Is Harley Quinn the DC Universe’s new Batman?

Just how many movies is Harley Quinn going to feature in for the DC Extended Universe, and is she going to be one of the anchors going forward?

In the ongoing saga of the DC Extended Universe, things are constantly changing. This is not particularly news. But, as the fallout from Justice League continues, one has to wonder if Warner Bros. and DC are now trying to find someone new to build things around. After all, it’s still not clear if Ben Affleck actually wants to be Bruce Wayne anymore. And while Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman already has a sequel, the number of movies she has pales in comparison to Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.

By CBR’s count and report, there could be as many as four movies involving her in various stages of development, including a Harley Quinn standalone, Suicide Squad 2, Gotham City Sirens and more of Harley together with The Joker.

In light of the fact that Batman is no longer looking like a sure bet, as Polygon reports above, is it possible that DC and Warner are banking on two women to take up the bulk of the spotlight? After all, Harley comes from the Bat-corner of the universe, and provides an iconic, major villain to help shape this franchise.

Not only would it help sharply differentiate DC from the Marvel universe, which still has a reputation for villain problems going into next year’s Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, it would also leverage the ongoing popularity of the character.

Now, does this mean that Harley’s going to claim to have done something like kill the Batman off-screen in one of her many possible appearances? While it would open things up to a Battle for the Cowl-esque situation (though not quite the same, of course), it seems like the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to do off-camera. If DC and Warner don’t send Affleck off in grand fashion, what’s even the point?

But still, with the news that Robbie’s portfolio is apparently growing again, it’s certainly possible that she might be taking over. Whether or not that’s a good or bad thing depends on whether or not she’s in good or bad movies.

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If she fails, though, will it be all left to Wonder Woman? Not that we don’t trust in Patty Jenkins or Gadot, but it is a question of quality and quantity. With Harley, the option seems to be quantity first right now, per reports, and that might end up not flying.