With Johansson having already proving herself to be highly capable in superhero roles thanks to her work as Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff in the MCU and just on the back of her overall acting credit, the sky is the limit for who she could be bringing to life opposite Robert Pattinson’s Batman. Fans certainly have no shortage of ideas of who they’d like to see her play with some popular fancasts including Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm and Vicki Vale. However, there is one character fans have been buzzing about that would absolutely be the worst move DC could make. The one character Johansson absolutely should not play in The Batman Part II is Harley Quinn.
DC Has Already Done Harley Quinn (And Done Her Well)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
There is no doubt that Harley Quinn is one of DC’s most popular and valuable characters. She is sometimes referred to as DC’s fourth pillar — the other three being Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman — because of her vast popularity. That popularity has led her to be a mainstay in comics, has seen her featured in video games, she’s had her own animated series, and has shone in live action as well thanks to her appearances in David Ayers’ Suicide Squad, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, and even Birds of Prey, all three of those performance delivered by Margot Robbie who, for some, is the definitive live-action Harley Quinn. There’s even been a dramatically different version of Harley Quinn in live action in recent years thanks to Lady Gaga’s Harley “Lee” Quinzel in Joker: Folie a Deux.
That’s a lot of Harley. While one could try to make the case that a take on Harley in Reeves’ Batman universe would be different than what we saw in The Suicide Squad, possibly leaning much more into the idea of Harley as Dr. Harleen Quinzel before she becomes Harley or even present her has operating with the sort of duality that Bruce Wayne does as Batman, the truth is that that just feels like too much of the same. One of the things that worked well with The Batman is that the film took characters and elements from Batman stories that are familiar enough for even casual fans to be interested, but also just unusual enough to be fresh and intriguing. After all, the movie chose The Riddler as it’s villain rather than the Joker. Given that DC has used Harley as an antagonistic antihero very heavily and already has another major actor currently very identified with the role, casting Johansson as a “new” version would simply be the wrong move.
The Batman Part II Can Tell a Better Story By Using a Different Character From Batman’s Lore
Andrea beaumont in batman/catwoman #1
If The Batman Part II does avoid the misstep of having Johansson play Harley Quinn, they still have plenty of great characters from Batman’s rich history that they can choose from that would tell a better story. One of the things that Reeves was so successful with in The Batman was he made unexpected choices. His casting in particular was very unique and inspired — no one saw Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz coming when they were first announced, among others. With that in mind, it would make sense for him to do something unexpected for the sequel. That could see him bring someone like Vicki Vale into the story. Vicki is a character with a deep history in Batman comics and also fairly well-known thanks to 1989’s Batman that could be written to work well into a new story.
There’s also the other popular fan cast that’s been going around the internet since the Johansson news broke: Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm. That character in particular could make for a great story in the sequel — and a great role for Johansson — as it’s a character that work well with the crime world story already established in The Batman and HBO’s The Penguin (which we know will be connected in some way to the sequel) but also allows for what some reports have indicated will be a role that is both a love interest and an antagonist.
The connection to the crime story already woven into The Batman generally is what is likely to be key to whatever role Johansson ends up being cast in and that opens up some more unexpected opportunities than just Vicki Vale and Andrea Beaumont. An out-of-the box choice could be some version of Helena Bertinelli, which could make for an interesting take on Huntress. There could also be something truly unexpected, such as Janet Van Dorn, another character from the animated Batman universe, who served as Gotham’s district attorney following Harvey Dent’s mental breakdown and was suggested to have a romantic history with Bruce Wayne but, interestingly, had notable contempt for Batman.
Whoever Johansson does end up playing, it will bring a new and different dynamic to things. It’s been reported that Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman is not expected to return so whatever we end up getting in The Batman Part II will take us on a very different journey. Whatever that is, it’s a journey that just needs to avoid the easy path of bringing in Harley Quinn.
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