I’m convinced this new DCU needs Harley Quinn more than she needs it — and here’s why

Having recently rewatched The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn, I experienced a strong and vibrant clarity: Harley Quinn is the vital force the new DCU requires to continue moving ahead. The moment she shows up on screen, everything transforms. She commands the scene with a chaotic brilliance that appears both dangerous and comforting.

Watching her stab the massive Kaiju’s eye? It resembled witnessing an artist finish a masterpiece with a single and assured stroke.

Harley Quinn as a character exudes such a vitality that shatters established barriers, leaps between realms, and alters the guidelines without seeking consent. Margot Robbie transformed her into a vibrant spectacle of color and fury, a character so dynamic that she won't conform to any established norm. She resides in our thoughts, swirling through our fantasies with that devious smile and unshakeable self-assurance.

Harley Quinn experiences freedom in a manner few heroes or antiheroes ever risk. The DCU becomes more vibrant when she walks in, as she represents a fierce, indomitable energy that enhances the reality, urgency, and humanity of everything nearby.

Eye stabbing and universe breaking

When Harley Quinn pierced the Kaiju’s eye in The Suicide Squad, I felt an explosion of joy and madness that stayed with me long after the credits rolled. That moment captures her essence perfectly. She turns violence into ballet, transforms chaos into poetry. It becomes a statement about her power to shape the entire narrative. Fast forward to Superman and a new kaiju and... eye stabbing? I internally screamed: Harley Quinn did it first!

Harley pushes through every barrier, whether it’s a giant alien creature or the invisible walls that separate universes. She carries a sense of freedom that feels electric and unstoppable. This wild spark connects directly to James Gunn’s vision for the DCU. He builds worlds where broken people find unexpected purpose, and Harley lights up every corner of that universe.

She moves through these stories like a wild melody no one can predict, always pulling us deeper into her orbit. Every frame with Harley feels charged with a secret language of movement and color. She dances through gunfire, laughs in the face of certain death, and somehow turns every chaotic moment into something strangely intimate. This ability to transform destruction into pure art makes her feel timeless, a living piece of pop mythology that stays etched in your mind long after the screen fades to black.

She charges into each story and drags us along with her. Even in a universe full of gods and aliens, she stands out because she feels raw and alive. Every swing of her bat, every fearless leap into danger feels like an invitation to live with more courage, more color, more heart.

Harley as the essence of the Gunn-verse

Harley Quinn seems destined for James Gunn’s universe. She blends seamlessly into his warped symphony of eccentrics and outcasts. When I consider Gunn’s approach, I envision characters transforming pain into humor, solitude into lively dances, and injuries into vibrant neon marks. Harley represents all of that in a single dynamic bundle.

Harley Quinn radiates the same wild heartbeat that pulses through Gunn’s most memorable stories. He crafts worlds where misfits find meaning, where broken souls become unlikely heroes, and where madness feels like a strange kind of salvation. Harley fits into this vision with perfect, chaotic grace.

Harley Quinn offers no apologies for her insanity or her passion for chaos. She immerses herself in each moment without doubt, and this bold essence characterizes Gunn’s finest creations. Peacemaker illustrates how these fractured, tumultuous individuals can form something akin to a family, a distorted group bonded by shared wounds. Harley fits perfectly within that beautiful, chaotic mess.

I picture Harley Quinn crashing into Peacemaker’s world, flipping every mission into a carnival of violence and unexpected tenderness. I imagine her sharing quiet moments with Bloodsport, exchanging dark jokes that hide deep scars. I see her pushing every character to reveal raw pieces of themselves they never dared to show.

She turns every environment she steps into a playground, a theater, a war zone. Her presence guarantees a mix of surprise and emotional richness simultaneously. Gunn’s DCU feels incomplete without her because she carries the exact flavor of defiance and weird joy that makes these stories feel alive.

If even Gunn fell in love with Harley Quinn, why wouldn’t we?

Warner wanted Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad, and James Gunn transformed that request into a love letter to her character. He saw her potential to lead and to shape the entire rhythm of the film. Instead of simply including her, he placed her at the center and created one of the wildest and most brilliant sequences ever filmed. Gunn said:

“I wrote the biggest action scene I've ever done all around Harley, and it was so fun to create on every level from working with the stunt guys all the way through to working with her. It's probably my favorite four minutes of film I've ever shot before.”

That passion shines in every frame. Margot Robbie fills Harley Quinn with grace, danger, and pure athletic brilliance. Gunn added on Twitter that this was “the most fun I’ve ever had on set, and the most impressed I ever was with a performer,” calling it the coolest action sequence he ever filmed.

A director with full creative freedom chose to center his favorite scene around her. She claimed that space with unstoppable magnetism. She earned the spotlight by radiating bright, unpredictable chaos that pulls everyone in.

I feel drawn to that energy every time. Gunn’s love for Harley Quinn mirrors what many of us feel. She represents the wild heart of these stories, the electric spark that turns every moment into a dance we crave to watch.

Legacy and future crossovers

Harley Quinn already carries a legacy stronger than most heroes and villains combined. She survived shifts in tone, changes in leadership, and entire universe resets. Watching her move from the old DCEU into this new chapter feels like watching a wild flower break through concrete.

Her power isn’t tied to any one timeline or director. She shows up in places you least expect, and every time she does, the story feels sharper, more alive. Even in Ninja Batman vs Yakuza League, she slips in and immediately steals the moment. She never needs a main spotlight to dominate the stage.

The thought of Harley crossing paths with new faces in the DCU excites me more than any cosmic showdown. Imagine her dancing around Superman’s rigid moral lines, tossing chaos into the order he tries so hard to maintain. Picture her jumping into Peacemaker’s chaotic circle, turning each mission into a colorful carnival of trouble. She opens doors for crossovers that feel unexpected and honest, and each of these possibilities feels electric.

Why the DCU needs Harley Quinn more than she needs it

Harley Quinn already lives inside our imagination. She exists beyond any cinematic universe or studio blueprint. Her energy moves through fan art, cosplays, and late-night conversations about favorite scenes. She became an icon without needing any permission or roadmap.

The DCU gains more from Harley than she ever could from it. She injects life, unpredictability, and raw emotion into every corner she touches. She keeps the stories human and weird, makes the gods feel vulnerable, and turns the darkest moments into strange love letters to survival.

I don’t just want to see her come back. I feel an ache for her presence, a need for that jolt of bright madness only she can deliver. Harley Quinn stands as a living reminder that stories should feel dangerous and joyful at the same time.

When Harley Quinn shows up, the universe feels less like a product and more like a living, breathing thing. And that is exactly why the DCU needs her.