Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad)

In 2016's Suicide Squad, after being incarcerated at Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary in Louisiana following her arrest by Batman, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is forcibly recruited into Task Force X by ruthless government official Amanda Waller. Fitted with a nano-bomb in her neck to ensure compliance, Harley is deployed alongside fellow supervillains Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, and Killer Croc under the command of Colonel Rick Flag. Their high-stakes mission sends them into the combat zone of Midway City, which has been devastated by the rogue ancient deity Enchantress and her brother Incubus. Throughout the mission, Harley wields her signature baseball bat and custom revolver with unhinged charisma and acrobatic finesse. Despite an attempted airborne rescue by the Joker that initially fails, Harley chooses to stick with her squadmates, playing a crucial role in defeating Enchantress and saving the world before being returned to prison with minor privileges.

Harley Quinn's inclusion in the Suicide Squad represents a defining turning point in the character's history. Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, Harley was first integrated into the comic book Task Force X during DC's The New 52 reboot in 2011 by writer Adam Glass. This narrative shift liberated Harley from being solely the Joker's subordinate, establishing her as an independent anti-heroine capable of anchoring covert operations. Margot Robbie's live-action portrayal across Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020), and The Suicide Squad (2021) cemented Harley Quinn as a mainstream pop-culture icon and flagship DC franchise figure. Her journey in Task Force X emphasizes her growth from an abused criminal partner into a self-reliant warrior who finds genuine camaraderie among fellow outcasts.

The visual design of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad synthesizes elements from DC's The New 52 comics with modern rock iconography. Conceived by director David Ayer, the look was directly inspired by Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry alongside Harley's Prime Earth comic aesthetic. Her visual identity features dip-dyed blue and red pigtails, pale skin resulting from her jump into a vat of acid at Ace Chemicals, and distinct facial and body tattoos, including 'Rotten' on her cheek and 'Property of Joker' across her back. Her outfit consists of a red-and-blue sequined jacket over a distressed 'Daddy's Lil Monster' T-shirt, micro hot-pants, and high-heeled sneakers. Her primary arsenal includes a customized revolver and a wooden baseball bat emblazoned with the handwritten superscription 'Good Night'. The film also includes a brief homage to her classic black-and-red jester suit from the cover of Batman: Harley Quinn. In later missions, such as Corto Maltese, she transitions to a red leather combat suit and wields a collapsible javelin.