The Joker Being in 'Suicide Squad' is a Bad Idea

The big news right now is the apparent casting of Jered Leto as the new Joker for DC’s cinematic universe. I’m not going to make any arguments for whether that’s a good or bad piece of casting. That’s for another day. No, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I hate the idea of the Joker being in Suicide Squad at all.

Yes. DC wants to put the Chris Nolan era behind them. They want to start fresh and they have to recast the Joker at some point. I get that. The real reason I dislike this move is because of Harley Quinn. Since Paul Dini created her for Batman: The Animated Series she’s quickly become one of comic-dom’s most loved female characters – something that is still lacking in superhero film making. Sure, the argument can be made that Harley is overused and ubiquitous, but that’s really only a testament to her popularity. She’s a strong, intimidating character who, though created as a companion to the charismatic madness of the Joker, is far more than a sidekick. She’s an antihero, unpredictable and carries an unmistakable gravitas that makes her both playful and terrifying.

Harley is going to be in Suicide Squad and I think that’s fantastic. Finally, we will see an atypical female protagonist on the big screen who is fun, funny and tailor made for an irreverent action flick. The problem is in including the Joker. Not only is he a Big Bad-type villain who would be done an injustice (no pun intended) by sharing the spotlight, but with him there Harley is instantly pushed to the back burner. She is relegated to – at best a reactionary character – and at worst – a sidekick of the Joker. Her independent persona and character development outside of Joker’s shadow is all for naught.

I understand that it’s important to establish Harley’s origins and ties to the Clown Prince of Crime, but DC has a chance to give audiences a new kind of female icon that we haven’t seen on screen since Tank Girl. Use Joker in a flashback? OK, but unlikely since they got a high profile actor for a high profile character Use him as the villain the Suicide Squad is assembled to track down? OK, but no outcome of that story ends with Harley’s arc NOT being tied directly to Joker. Honestly, they’d be better off having one or the other, but not both. Not with the Harley Quinn we’ve grown to know and love.

The Joker Being in ‘Suicide Squad’ is a Bad Idea

By Skip Harvey | Dec 2, 2014