SPOILER ALERT: This article may contain SPOILERS for ‘Suicide Squad’ so proceed with caution.
The ‘Suicide Squad’ is an ensemble movie, featuring an assortment of DC’s nastiest super villains played by some pretty names, from Will Smith as Deadshot to Jai Courtney as (Captain) Boomerang. But since shooting started, the most attention has been on Jared Leto‘s frightening Joker and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, making the character’s live action debut. Perhaps that is by design. One doesn’t simply toss The Joker into a mix without giving him a juicy role in the story. And considering that Quinn is most known as being his ditzy moll AND is one of the pivotal members of the ‘Suicide Squad’ in the comics, expect her to be a huge arc in the film. But just how huge?
Robbie’s stunt double, Ingrid Kleinig tweeted– and removed– a pic that could offer insight into the movie’s content:
Yes, one of the settings is Ace Chemical, the Gotham City plant where a bumbling comedian-turned crook (at least according to ‘The Killing Joke’), was transformed into the alabaster-skinned, green haired mass murderer known as The Joker. But there could be more to it.
Harley Quinn was created for ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ but something about her– the squeaky voice, the sleek two-tone suit, her off-kilter personality– clicked with audiences and she not only became a recurring character on the show, but she made her way into the mainstream DC comic universe, where she proved popular enough to earn her own series.
However, coming from an outside source, her origin has never been carved in stone. One constant is that she started as Harleen Quinzell, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum where she fell under the sway of the Joker, to the point that he drove her insane and she became his devoted follower.
One unexplained phenomenon in the comics however is that as Harley’s costume evolved from the full coverage bodysuit from the cartoon to more skin-revealing attire, the skin on her entire body was shown to be chalk white. Originally, Quinn had normal Caucasian skin and just applied makeup to emulate her idol’s appearance. But in these skimpier outfits, she was shown as having snow white all over her body.
This was recently explained, as her origin was expanded and it was explained that The Joker had taken her to the Ace Chemical Plant and recreated the same accident that made him the chilling vision he is today with Harley, whom he dunked in the same vats that transformed him, thus giving her a similar ghostly appearance.
Considering that Robbie’s stunt double was needed on this particular set, it certainly seems as if this sequence could be replicated in the film. The fact that she was forced to yank the picture down after posting it also implies that this photo spoiled an important element from the film.
Considering just how popular Harley is with the public– she is one of the most cosplayed comic characters and clothing store Hot Topic has an entire display devoted just to her– it makes sense for the film to place her in a large and important role. Super hero movies have been criticized for not giving female characters an equal spotlight, but with ‘Suicide Squad’ DC could help to balance that.
Sure it’s a movie about a team, but it’s hard to balance so many characters. In most ensemble movies, the crux of the film focuses on one or two major characters, while the others are there as support. Plus, with this movie, some of those guys are likely to get killed.
Does the idea of building ‘Suicide Squad’ around Harley sound like a good idea? Does more Harley make the film more or less enticing? Or do you think the film should be more balanced and spotlight every character equally?
Comment below with your thoughts!
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