This summer, DC Comics and Warner Brothers Pictures will release the film "Suicide Squad," a movie based on the comic series that follows a team of super villains recruited by the government to perform black op missions. A few of the characters include Deadshot, Enchantress, Katana and my all time favorite Harley Quinn.
I've loved Harley Quinn since I first saw her in the Batman cartoons. When I was little, I was thrilled to see a female character shamelessly enjoying her life, even though her morals were more than a little questionable.
Years later, I read her New 52 comics, and I was overjoyed to see she was still doing anything and everything she wanted to, from joining a roller derby circuit similar to "Fight Club" to trying to be Power Girl's sidekick.
Despite being completely fun loving, Harley Quinn has a darker side. It's repetitively brought up that her relationship with the Joker was an abusive relationship that continues to take a toll on Harley even after she is no longer with the Joker.
It's a realistic depiction of an abusive relationship, and it does not in any way romanticize it. We see Harley wants to move on, but we also see that it is a struggle and that what the Joker has done to her will have lasting effects.
Just because Harley has been in one incredibly toxic relationship, does not mean her other relationships have been unhealthy. Harley is a loyal friend to Catwoman, Cyborg Man and her roller derby team, she is a good landlord and treats her tenants like family and she is a loving girlfriend to her partner in crime Poison Ivy.
Harley Quinn is in an open relationship with another woman, which is huge for the queer community, especially the bisexual and pansexual community. Harley Quinn expresses an interest in multiple genders, and unfortunately, there are not many mainstream characters that identify as polysexual, pansexual or bisexual.
Harley Quinn is also a great female character. While at times she acts without thinking, she is also a certified doctor with a brilliant mind that can rival any other super villain. While she embraces her sexuality and her sexual appeal, she will not allow others to objectify or take advantage of her because of it.
One moment she's killing god knows who and the next she's saving shelter animals that are about to be put down. She's a three-dimensional character who is morally grey, and that not only makes her interesting, but it makes her realistic and at times relatable.
Her imperfections make her a standout character, and I hope the film will do justice to the character and give us a brilliant, empowered, shameless, scatterbrained, morally vague Harley Quinn.