- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Birds of Prey (and the Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)."
- "Birds of Prey" addresses the absence of Jared Leto's Joker at the film's start.
- Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and the Joker broke up off screen and the backside of Leto's Joker is seen in one short flashback.
- It's for the better. This is Harley's story as she's trying to move forward. She doesn't need a reminder of her toxic ex on screen.
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"Birds of Prey" marks the return of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn to theaters, but don't expect to see Jared Leto's Joker back on screen with her.
The "Suicide Squad" spinoff does not reunite Quinn with the Clown Prince of Crime or the rest of the group from the 2016 movie.
Honestly, it's for the better.
Much of the film focuses on Harley trying to establish herself in Gotham City post-breakup.
Whether you're simply wondering how the film addresses Leto's character or if you've seen the film and need to walk through the decision to scrub the Joker from Harley's narrative, we have you covered.
How 'Birds of Prey' handles the Joker's absence
Movie trailers heavily teased the Harley Quinn and Joker breakup and the film wastes little time getting to the elephant in the room.
Harley kicks off the movie telling us what we already know: She and Mistah J are no more.
They conveniently broke up off-screen after the events of 2016's "Suicide Squad" movie. Harley doesn't get into specifics, but if you're familiar with their relationship, you know it's a generally a toxic one with an emotionally abusive Joker.
About eight minutes are spent with Harley moping around and getting drunk and feeling sorry for herself until she hears others gossip that she'll likely run back to the Joker in no time.
Fed up with others believing she's nothing without Batman's biggest foe, Harley makes a statement to show she's done with the Joker once and for all. She blows up Ace Chemicals, the location tied to both of their origin stories. From there, Harley sets off on her own, searching for emancipation from a toxic relationship.
Wait. Is the Joker not in this movie at all? Nope!
There is a slight throwback to "Suicide Squad" where we see footage from the 2016 film that shows Harleen Quinzel's transformation into Harley Quinn again. The Joker's backside is briefly shown helping pull Harley up out of a giant vat of acid inside Ace Chemicals, but that's it.
Why isn't Leto in the movie?
Director Cathy Yan told CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell the film simply didn't need Leto's Joker.
"I don't think we need Jared. Right? ... Just like [Harley] doesn't need the Joker," said Yan.
During a "Birds of Prey" event in Hollywood, Robbie said she was more interested in seeing Harley with a girl gang than with the Joker to introduce more DC women on screen to fans. We've seen five live-action movie iterations of the Joker and numerous appearances of him in animated form voiced by Mark Hamill, Troy Baker, and others since the '90s.
With Joaquin Phoenix starring in WB's Oscar-nominated "Joker," it was time to let someone else have the spotlight.
Robbie told BBC Radio 1's Ali Plumb she spent time on fan forums to understand why and what fans love about Harley's character. She couldn't understand was why people back Harley's relationship with the clown.
"People really, really respond to the fact she loves a mad man," said Robbie. "They love the fact that she has this unconditional loyalty and love for a guy who treats her like s---."
Why this was the right decision
At first, you may have been a bit frustrated by the opening minutes of "Birds of Prey."
We don't learn anything more than we already knew from the trailers about Harley and Joker's breakup. No details are given for their uncoupling and then the Batman villain just mysteriously vanishes from Gotham City for the entire movie.
It's weird and an extremely convenient way to rid of Leto's Joker character from the DC films to wipe the slate clean.
But it was also an incredibly smart move.
"Birds of Prey" did not need the Joker.
When you're dealing with a difficult breakup, the last thing you need is a constant reminder of your ex and his face taking up space in your narrative. It makes it that much more difficult to get over the person. The best thing you can do is go off on your own and discover who you are without this other person.
That's exactly what Harley does in "Birds of Prey."
This is a film about rebirth as evidenced in the design of the film's poster, inspired by Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus."
It's about Dinah Lance discovering and not being afraid of her superpowers. It's about Renee Montoya standing up and excusing herself from a corrupt group of police officers. It's about Helena (aka Huntress) being able to avenge her family and start over. And, it's about Harley Quinn making a name for herself that isn't tied to another villain.
There is no room for a man in "Birds of Prey," and most certainly not a toxic one.
- Read more:
- 'Birds of Prey' is a rousing girl power movie with an excellent Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
- 'Birds of Prey' director Cathy Yan on the challenges of making her first studio movie and the 'bonkers audition tape' that she and Margot Robbie loved
- Harley Quinn's yellow jumpsuit in 'Birds of Prey' took the longest to get right and they tested it in 4 colors
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