Deadpool and Harley Quinn: The crossover fans want but will never happen

In the days before Disney bought out Marvel, there used to be frequent crossovers between them and DC in the comics. And now, we’d like to see one from Deadpool and Harley Quinn.

It feels like a lifetime since the days of comic book crossovers, especially since the movies for both companies blew up. But if any two characters from Marvel and DC would work as a film crossover, it would be Deadpool and Harley Quinn.

They’re still relatively recent creations in their respective universes. More importantly, Deadpool and Harley Quinn are both unstable, violent lunatics who are not clear as to whether they’re good or bad. They kind of just do what they want, when they want.

The iterations of them that appear on the big screen are like a match made in Heaven. While it’s almost impossible that this would happen, a movie meeting between them could absolutely shatter box office records.

The good old days

As hard as it is to believe, there was a time when crossovers between Marvel and DC were relatively plentiful. Big characters from both sides journeyed to each other’s cities to first fight, then team up. Such is the way when two heroes meet for the first time.

Naturally, Batman was a lightning rod for these kind of events. He had dealings with the likes of Daredevil and the Punisher. Superman was no slouch, mixing it up with the Silver Surfer, who might be one of the few heroes in either universe who could match the Man of Steel’s power.

Beyond single characters meeting up, there were occasions when entire teams and universes crossed paths. The Amalgam storyline pitted the best of both companies against each other, eventually combining them into one world.

As an example, Batman and Wolverine became one hero in the Amalgam Universe. Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange also became one sorcerer, which wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was Charles Xavier being the real identity of that combined hero.

Things changed when motion picture efforts ramped up in both comic book companies. The establishment of the MCU essentially led to the end of these cooperative efforts, though Disney buying out Marvel certainly added some gasoline to that fire.

These days, the likelihood of a crossover in the comics, let alone the movies, is all but impossible. But if there was ever a movie to extend an olive branch over, it would be Deadpool and Harley Quinn Take Manhattan. That’s just a suggested title, of course.

Deadpool and Harley Quinn should be best friends

Deadpool made his debut in one of the last issues of The New Mutants before the team became X-Force in 1991. The mysterious masked mercenary showed up to cause Cable trouble. That issue also featured the debut of someone posing as Domino, who subsequently helped Cable defeat the Merc With a Mouth and FedEx him back to his boss.

It actually wasn’t that long after Deadpool appeared on the scene that Harley Quinn popped up. Unlike him, Quinn debuted in a 1992 episode of the classic show, Batman: The Animated Series. From there, she made her way to the comics and into DC’s main continuity.

While they have different origins and abilities, the similarities between the two are undeniable. This dynamic duo shares a love of violent comedy and absurdity, as well as severe impulse control problems and similar mental instabilities.

But it’s also apparent that they’re both talented, creative hand-to-hand combatants who are trained with an incredible range of weapons. They are forces of nature who are bold enough to take on any challenge.

Deadpool and Harley Quinn also walk the line between hero and villain thoroughly. They each have nefarious pasts in addition to a desire to do better with their lives. What that has morphed into over time has been incredibly interesting for both characters.

Live action movie mayhem

Both characters have also made the transition to live action movies. Portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, the two standalone Deadpool films have been successes with critics and fans. Disney is in the process of pursuing a third film, hopefully still with an R rating.

Margot Robbie plays Harley Quinn in DC’s live action films, and does an incredible job of it. Unfortunately, the first film featuring her, 2016’s Suicide Squad, was a dud though that had more to do with behind the scenes tinkering done by the studio.

Harley returned four years later in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). It was an infinitely better movie that gave Robbie the chance to really show what she was capable of with the character.

Bad debuts are another common point between the two characters. Ryan Reynolds’ first movie as Deadpool was technically X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. It was an absolute stinker of a film that got Deadpool completely wrong. Fortunately, Reynolds’ return to the character seven years later was more in line with what fans expected.

What has made Reynolds and Robbie so successful in their respective roles is their commitment to making their characters great. Both actors have taken big roles in their movies, both in front of and behind the cameras. The passion that goes into these films is obvious.

Take a chance Deadpool and Harley

When fans watch both franchises, there is a natural connection between the two characters. As such, the desire for a crossover between the two of them is growing, though such dreams are tempered by the realities of business.

The Deadpool movies were originally made by Fox, and are now being made by Disney after yet another buyout. On the other hand, Warner Bros. is responsible for DC’s slate of movies, including anything involving Harley Quinn. As such, a crossover is incredibly unlikely.

That being said, fans thought the same thing about Spider-Man and the rest of the MCU. Because the movie rights were owned by Sony, no one thought the Wall Crawler would ever team up with the Avengers on the big screen. Yet, Disney and Sony worked out an arrangement that was beneficial to both sides.

While it’s certainly a longshot, the same would be true of a movie with both Deadpool and Harley Quinn in it. If Warner Bros. and Disney could reach an agreement, a movie featuring the greatest on-screen superhero team of all time might break both the box office and the internet.

Would you like to see Harley Quinn and Deadpool unite on the big screen? Let us know in the comments below!