less than stellar. Birds of Prey may have earned largely enthusiastic reviews, but a global tally that just squeaked past $200 million made it the lowest-grossing entry in the DCEU by a huge distance.
There were reports that any major plans for Harley Quinn had been shelved for the time being, but James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad undoubtedly possesses the potential to thrust her firmly back into the limelight, with the 30 year-old Academy Award nominee taking top billing in the soft reboot of the series.
The recently-revealed first look at the movie has already promised a completely different animal to Ayer’s grim and gritty original, and it looks like Harley will be sporting a new costume for good measure, which you can check out below.
The red and black look is a clear nod to her outfit in Batman: The Animated Series, and at least Harley seems to wearing something a bit more practical and combat-ready in The Suicide Squad than she was the last time out.
