Anyone who grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series likely was surprised when it was revealed what Harley Quinn would be wearing in Suicide Squad. Although Harley has gone through costume changes before in the comics and other media, the look pictured above is the furthest way from her classic red and black jester outfit. Harley’s creator Paul Dini attributed the fashion change to fitting in better with the DC Extended Universe’s tone, but the clownish villain almost did get to wear her original threads in live action.
During an interview with Hello Giggles, Margot Robbie revealed that before they chose Harley’s current Suicide Squad look, from the ‘Daddy’s Little Monster" shirt to the torn fishnet stockings, they went though several other costume variations. As she put it:
Oh, we tried on every variation of the costume. I cannot emphasize enough how many outfits, and how many variations of the Harley Quinn costume we tried. We tried the court jester costume, we tried the corset and skirt, we tried leather pants, we tried literally every type of costume possible for her. I really love where we ended up. And who knows, maybe in the sequels we’ll go with the court jester one. I think there’s a world of possibilities.
As mentioned before, Suicide Squad isn’t the first time Harley’s costume has been changed. The first major revamp was in the Batman: Arkham video games, and a few years later, the New 52 traded in her classic costume for something more "modern." However, it’s the jester outfit (as seen below) that most people have recognized her by since 1992, and although she may not wear it as much nowadays, it would still be interesting to see it in live action, even if it’s not as practical as the cartoons and comics make it.
Last year, before principal photography began, it was rumored that Harley would go through several costume changes in Suicide Squad, including her "traditional animated series" costume. From what we’ve seen in the previews so far, although she does go through a few fashion changes, it doesn't look like that’ll come to pass. But, like Margot Robbie said, there may be hope for the future.
Fortunately for Harley fans, Suicide Squad 2 may be closer than they think, as it was reported last week that Warner Bros. is so impressed with the early Suicide Squad footage that they’re starting to develop a sequel. Since we can safely assume that Harley won’t be one of the characters killed off in the first movie, perhaps she could don the jester outfit briefly for the sequel before returning to her main DCEU look. You know, just to try a new look while committing crimes before going on more forced black ops missions for the government.
We’ll see Harley Quinn in action alongside other DC baddies when Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5.
