Suicide Squad wasn’t necessarily what everyone expected when it came out, but it did have a few bright spots. Well, it really only had two: Will Smith’s Deadshot and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. The latter remains a phenomenon that’s led to a countless number of cosplays and a seemingly continuously growing following
Now that the teaser has been unleashed, it’s official, Robbie’s Harley Quinn is back. But it’s been a while since she rocked her short shorts and “Daddy’s Lil Monster” shirt. Don’t worry though, you’re covered. Here’s everything you need to know about Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn.
Harley Is A Millennial
That’s right! The Queen of Gotham is a millennial in Suicide Squad.
Born on June 20, 1990, Robbie’s Harley Quinn was supposed to be 26 years old in this movie. Some other vital stats include being born in Gotham, New Jersey and 5-foot-8. She was also a gymnast in high school!
She Went To Gotham City University
Harley may be insane, but she’s no dummy. Quite the opposite. That’s how she landed a full ride to Gotham City University, where she studied psychiatry under Dr. Odin Markus.
In her thesis, Harley’s focus was on the fact “there are two circumstances under which a person disregards rules of society: when they commit a crime, or when they’re in love.” It seems she really took that to heart!
She Was Interning At Arkham When She Met The Joker
Although she had earned the title of “doctor” by the time she started her tenure at Arkham Asylum, Dr. Harleen Quinzel was still a “psychiatry intern.” She may have been a promising student and bright young mind, but it might have been in her best interest, and everyone elses, if there had been a supervisor with her when she worked with the Joker.
Intern or not, it seems like a really, really bad idea to stick a 20-something-year-old in the room with the most dangerous person in the world, no matter how smart that person may seem.
Harley Wore Her Original Outfit
Yep, Harley rocked the outfit she was known for in Batman: The Animated Series.
That was another thing they got right with the movie. They had to show respect for the old outfit, but they couldn’t have her wear that thing anymore. She broke that thing out in 1992. They may be rebooting shows from the 90s and early 2000s, but some of their fashion is better off staying in the past.
She Can’t Swim
Fairly early in the film, it’s revealed Harley Quinn can’t swim—yet, she still tried to kill Batman when he went to save her. But that’s not even the weirdest part. In a flashback, Harley thinks back to the moment where she deliberately fell headfirst into a tub of chemicals. And it was a long fall, too. All for “Mistah J.”
If that isn’t love, what is?
She Has Hallucinations
Harley has more than one voice chattering in her head. At the camp outside Midway City, she mentions how the voices are telling her to do something along the lines of killing everyone. Furthermore, she double-checked everyone was on the same page when they finally got to Enchantress. She said she was off her meds and thought she was seeing things.
She’s Fashionable
Harley didn’t only update her outfit from that dated look that goes perfectly with the Red Queen’s Army in Alice in Wonderland. She also picked up a very cute purse at the Paris Ready in Midway City. She also likes to wear wristwatches on her upper arms. Apparently, that’s a thing?
She has her “PUDDIN” necklace she dawns throughout most of the movie, but she also had a fancier, but subtle one that says “Joker.”
Harley Likes Her Tattoos
Throughout her screentime, Harley shows off 13 tattoos. Yeah, that’s right, she is all inked up. Her tats range from a small heart to “Daddy’s Lil Monster”—and she is not shy about putting them on display.
She Stood Up To The Joker
In the extended cut of Suicide Squad, the Joker rejects Harley after breaking out of Arkham Asylum. However, she didn’t take no for an answer. That gave us a sick bike scene, her shooting a trucker in the face and most notably, her giving the Joker the business. It’s a pretty sweet scene and worth checking out. After watching it, you might wonder, “why’d they cut this?”
Harley Annoyed The Rest Of The Suicide Squad
Another portion of Suicide Squad that was cut was Harley’s psychoanalysis of her “teammates.” She tries to dig real, real deep on them too, despite operating on the fly. Deadshot had to shut her up because she ticked everyone off in the process. She did it because she was bored. which is a totally normal thing to do.
People weren’t overly happy to see her after Joker’s plane crashed either. They didn’t necessarily want her dead, but you can bet at least Captain Boomerang and Deadshot wanted a ride out, too.
She’s A Bookworm
After getting the espresso machine she requested toward the end of the movie, Harley is seen reading a book in her cell. It’s Between the Sheets by Molly O’Keefe. That’s the third installment of her four-issue series Boys of Bishop, where the “sizzling series cranks up the tension as a bad boy rides into town on his motorcycle—and teaches the girl next door to lose control when it comes to desire,” according to Penguin Publishing. It seems pretty obvious why this might’ve caught her eye.
Margot Robbie’s Performance Was Inspired By The Comics
Back in 2016, Margot Robbie told IMDb her performance was inspired by the comics. In fact, those she received some of those as Christmas gifts. “…my Christmas list consisted of Harley Quinn comics, Suicide Squad comics, any comics that incorporated Harley Quinn. So, yeah, I have a massive stack.”
Not The First Live-Action Harley
When the CW was known as WB, the network actually had a live-action Birds of Prey show. Portrayed by Mia Sara, Harley was one of the main characters in a Gotham without Batman. However, by the end of the show, which was canceled after 13 episodes, it turns out she’s been the mastermind villain the entire time.
Harley Quinn Wanted A Simple Life
Right when the Suicide Squad caught up with Enchantress, the witch did everything she could to turn Deadshot and company over to her side. If it wasn’t for El Diablo, Quinn might’ve fallen for Enchantress’ spell. Why? Well, her dream scenario was living a simple life with Joker. Harley even had a kid.
She can keep dreaming because even in the Batman: White Knight series by Sean Murphy, Joker could only be sane for so long.
She Got Out of Belle Reve
Speaking of Harley’s white knight, Joker busted her out of Belle Reve at the end of the movie. That makes it easy to exclude her from the rumored Suicide Squad 2 movie. It also allows her to work alongside Black Canary and Huntress in Birds of Prey.
