Suicide Squad is almost here and while the early response from critics has been less than stellar, many have called out Margot Robbie's performance as Harley Quinn as one of the film's standout performances. But, what does the man who created her think? Paul Dini was the lead writer for Batman: The Animated Series, the place where Harley Quinn was born 25 years ago, and he's got two words to describe Margot Robbie's portrayal of his creation: "nailed it."
While The Joker has been part of Batman's history since 1940, his sidekick/girlfriend Harley Quinn was an entirely original creation of Batman: The Animated Series when it debuted in 1992. Created by writer Paul Dini and artist Bruce Timm, Harley Quinn became so popular in the series that she was adopted by the comic book as well, where she has gone on to as much success as any character in the medium. Paul Dini could be one of the toughest critics of any performance of Harley Quinn, but he tells ComicBook.com that he loves everything about what Margot Robbie has done with the character. He felt that way even before he saw the actual movie.
Every clip that I've seen of Margot as Harley, she seems to have nailed it perfectly. When she's introducing herself to Katana, when she's walking around with the bat behind her shoulders, she just seems to have really channeled the true spirit of the character. Seeing that come alive is just amazing for me. I saw the shot yesterday of her and Joker in the therapy session getting ready to kiss, and I was just like, 'That's it, that's my girl.'
While Harley Quinn didn't have a fully-fleshed out backstory in Batman: The Animated Series, Paul Dini eventually wrote a comic, Mad Love, which told us that Harley Quinn had previously been Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who had been assigned to the Joker, but was eventually fell in love with him, or was driven crazy by him, or both. Then, the comics origin swung back around, and was referenced in the follow up cartoon, The New Adventures of Batman. It's the beginning of this, which is shown in Suicide Squad that Dini is referring to.
Paul Dini isn't the only one who loves Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Many reviews, even the bad ones, point out that Robbie does a great job. If fans concur once Suicide Squad is released, then there's a better than decent chance we could see Robbie star in a spinoff film of her very own.
Is there a Suicide Squad character you're more excited to check out then Harley Quinn? If so, let us know what's wrong with you in the comments.
