Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Birds of Prey.
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) ending sees Harley Quinn and her new team come out successful. The superhero movie brings together some of DC’s most prominent anti-heroes to form brand new girl squad against Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis/Black Mask - the film’s primary antagonist, as well as Chris Messina’s Victor Zsasz. In the end of Birds of Prey, Harley and her team survive, and here’s what it all means.
Directed by Cathy Yan with the script written by Christina Hodson, Birds of Prey begins with a recap of Harley’s life thus far - detailing her whole backstory up until her break-up with the Joker (Jared Leto). She keeps the split under the radar, afraid that it’ll lose her the protection that came with being Mr. J’s girl. When she decides it’s finally time to move on, she updates her relationship status by blowing up the ACE Chemicals plant.
Soon, word comes out about it, putting her life in danger with a lot of people suddenly coming after her - including Black Mask. Harley strikes a deal with Sionis, promising she’ll get him the diamond that holds the key to the Bertinelli fortune that he’s after. As it turns out, the precious rock was swiped by young Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), who for some reason decided to swallow it. Unable to turn on her after they strike an unusual kinship, Harley and Cass team up with Huntress/Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bett), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) - who all have their respective links to the situation - to take down Black Mask once and for all.
The ragtag team ultimately succeeds in defeating Black Mask after Cass blows him up in the marina using Harley’s old grenade. While the villain is dead, it’s clear that the Birds’ adventures - whether collective or individual are just starting.
The Birds of Prey Exist In The DCEU
Birds of Prey told a mostly self-contained story. It has few references to the bigger world it belongs to, but its events do take place in the DCEU . This is the first movie from the established universe since last year’s Shazam! from David F. Sandberg and Zachary Levi. It’s worth noting that while Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is also a Warner Bros. DC property, it exists in an entirely different reality. Birds of Prey references the events of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad from 2016 where Harley recalls how working in Arkham Asylum and meeting Mr. J resulted in her falling head over heels for him. Aside from some minor tweaks and origin expansion, including shining a light on her upbringing in an abusive household and subsequently abusive nun-run orphanage, her story mainly checks out with what’s been said about her in Suicide Squad.
There’s no other DCEU cameo in Birds of Prey, but the movie references characters like Joker, since it’s important to establish his current relationship status with Harley Quinn. Birds of Prey also mentions Batman multiple times - be it as part of narration or simply Harley making fun of him. Finally, there’s a brief shot of a wanted poster for Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) in the Gotham PD office. After the events of the film, the DCEU now has its Birds of Prey team. Sure, Harley and Cass split with the other three girls, but what’s important is their girl squad now exists in the DCEU. While other things happen in other pockets of this superhero universe, they are known key players in Gotham, and from now on, every film set in the city will have to acknowledge that. Bringing all five members together for another adventure for movie sequel can be done easily. In conjunction to that, incorporating them in other properties in the franchise for a crossover is also possible.
Harley Quinn Has Stolen Batgirl From Batman
After the team successfully got rid of Black Mask, they all go for Mexican food. On top of sustenance after an intense night, Harley also hoped that it will finally help Cass flush the diamond out of her digestive system. Harley follows Cass in the bathroom when she called for her, assuming that she needs help to retrieve the rock. But sly as ever, it’s apparently their getaway move. The pair sneaks out of the cantina, stealing Black Canary’s car, and with the diamond finally out, they have more than enough means to support themselves. Pawning the diamond off, they start their own company offering their services technically as people for hire. Birds of Prey ends the pair driving off to a new adventure with Bruce (Harley’s hyena pet), but not before Harley declares Cass as her new apprentice.
Given the camaraderie the pair have developed, it’s not surprising that they would stick with each other. After all, it seems that Cass brings the goodness out of Harley. She even felt bad betraying the kid to save her own skin. This move, however, poses a complication regarding Cass’s potential Batgirl future. In the comic books, she saves Commissioner Gordon’s life during the “No Man’s Land” storyline. Bruce Wayne then takes her under his wing and eventually gives her the mantle of Batgirl. Not much is known regarding the origin specifics of Birds of Prey’s Cassandra Cain, and it’s safe to assume that Warner Bros. took some creative liberties in crafting her character, so it’s expected that her print narrative won’t be adapted on the big screen, if at all. However, in the service of building a full story, there’s always a possibility that becoming Batgirl is still in the cards for her.
What’s Next For Harley & Joker?
Birds of Prey begins with a recap of Harley’s life up until the events of the film - this includes the history of her complicated relationship with the Joker. We already knew how her romance with the Clown Prince of Crime began, since it was shown in Suicide Squad. Ingeniously, Birds of Prey uses a mix of animation and footage from the Ayer film, along with Harley’s voice over narration, to work around Leto’s absence in the movie. Yan explained that there’s really no need for the Joker to be part of the movie since this is not his story. Instead of devoting time to him, she opted to focus on Harley, her new life and new allies. However, given that her story is tied to Joker, they at least had to address the status of their relationship at the start of Birds of Prey.
While Joker and Harley are still on a break by the Birds of Prey ending, that doesn’t mean that their paths won’t be crossing again. Seeing as they both make the rounds in the same city, not to mention the fact that Harley appears to be setting up her own firm, an encounter seems likely. Perhaps Black Mask’s death would prompt Joker to reach out to her for a potential partnership, or maybe to also take her down since she could be a competitor. There were initial plans for a Joker and Harley spinoff following Suicide Squad, but there hasn’t been any known movement on that project for quite some time.
