Harley Quinn is headed for the new DC Universe—but whether Margot Robbie gets to bring her back remains unresolved. James Gunn has confirmed that the character’s DCU future is still an open question, even as he makes clear that Harley herself is almost certain to appear in the franchise.
Speaking on the DC Studios Showcase podcast, Gunn said The Suicide Squad is part of DCU continuity, with Harley Quinn representing the one major complication. His comments leave the 2021 film largely intact as canon while allowing flexibility around what happened to Harley after her latest mission. “The Suicide Squad” is also deeply connected to the new continuity through characters including John Cena’s Peacemaker, Sean Gunn’s Weasel, and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. Coverage from Den of Geek and Deadline confirms that Gunn sees Robbie as welcome to return, but not essential to the character’s survival in the rebooted universe.
Gunn’s position is unusually accommodating. If Robbie wants to play Harley again, he says he would “bend over backwards” to make her version fit the DCU’s history. If she has moved on, however, the filmmaker may recast the role rather than remain bound to every detail of Harley’s previous appearances. He has also described Robbie as one of his favorite actors to work with while acknowledging that she may simply be finished with the character.
That uncertainty matters because Robbie’s Harley has already appeared in three DC films: David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. The role helped establish Harley as one of DC’s most recognizable modern screen characters, but Robbie’s career has expanded considerably since her debut. She became the star and producer of Barbie, while her LuckyChap company has developed films including I, Tonya, Promising Young Woman, and Saltburn.
Robbie also has other major Warner Bros. work ahead. She is in discussions to star in and produce Tim Burton’s remake of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman through LuckyChap, a project that would reunite her with the studio for a science-fiction story about a wealthy heiress transformed to gigantic size after an encounter with aliens. Variety reported that LuckyChap is involved in the film’s development and production.
For now, the takeaway is less a casting announcement than a strategic promise: Harley Quinn belongs in Gunn’s DCU plans, but Robbie has the deciding vote on whether this particular Harley continues. A recast would let DC Studios create a clean interpretation of the character, while Robbie’s return would give the new franchise an immediate link to the films that came before it—and preserve one of the DCEU’s most popular performances.
