Aside from likely having to safeguard a young Cassandra Cain from the sadistic Black Mask, not much is currently known about the plot to the Birds of Prey movie. Although, its subtitle, “The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” is more telling than one would think.
Based on that, it’s become obvious that the Clown Princess of Crime will finally split from the Joker, a status quo that’s actually been familiar to comic book readers for about five years now. In fact, it wasn’t until Harley went solo that I even liked her, specifically when Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner began penning her adventures.
Oddly enough, the breakup would’ve happened in Suicide Squad had it not undergone significant reshoots that painted the Joker as being a heroic loverboy. As such, “relationship goals” memes flooded social media in 2016, so the average moviegoer has to catch up to the DC diehard when it comes to knowing where the couple (?) stands.
Given that, Variety asked screenwriter Christina Hodson if indeed audiences are ready for a liberated Harley, to which she responded with:
“I do. I think she really has [been accepted] in the comics already, but I think absolutely people are ready for that. She is such a cool, bold, fun, great character. She doesn’t have to be in anyone’s shadow. So I’m excited to see Harley stand on her own and be her own thing. She is the character, in all of my writing, that I’ve most enjoyed. I’m excited to bring her into the world a second time. She’s so full of contradictions, she’s so intelligent, but also so crazy. She’s just the most fun to write. You never know what you’re gonna get when you sit down.”
If anyone can give Harley the proper inspiration to stand on her own two legs, it’s most assuredly gals like Huntress and Black Canary. I know there are those of you who dig Poison Ivy, but come on, she’s a serial killer for crying out loud.
But no matter where your opinion may lie, I’m sure we can all put aside our differences and enjoy Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) when it arrives in theaters on February 7th, 2020. Until then, keep watching this space as more info surfaces.