Over the last decade or so, Harley Quinn’s rising popularity has transformed the character into one of DC’s most instantly recognizable stars. From humble beginnings as a walk-on-role in thebeloved 1992Batman: The Animated Series, the character has well and truly stepped out from the shadow of the Dark Knight since then. Between a hit R-rated animated show and an endless supply of Halloween costumes, it’s now become almost impossible to avoid the Harlequin-inspired supervillain turned anti-hero.
This popularity also means that it isn’t all that surprising to see multiple versions of the character successfully co-exist throughout various forms of media. WithThe Suicide Squadmovie out now, and the highly anticipatedSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguegame expected to release at some point in 2022, fans can look forward to seeing more of Harley for years to come. What’s remarkable about these two incarnations in particular though, is the fact that the creative forces involved with them have managed to create interpretations of the character that have such stark differences.
Note: The following hasspoilersforThe Suicide Squadmovie.
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Having already appeared in two different movies before the events ofJames Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad, fans have had a decent amount of time to become familiar with the DCEU’s incarnation of Harley Quinn. Unlike other versions, including Rocksteady’s own creation, over the course of those movies her characterization hasn’t remained the same. Instead, her progressive arc has become one of the more fulfilling and impactful journeys to see play out.
During her first appearance in 2016’sSuicide Squad, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn enters the universe having already been manipulated by the Joker into becoming a supervillain. Under his abusive tutorship, famously depicted in several of her histories including the upcomingSuicide Squadgame, this version of the character is known to have played a tragic and misguided hand in the murder of Dick Grayson’s Robin.
By the timeBirds of Preycomes aroundhowever, Harley begins to show signs of development and personal growth away from her dark origins. Freeing herself from her abusive relationship proves to be the catalysts for the character to flourish in every sense. Over the course of this second movie, Harley crucially manages to become more confident during this challenging process, whilst opening herself up to new people worthy of her time. While her unpredictable and anarchic personality remains a constant aspect of the character’s charm, she ultimately transitions into an effective antihero who’s shown to really care about her teammates, particularly in the most recent film.
When it comes to abilities it should be noted thatThe Suicide Squad’s Harleyis more constrained by the medium that she inhabits, especially when compared to the version that players will get to control in Rocksteady’s game. Being a live action movie, within a universe that’s historically struggled with how gritty it wants to be, ensures that a lot of what the antihero is capable of doing is grounded in reality.
With that being said, throughout the movie, Harley proves herself to be a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, with an expert level proficiency in gymnastics and weapon mastery. In general, there’s an almost unique John Wick-esque efficiency and poise to her fighting style as well, with the character notably being able to turn any object into a weapon. Most notably seen with comedic-infused use of Javelin’s own famous tool.
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Even though Rocksteady Studios has been noticeably tight lipped about giving away details regardingSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, fans are already well aware of that universe’s Harley Quinn thanks totheBatman: Arkhamseries. Being a direct continuation of those games, this latest spin-off features a version of the character that’s been in every mainline game to date, and subsequently has a lot of established backstory and history. While both share an affinity with similarly themed red and black costumes, and are instantly recognizable as the same person, a lot of the details that inform their overall characterizations are strikingly different.
When it comes to origins, it should be noted that both versions of the character do admittedly share similar narrative beats and themes. Having become infatuated with the Joker whilst working atthe infamous Arkham Asylumas a psychiatrist, both eventually find themselves dunked into a vat at Gotham’s Ace Chemicals facility. From here, a life of violence and chaotic villainy ensues in both circumstances, with the Arkhamverse incarnation of Harley also having played a pivotal role in the death of Robin. With the only difference in this instance being the fact that it’s the more comic book accurate murder of Jason Todd that the pair orchestrate together.
While the big screen adaptation of Harley has focused on the character’s journey of emancipation from the Joker, Rocksteady’s incarnation was never able to fully break free from the clown’s abusive grasp before his death duringBatman: Arkham City. In some ways, the version that players have gone toe-to-toe with since then has remained more blatantly on the side of villainy, especially compared to the antihero status that Margot Robbie’s depiction carved out for the character. In terms of personality, this ensured that the Arkhamverse Harley is more abrasive and snarky, especially when it comes to interactions with herTask Force X teammates.
This dynamic is in part aided by the fact that theArkhamseries' Harley has also had more dealings with Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad in general, through media such as the animatedBatman: Assault on Arkhammovie. This disparity in experience can also be seen in theSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s first trailer, where the character utilizes her greater field experience with gadgets like a grapple gun. Voiced by the instantly recognizable Tara Strong, it remains to be seen if this version of Harley can put aside her differences to become more like her redeemed doppelganger over the course of the game.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leaguereleases in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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