James Gunn Says Harley Quinn Will 'Almost Certainly' Appear in DCU, but Margot Robbie's Return Isn't Guaranteed

The new DC Comics cinematic universe had a difficult birth, as it was born from the ashes of the previous one, which began with Man of Steel and petered out with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The break between the two was not a clean one, as James Gunn was involved with both: thus, a movie like The Suicide Squad can be rooted in the previous universe, as a sequel to Suicide Squad, but also have a foot in the new, as it spun out characters like John Cena's Peacemaker who have continued to turn up in new DC projects. And that now raises a question about one of DC's most popular characters, Harley Quinn, who was played by Margot Robbie in three big-screen projects, including The Suicide Squad. In a new podcast, James Gunn is now talking about the character, and whether Robbie might return.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel, alias Harley Quinn, was created for Batman: The Animated Series as the Joker's right-hand woman, moll, and groupie. Later introduced to the comic books, she's found her footing as a solo lead. She made her big-screen debut in 2016's Suicide Squad as a one-time ally of the Joker (Jared Leto) who was dragooned into Task Force X, a black-ops squad of supervillains. She returned in 2020 in Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, alongside Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett) and the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and made her last appearance to date in 2021's Gunn-helmed The Suicide Squad.

In a new special one-off podcast, The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?, Gunn addresses the title question. Several characters from that film have gone on to appear in new DC productions, including Peacemaker, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, who originated that role in Suicide Squad), Weasel (Sean Gunn), and John Economos (Steve Agee). Harley Quinn, however, has not. She almost certainly will, but she might not be played by Margot Robbie. As Gunn explains, "Harley is a character I’m almost certainly going to use in the DCU, and if Margot wants to play her, then I’ll bend over backwards to explain that in the world. But if she doesn’t, then I might go with somebody else, where I don’t have to be attached to what happens to Harley in this movie." Gunn notes that she's a difficult fit into the new DCU, as she's defined by her role with the Joker, a character who has yet to appear in the new universe and will likely be radically different from the Suicide Squad interpretation of the classic villain.

What's Next for the DCU?

Clayface, another classic Batman foe, has just made his debut in theaters; the standalone body-horror film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a washed-up actor who becomes Gotham City's most malleable menace. Next up is Man of Tomorrow, which will put Superman (David Corenswet), Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and a legion of other heroes and villains against the alien threat of Brainiac (Lars Eidinger); it will hit theaters next summer. Also in the works is The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a mockumentary series featuring Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and the sinister simian of the title (Jimmy Tatro).