DC’s Birds of Prey continued the DCEU’s exploration of Gotham city and it’s many heroes and villains. It successfully established a brand new team of vigilantes with the Birds of Prey, while improving the character of Harley Quinn tenfold.
While the box office might not have been as expected, there will most certainly be some continuation of these characters. James Gunn’s sequel to Suicide Squad is already on the books, for example. Should fans get another Birds of Prey film, here are some characters we’d love to see in the sequel.
Deadshot
Deadshot was a long-running villain for hire in the comics and an establishing member of the Suicide Squad. In the film adaption, Will Smith was brought on board to wear the mask. While the film itself was a bit of a dumpster fire, there’s no denying that Smith was one of the better parts.
Sadly, it looks as if Will Smith will not be returning for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in 2021. Though he’s skipping out on that film, let’s hope that Smith might return for another shot (see what we did there?) at the character.
Katana
Suicide Squad wasted Katana, there’s no doubt about that. What could’ve been a powerful moment for both female and Asian representation was nothing more than a blip in an otherwise nothing film. But, Katana could be redeemed if she returned in a Birds of Prey sequel.
Karen Fukuhara is also not returning to The Suicide Squad. But, who’s to say she’s done with the DCEU? The character had been a member of the vigilante team in the comics. Why couldn’t she be brought on for future adventures?
Batman
Just because a movie is set on the streets of Gotham, that doesn’t mean we necessarily need batman in it. Birds of Prey was one of the best Bat-verse movies ever made, and Bruce Wayne didn’t appear in it once. That being said, we’d love to see Batman work alongside any of the Birds of Prey, but especially Harley Quinn.
Obviously, there is a bit of a problem here. Ben Affleck’s Batman is seemingly over with, and Robert Pattinson’s Batman is in a completely separate universe. So neither of them could appear. But this universe hasn’t necessarily been to concerned with keeping continuity either, so just recast the role. If we can deal with two jokers we can handle more than one Batman.
Hugo Strange
Birds of Prey did a great job of embracing Harley’s identity as a psychologist. Her skills to understand the minds of others and herself are uncanny. So, what better villain to pit her against in a sequel than a character that uses that skill to manipulate others?
Hugo Strange has yet to get the big-screen attention he deserves. The madman of Arkham, he would be a very fitting foe to go up against Harley in either a standalone adventure or a Birds of Prey sequel. Whatever route Warner Bros. chooses would be a fitting use of the character.
Commissioner Gordon
With so much attention given to the Gotham Police Department in Birds of Prey, it’s kind of surprising that Gordon didn’t even get a name drop. J. K. Simmons barely got to play the role in Justice League which is a real shame given how great that casting is.
Gordon and his family have held a major presence in the Batman universe, Birds of Prey included. Having in play some sort of role in a sequel or continuation would be a smart move. Simmons doesn’t necessarily need to return, but few would complain if he did.
Poison Ivy
A film that had been in the works for the past few years was Gotham City Sirens, with Margot Robbie set to return as Harley Quinn. Whether that film is still in the works is somewhat up in the air, but bringing in some of those characters would be a must.
First and foremost, Poison Ivy needs to get a better live-action legacy started. Uma Thurman certainly embraced the corny side of things in Batman and Robin, but fans still want to see a somewhat serious take on the character.
Catwoman
If you are going to include Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and all of the Birds of Prey, why not bring Catwoman into the mix too? Obviously we already have a perfectly cast version for Matt Reeve’s film, with Zoe Kravitz set to take the reigns. But, once again, more than one version of the character can exist in these movies.
Who else could take on the role, however, would be a mystery. There have been many iterations of the character through the years, so a new version in the DCEU would need to do something brand new. No matter what though, the character would be welcomed with open arms into this universe.
Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva might be one of the more anticipated comic characters that fans would want to see in a Birds of Prey sequel. The character is one of the major leading villains of the comics, facing off against multiple iterations of the vigilante hero team.
The character trained alongside Huntress and is also the mother of Cassandra Cain. Whether they want to pursue the in-comics relationships between her and the characters or not, Lady Shiva is badass enough on her own to be a perfect follow-up villain for the team.
Batgirl
Speaking of Cassandra Cain, she was one of the least consistent transitions from page to screen in Birds of Prey. While the performance from Ella Jay Basco was great, and the relationship between her and Harley was lovely, it was nothing like the character from the comics.
We would love to see Cassandra take on the mantel of Batgirl as she does in the comics. Introduce that element of her parentage in the mix and you have a great complication for the character. Being called to take on the mantel of the hero while living alongside a villain like Harley could be a great conflict.
Oracle/Batwoman
Barbara Gordon is one of the most beloved figures in the Batman mythos. daughter of Commissioner Gordon, Barbara took on the mantle of Batwoman before her attack from the Joker. After becoming disabled, Barbara took on the mantle of Oracle.
While either could be a great option, going the route of establishing the character as Oracle first would be a great opportunity to get some disabled representation on screen. It would show that anyone could be a hero, in the same way, that the first film extended diversity in the genre. Plus, the character has such a huge role in the comics it would just make sense.
