James Gunn could end up playing a major role in shaping the future of the DCEU, but his next major project after Peacemaker should focus on bringing Harley Quinn to the main event, rather than another entry in the Suicide Squad series. Brought to life by the incomparable Margot Robbie, Dr. Harleen Quinzel was first introduced in the 2016 Suicide Squad film written and directed by David Ayer, which explored the character's complicated "romantic" history with the Joker. Since then, she's had the chance to lead her own group of anti-heroes in Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, and while the wounds may still be somewhat fresh, Harley's split from Mr. J has allowed her to stand on her own two feet as one of the franchise's best characters.
As a writer, director and producer Gunn has made a career out of bringing misfits to life and has certainly left his mark on the world of comic book movies. He's currently hard at work heading up the DCEU's upcoming Peacemaker series with John Cena following the pairing's success in The Suicide Squad, one of the franchise's most universally praised endeavors by critics and fans alike. Gunn was of course at the helm for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy as well as its 2017 sequel, and continued to bring those characters into the spotlight as an executive producer for both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. And while the film is rarely talked about, Gunn also directed the incredibly uncomfortable 2010 black comedy Super, starring Rainn Wilson and Elliot Page.
While the members of the Justice League will likely always be DCEU's heavy hitters, it could be argued that Harley Quinn is the real heart and soul of the Hollywood franchise. Her movies have run the gamut in terms of differing critical reviews, but Margot Robbie has not missed in the role a single time. Even Gal Gadot's unshakable Wonder Woman, who seemingly could do no wrong following the overwhelming success of the character's first solo film, hit a stumbling block thanks to a lackluster sequel. Despite being a certifiably insane super villain, there is just something about Harley that fans are drawn to. She's an important character that obviously brings in a lot of money for Warner Bros. in merchandising alone, and with proper support from the studio, a director as notable as James Gunn has the potential to make her just as big of a household name as some of today's biggest DC or Marvel superstars.
The DCEU has struggled with consistency since its inception, which has made it difficult to predict exactly which of its films are going to succeed at the box office. The poor reaction to the enormously hyped Batman vs. Superman after such a colossal promotional push more than likely had an effect on Justice League's disappointing numbers, while Aquaman shocked everyone by grossing over $1 billion worldwide. David F. Sandberg's Shazam! was potentially the riskiest solo film for the studio, but in 2021 is still tied (with Gunn's The Suicide Squad) for the franchise's second-best rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. The moral being that the DCEU could stand to take itself less seriously, and Harley Quinn is the perfect character to help spotlight what makes these movies work.
Gunn's understanding of the Harley character and her evolution from 2016 till now, as well as his ability to take more esoteric Marvel characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and evolve them into stars worthy of the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, point towards why he's well-equipped for this specific task. Robbie steals every scene she occupies while also managing to elevate her fellow performers, and in some cases has even proven she can elevate a bad screenplay. It's time Warner Bros. returned the favor and gave Harley Quinn her own A-list feature, with the full force of a Batman-level promotional push, and there are few better directors equipped to tackle that challenge than her Squad leader James Gunn--as soon as he wraps Peacemaker and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, that is.
