James Gunn Says Harley Quinn Will Almost Certainly Appear in the DCU, but Margot Robbie’s Return Is Still Uncertain
Few DC characters have a bigger fan following than Harley Quinn, and few casting questions have hung in the air as long as who will play her in the new universe. Since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, fans have wondered whether Margot Robbie, the actress who defined the character on screen, would ever put the pigtails back on. Now Gunn has weighed in directly, and the Harley Quinn DCU update is a mix of good news and open questions.
Robbie played Harley in three films, ‘Suicide Squad’ in 2016, ‘Birds of Prey’ in 2020 and Gunn’s own ‘The Suicide Squad’ in 2021. All three belonged to the now-ended DC Extended Universe. Her portrayal won widespread acclaim, which is why the question of her future has kept coming back.
Speaking on ‘The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? — The Official Podcast‘, Gunn said Harley is a character he will almost certainly use in the DCU. He added that if Robbie wants to play her, he will go to great lengths to explain that in the world of the story. At the same time, he said he isn’t sure Robbie wants to return, wondering whether her skyrocketing stardom has changed her priorities.
He also acknowledged the practical difficulty. According to a clip from the show, bringing Robbie’s Harley back is one of the harder things to justify as canon in the DCU, partly because the Joker hasn’t been established in the new continuity. Gunn joked that Robbie is the one who has to decide whether ‘The Suicide Squad’ is canon.
The podcast, hosted by Gunn alongside Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, set out to settle how much of the 2021 film counts in the DCU. By the end of the episode, the trio reportedly reached a surprisingly definitive verdict: the movie is within the canon, with one notable exception. That ruling fits Gunn’s earlier explanations, in which events become canon when they are referenced in the DCU rather than simply because they appeared in a DCEU film.
Rick Flag Jr.’s death is the standard example, since it counts because it was mentioned in ‘Creature Commandos’. Harley’s status is trickier because her story is tied to a relationship with a Joker who hasn’t been introduced.
This isn’t the first time Gunn has addressed it. In August 2025, he told Entertainment Weekly that Harley’s future would be revealed down the line, while saying he definitely wanted to bring back Idris Elba’s Bloodsport. That answer was widely read as a non-denial rather than a refusal.
Robbie herself has also commented. She said she had heard nothing from DC about returning, and that she’d be fine with someone else taking on the role, saying she feels she needs to share Harley. In another interview, she said Harley would be a fun one to revisit, though she implied no return was planned.
The DCU has been steadily folding in elements of the old continuity. John Cena’s Peacemaker made the jump, and Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ is treated as an imperfect memory with many consistent details. Harley is the biggest piece still unresolved, since she was the breakout star of the earlier films.
Some outlets have assumed she would be recast when introduced, but Gunn’s comments show he is leaving the door open for Robbie. That would give the DCU a direct link to its predecessor while still allowing a fresh approach if she declines.
The DCU slate keeps growing, with ‘Peacemaker’ season 2, ‘Supergirl’, ‘Lanterns’ and ‘Clayface’ already in the timeline and Batman casting expected soon. A Harley announcement could follow, but nothing has been confirmed. For now, the decision seems to rest as much with Robbie as with the studio.
Gunn’s willingness to discuss it so openly is itself notable. It suggests the character remains a priority, even if the specifics are still undecided.
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