We have a weird obsession with watching people ruin each other. It’s why we slow down for car crashes and why, for nearly a decade, the box office was held hostage by the neon-drenched, acid-soaked nightmare of Harley Quinn and Joker movies. You know the vibe. Hot Topic t-shirts, "Property of Joker" jackets, and that specific brand of "we’re bad guys, it's what we do" energy that fueled a thousand Pinterest boards.
But things feel different in 2026. The glitter has settled. The makeup is smudged.
If you look at the timeline, the relationship between Dr. Harleen Quinzel and her "Puddin’" isn't a love story. It’s a case study in how Hollywood tries—and often fails—to package domestic abuse as a gritty aesthetic. From the neon mess of 2016’s Suicide Squad to the polarizing musical swing of Joker: Folie à Deux, the cinematic journey of these two has been a rollercoaster of creative pivots and billion-dollar gambles.
The Suicide Squad Era: When "Toxic" Was a Trend
Remember 2016? Jared Leto was allegedly sending dead rats to his co-stars, and David Ayer was trying to convince us that a guy with "Damaged" tattooed on his forehead was a criminal mastermind. This was the big debut.
In Suicide Squad, the movie leaned heavily into the "Mad Love" origin. We saw Harleen dive into a vat of chemicals at Ace Chemicals. It was presented as this grand, romantic sacrifice. Harley chooses the madness. Joker jumps in after her. They kiss in the chemical sludge.
Honestly, it was a sanitized version of the comics. In the original source material, he pushes her. There’s no choice. The movie version tried to make them "Couple Goals," a move that aged about as well as milk in a Gotham summer. Fans of the Batman: The Animated Series version of Harley were rightfully weirded out by how much the film cut the actual abuse. Deleted scenes apparently showed Joker being much more physically violent, but Warner Bros. opted for the "Bonnie and Clyde on meth" vibe instead.
It worked, commercially. Margot Robbie became a superstar overnight. But the "relationship" was already on life support.
The Great Breakup: Birds of Prey
By 2020, the narrative shifted. The world didn't want to see Harley pining for a guy who treated her like a discarded henchwoman.
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Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is basically a two-hour middle finger to the Joker. He isn’t even in the movie—at least, not really. We see the back of a body double’s head, and Harley blows up the Ace Chemicals plant as a symbolic "we’re over" text message to the city.
This movie did something crucial. It acknowledged that Harley is a genius. A mess, sure, but a genius. It traded the skimpy "Daddy’s Lil Monster" tee for caution tape jackets and sensible (for a mercenary) combat boots. It was the first time we saw Harley Quinn and Joker movies actually address the aftermath of a narcissistic collapse.
She gets a hyena. She eats a really good breakfast sandwich. She finds a new "found family" in the Birds of Prey. It felt like the character was finally allowed to breathe without a clown-shaped shadow over her.
The Elseworlds Twist: Folie à Deux
Then came the Joaquin Phoenix era. This is where things get really "film school."
While Margot Robbie’s Harley was part of a sprawling cinematic universe, Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019) was a standalone gritty character study. When the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, arrived in late 2024, it threw everyone for a loop by casting Lady Gaga as "Lee" (a reimagined Harley) and turning the whole thing into a jukebox musical.
People hated it. Or they loved it for being "bold." There wasn't much middle ground.
Unlike the 2016 version, this Harley wasn't a victim-turned-accomplice. She was a fan. A stalker. A person who was arguably more dangerous than Arthur Fleck because she was obsessed with the myth of the Joker, not the broken man behind the face paint.
Expert Reality Check: Joker: Folie à Deux was a massive box office bomb compared to its predecessor. It grossed roughly $207 million worldwide against a $200 million budget. For context, the first movie made over a billion. It turned out audiences weren't as interested in a deconstruction of the Joker myth as they were in the myth itself.
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The movie ended up being a funeral for the "Joker and Harley" archetype. It stripped away the cool factor. It showed two deeply unwell people feeding each other’s delusions until everything collapsed.
Why the "Harley Quinn vs. The Joker" Movie Never Happened
For years, there were whispers. A script was written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (the Crazy, Stupid, Love duo). It was described as This Is Us meets Bad Santa. A "deranged" romantic comedy.
Warner Bros. eventually canned it.
Why? Because the "Toxic Power Couple" trope had become radioactive. You can't really market a rom-com about a guy who historically tries to kill his girlfriend in every third comic issue. The studio realized that Harley was more valuable as a solo anti-hero—or paired with Poison Ivy—than she ever was as the Joker’s plus-one.
The Future: James Gunn and the New DCU
As we move through 2026, the DC Universe is being rebuilt from the ground up by James Gunn. We know he loves Harley; he gave her the best action sequence of her career in 2021's The Suicide Squad.
But what about the Joker?
Gunn’s world seems to be moving away from the "incel-hero" or "edgelord" interpretations. We’re likely to see a version of Harley that is fully realized, perhaps leaning into her relationship with Poison Ivy, which fans have been screaming for since the HBO Max animated series took off.
The Joker will always exist. He's the shark in the water. But the era of the "King and Queen of Gotham" is effectively over.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive back into this chaotic history, don't just stick to the live-action films. The real depth of these characters is often found where the cameras aren't as shiny.
- Watch the Animated Series: If you want the "true" dynamic, go back to the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series. The episode "Mad Love" is still the gold standard for understanding why Harleen fell and why she had to leave.
- Track the Market: Collectors should note that 2016 Suicide Squad memorabilia has plateaued, but "Emancipation" era Birds of Prey items—specifically the more unique fashion pieces—are gaining niche value among cosplay enthusiasts.
- Skip the Comparison: Don't try to link the Joaquin Phoenix movies to the Margot Robbie ones. They are "Elseworlds" stories. They don't fit together, and trying to make them fit will only give you a headache.
The biggest lesson from a decade of Harley Quinn and Joker movies? Harley is way more interesting when she isn't "his." She’s a doctor, a gymnast, a roller derby queen, and a chaotic neutral force of nature. The Joker was just the catalyst. He was never the destination.
If you're tracking the value of DC's theatrical slate, watch the upcoming 2026 projects like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow or the new Lanterns series. The "clown fatigue" is real, and the industry is finally moving toward heroes (and villains) who have a bit more to offer than just a toxic relationship status.