Since making her debut in Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn has become a staple of the DCEU and among the most iconic faces in the franchise. The Joker's famous love interest is so entangled in the Batman mythos at this point that many will forget she was a more recent addition to the DC universe.
Unlike most of the legendary comic characters of today, Harley Quinn didn't actually originate in DC Comics. In fact, she only made her first appearance in a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series before making the jump into the comics in the following year and later live-action in 2016's Suicide Squad.
For now, Robbie is the only actress to have brought Harley Quinn into live-action, but that's all about to change with October 2024's Joker: Folie à Deux. In the musical sequel to the Oscar-winning hit, Lady Gaga will join Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur, aka Joker, as Harley Quinn.
Margot Robbie Reacts to New Harley Quinn Casting
Speaking to MTV News, The Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie addressed Lady Gaga's casting as the same Queen of Crime in Todd Phillips' Joker: Folie à Deux.
Robbie shared her excitement in hearing of Gaga's casting, revealing she has always hoped for Harley Quinn to become a character who "always gets passed... from great actor to great actor:
“It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning, it’s all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way, like, Macbeth or Batman, always gets passed, you know, from great actor to great actor. And it’s kind of like someone gets to do their Batman or someone gets to do their Macbeth or someone, you know?"
The Australian actress compared the scenario to how she got to follow in Cate Blanchett's footsteps as she played Queen Elizabeth I in 2018's Mary Queen of Scots, before noting how she thinks Gaga will "do something incredible with it:"
And I feel like in not so many cases are they female characters. Queen Elizabeth I, but like beyond that, which I got to have a crack out as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, ‘Wow, Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.’ It’s such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she’ll do something incredible with it.”
When will Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn Return?
As Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson are both currently active as Batman across different universes, DC has shown a clear willingness to have multiple actors occupy the same role at once. So, Lady Gaga becoming Harley Quinn likely will have no impact on Margot Robbie's portrayal continuing going forward.
The Suicide Squad director James Gunn already confirmed Robbie's Harley Quinn will be back in the DCEU, the only question comes down to when. Whether she next comes into play with The Suicide Squad 2, Peacemaker Season 2, or another project, she probably won't be gone for long.
Gaga becoming Harley Quinn marks a major step for the character in live-action as she becomes only the second actress to tackle the role. But that's not to say there aren't more iterations of Harley Quinn to come, such as one within Robert Pattinson's The Batman universe who tags along with Barry Keoghan's Joker.
Even if director Matt Reeves does eventually seek to introduce his own Harley Quinn, each of these takes on the characters will undoubtedly remain distinct. Robbie's will continue to be as comic-booky as ever, Gaga will bring a musical interpretation, and The Batman universe would likely be a more realistic take.
Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October 8, 2024.
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