Before all of this even pans out, however, Warner Bros needs to sort out Leto’s status as the DCEU’s Joker. Birds of Prey left the door wide open for a recast in case the studio wants to move on from the DCEU’s original Clown Prince of Crime. As for Harley Quinn, she can next be seen in The Suicide Squad, which releases in 2021. It’s unclear, however, if that movie takes place before or after Birds of Prey. If it’s after, Harley may find herself captured by authorities once - and being sent to Belle Reve - once again.
Birds of Prey 2 & Gotham’s Future In The DCEU
Black Mask may be defeated by the Birds of Prey ending, but like Renee said, it’s only a matter of time before another crime lord takes up his mantle and plays God in the city. Renee quits the task force after her chief once again takes all the credit for taking down Sionis; she then officially becomes a vigilante. While the Birds of Prey ending doesn’t explicitly set it up, this is the first step in Renee’s journey to ultimately becoming The Question, a superhero whose identity Renee Montoya took over (from Vic Sage) in DC Comics’ New 52 relaunch. For now, with Harley and Cass slipping away to their own thing, Renee, Black Canary, and Huntress officially form the Birds of Prey team - they appear to even have coordinated costumes. It’s safe to assume that they’ll continue to roam around the streets of Gotham and take care of similar people like Black Mask.
Shortly after the release of Suicide Squad, a Gotham City Sirens spinoff was greenlit with Ayer back to helm. The film will team up Harley with a different girl squad with Catwoman and Poison Ivy. While there was no confirmed release date, the director previously said that it was in development. However, in his most recent update, Ayer said that Gotham City Sirens is currently on hold. It’s still a movie that Margot Robbie wants to see made, so perhaps if Birds of Prey is successful, then Warner Bros. will greenlight that film and see where Harley’s next adventure takes her - after The Suicide Squad, of course. However, the next time fans will see Gotham is in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. Although, it’s still uncertain if it’ll exist in the DCEU like Birds of Prey.
What’s Next For The DCEU?
As for the DCEU as a whole, Birds of Prey will be followed by another female-centered movie in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984 slated this June. Featuring the return of Gal Gadot as Diana Prince and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, the film takes fans back to the ’80s for another period movie that revolves around the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig join the much-anticipated sequel as villains Maxwell Lord and Barbara Minerva/Cheetah respectively. After that, Reeves’ The Batman is next on the Warner Bros./DC slate, although, as mentioned, there’s still no official word that it’ll be set in the DCEU considering some roles have been recast from Justice League.
From there, five more DCEU films will follow (except the animated DC Super Pets), including James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in August 2021, which will, as mentioned, see the return of Robbie’s Harley Quinn. After that, Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam finally releases in December 2021, with Shazam 2 in April 2022, The Flash in July 2022, and Aquaman 2 in December 2022.
What Was Harley Quinn’s Batman Joke?
Like the DCEU’s Joker, the status of the franchise’s Batman is also unclear. The original version played by Ben Affleck is essentially finished with the actor now out of the film series. And while Pattinson replaces him in The Batman standalone movie, there’s no confirmation yet that this new iteration will exist in the DCEU. Given the age discrepancy between the actors, it’s doubtful that the upcoming standalone will be connected to its older and hardened predecessor. In any case, even if Warner Bros. decides to utilize the solo movie as an origin story for Affleck’s Batman, the timeline still won’t add up.
This didn’t stop Birds of Prey to mention the Bat of Gotham, though. Throughout the movie, Harley mentions him - even naming her pet hyena after Bruce Wayne. But it isn’t until Birds of Prey’s end-credits surprise that Batman is really teased. Breaking the fourth wall for the final time in the movie, Harley addresses the viewers about still being in theaters waiting for a stinger, which has been the norm for blockbusters nowadays. In her exasperated tone, she attempts to make people’s time waiting for a stinger worth while by supposedly spilling a rumor on Wayne saying: “Did you know that Batman f–." Sadly, before she can finish spilling some juicy-sounding story, it cuts off. The joke is very on-brand for Harley given her quirky nature, although it’s obviously raising a lot of questions regarding what she might actually be talking about.
Interestingly, the premiere of DC Universe’s animated Harley Quinn series titled “Til Death Do Us Part” may hold the key to this mystery. In the episode, Harley (Kaley Cuoco) was abandoned by the Joker (Alan Tudyk), which resulted in Batman (Dierdich Bader) handing her to Commissioner Gordon (Christopher Meloni). Harley refused to rat out Joker despite Batman’s attempt to soften her up by asking why she still protects someone who obviously treats her badly. Harley simply retorted with “asks the guy who f*cks bats.” Considering where Birds of Prey cut off its post-credit scene, this might be the same thing Robbie’s Harley is trying to say in the movie. Whether or not we’ll ever find out what she’s supposed to say remains to be seen. But for now, Birds of Prey leaves it there.
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a solid addition to the DCEU roster. After a string of problematic films, it appears that Warner Bros. has finally figured out how to tackle their own superhero interconnected universe. While there’s still no word about a potential sequel, the filmmakers behind the project are already hoping not just for follow-ups, but also spinoffs for other members of the team, like Renee, Black Canary, Huntress, and Cassandra Cain. As for the fan-favorite Harley, her future is already set with next year’s The Suicide Squad. And considering how much the public loves this version of the character, it’s safe to say that we’ll see more of her moving forward.
More: Every DC Movie Coming After Birds Of Prey
- Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Black Adam Release Date: 2022-10-21 Shazam! The Fury of the Gods Release Date: 2023-03-17 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 The Flash Movie Release Date: 2023-06-23 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25
