‘Suicide Squad 2’ Spoilers: Harley Quinn, Joker Relationship Over Due To Harley/Deadshot Romance? [Sequel Rumors]

Suicide Squad comes out this August and the film has already been confirmed to be receiving a sequel, Suicide Squad 2, which may begin filming in 2017. Director David Ayer and Will Smith are working on the fantasy cop thriller Bright this fall and Ayer hopes to return to the DC Extended Universe with Smith to shoot the sequel. With Suicide Squad 2 confirmed, along with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn getting a spin-off featuring other female DC characters, the status of Harley Quinn and Joker’s relationship is definitely up in the air. Could we see Harley and Deadshot hooking up in Suicide Squad 2?

Possible spoilers for Suicide Squad/Suicide Squad 2 up ahead.

From what we can tell from the trailers, Harley Quinn’s origin will pretty much play out like it did when she first appeared in the comics, after debuting on the Batman animated series. Harley, whose real name is Harleen Frances Quinzel, works as an Arkham Asylum psychiatrist and will be tortured and manipulated by the Joker and be under his control — until she decides to break free and be her own person. This much has been confirmed by Ayer himself, talking with Empire, basically highlighting Harley’s redemption story in Suicide Squad.

“When you follow her story, it’s about her breaking free of the Joker and becoming this fully actualized, independent person. That really is a metaphor for everyone’s journey here.”

The case of Harley Quinn: Her madness defines her. Is she mad because of WHO she loves or because she loves him so much? #skwad

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) February 5, 2015

This is in line with what has been happening with the characters in the comics recently, with Harley finally ridding herself of the Joker and moving on. The Suicide Squad plot could possibly feature Harley playing both sides, being somewhat of a mole for the Joker, until she ultimately decides to remove herself from his grasp.

Deadshot and Harley Quinn have had romantic interactions and, of course, Will Smith and Margot Robbie demonstrated their romantic chemistry in 2015’s Focus. It was no doubt inevitable that their Suicide Squad characters would be headed in a romantic direction once Smith and Robbie were cast, and we will see hints of this in the upcoming film.

“Harley is the biggest troublemaker, but Deadshot’s actually eyeballing her a little bit,” Smith said of the Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Joker love triangle. “There’s a pretty ragged romantic triangle there.”

So Harley has officially renounced the Joker in the comics, but seeing how they're rebooting the New52…ehh? pic.twitter.com/BmQt26U6KK

— L.A. (@lachwriter) February 22, 2016

It’s not clear at this point whether or not the Joker will appear in Harley’s spin-off film, but if that is the case, it seems that the two certainly won’t be working on the same side. It’s not completely out of the question that the DC female hero-led spin-off film may feature completely different love interests, like a Harley Quinn lesbian/bisexual relationship with Poison Ivy — which has happened in the comics. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy first crossed paths in Batman: The Animated Series, and since then, a romantic relationship between the two has been explored in the comics, in books like Poison Ivy: Cycle Of Life And Death and DC’s Bombshells. The Harley/Poison Ivy romance is actually an important and special relationship, considering that it is a genuinely loving and supportive relationship, after Harley’s abusive relationship with the Joker.

Along with Poison Ivy, Batgirl and Birds of Prey have also been mentioned as possibly being in the spin-off film. It wouldn’t be surprising if the film featured Poison Ivy, Katana, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and Bumblebee — given that those are the women who are getting the spotlight in the DC SuperHero Girls line of comics.

Yes, they are Girlfriends without the jealousy of monogamy. @jpalmiotti @AmandaRantsAlot #HarleyQuinnChat https://t.co/n86jApADCi

— DC (@DCOfficial) June 12, 2015

There’s no telling what Suicide Squad 2 will be about, but it’s a safe bet to assume that at least Will Smith and Margot Robbie will be returning in their respective roles. Harley Quinn is probably the character who gets the most amount of screen-time in the trailers, so losing the character would be a bit of a mistake. And considering the phenomenal success of Deadpool, it’s possible that the sequel could be rated-R.

Suicide Squad features Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Karen Fukuhara, Will Smith, Adam Beach, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Cara Delevingne, and hits theaters on August 5, 2016.

[Image via Warner Bros.]