Skip to content
Entertainment
Link copied to clipboard

How Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn saved 'Suicide Squad' and perhaps DC

As Suicide Squad continues to inch up the all-time box-office charts, it has done one thing even its most fervent supporters could not have guessed.

As Suicide Squad continues to inch up the all-time box-office charts, it has done one thing even its most fervent supporters could not have guessed.

It has kept the DC movie universe afloat.

I'm not kidding.

And the reason for its massive success can be summed up in two words: Harley Quinn.

Here's why:

1) Quinn is the character most people went to the movie to see. The only one close was Will Smith's Deadshot, and I don't see nearly as many Deadshot T-shirts, toys and comics being sold, do you?

2) Quinn is the one character who remains unapologetically nutty and bad. While everyone else seemed so nice (especially Deadshot) they were interchangeable with the good guys, she reminded people on and off screen, "We're bad guys. It's what we do."

3) With Quinn leading the way, Suicide Squad allowed DC to break its overreliance on films starring Batman and Superman. Until it hit, the top 10 films starring DC characters in terms of domestic box-office were films starring Batman and/or Superman and in terms of tickets sold, the top 13 films starred one or both of those two. Even the historically awful Superman III sold more tickets than Green Lantern or Watchmen.

Like rival Marvel, DC has 1000s of characters to bring to life on screen - and they now have shown that they don't have to rely only on characters over 75 years old. Which brings us to . . .

4) Wonder Woman. Batman v. Superman did not meet expectations at the box-office. If Suicide Squad had also underperformed - or worse, bombed - panic would be setting in. Now, with positive buzz for Harley, and an impressive trailer for Wonder Woman, DC may gain some movie momentum. Speaking of which . . .

5) Quinn's hot pants and provocative dress are a hit with women AND men. Though strident feminists seem to feel any character not dressed in a burqa is "oversexualized," it is clear that both sexes dig a character who feels, looks and acts empowered. Quinn is the most cosplayed female character at conventions these days, far exceeding Wonder Woman, Black Widow and Catwoman. With 46% of the film's opening-weekend patrons consisting of women, it is clear they enjoy a woman who is badass and isn't afraid of expressing herself.

6) It is also clear that Margot Robbie had FUN playing Harley. All of DC's other recent characters have been sooooo serious.

7) Unlike Marvel, DC has been criticized for having its film versions differ radically from their comic book roots. Robbie's Quinn embraces them.

As current "Harley Quinn" comic creator Jimmy Palmiotti recently said to me, "Amanda (Conner, Palmiotti's wife who also writes and draws the "Harley Quinn" book) and I were in New York City and got to see a special screening with the cast, and when the movie was over, both Amanda and I felt like Margot Robbie's version of Harley was the perfect mix of Classic Harley and the character we write monthly. We loved it so much we even got to tell Margot herself and she was so cool about it."

Robbie also actually cares enough about the character to do better in a sequel or standalone film. "She asked us if we had any notes to make her a better Harley for the next time she plays the character and the only thing we could say, with all honesty, was that she was simply perfect!" Palmiotti exclaimed.