Harley Quinn: Margot Robbie's reading list hints at character's future

The character will feature both in Suicide Squad 2 and the upcoming female-led ensemble film Gotham City Sirens

Margot Robbie may share very little in common with her onscreen take on Harley Quinn, but the pair have a pretty bright future ahead of them.

With the character set to return both for Suicide Squad 2 and the female led-ensemble film Gotham City Sirens, Quinn's about to take centre spotlight in the DCEU in a way that may even outshine Robbie's scene-stealing performance in the otherwise disappointing Suicide Squad.

However, with the reveal of the Gotham City Sirens title and the return of director David Ayer, there was a worry that the film wouldn't do justice to the character beyond her surface sex appeal; considering the Gotham City Sirens comics are notorious for their cheesecake imagery and cheap sexual thrills.

A little good news, then: thanks to some expert detective work over at Reddit (via The Hollywood Reporter), Robbie's been spotted reading a very different take on the Harley Quinn character, 2015's Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special; potentially as part of the collection Harley Quinn Vol 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab.

What's so interesting about her choice of reading material is that these comics were penned by husband-wife team Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, responsible for the majority of Harley Quinn comics since 2013; writers who have made great effort to move the character away from an overly sexualised portrayal to one that concentrates on her comedic persona - exactly the thing that makes her such a loveable character.

It's also a move that really helped to establish Quinn in her own right within the comics community and as a character capable of spawning multiple spin-offs, including Harley's Little Black Book and Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys. She left both the Suicide Squad and the Joker behind, largely, starting a new life in Coney Island; while rounding her out as a smarter and kinder character than before.

With Robbie acting as producer on the Gotham City Sirens project, hopefully she'll be able to steer the character in the right direction; letting Harley Quinn fully inhabit the vibrant, wild personality that's made her such a fan favourite with comics fans.