One of DC Comics’ most beloved characters, Harley Quinn has many nicknames. But one of them is far too steamy (and offensive, it depends) to be heard in theaters.
An R-Rated name
Created in the 90s by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman the Animated Series, Harley Quinn definitely counts as one of the most iconic characters in the DC Comics stable.. Since the release of the film Suicide Squad by David Ayer, in which she is played by Australian actress Margot Robbie, his popularity only grewdespite the failure of the feature film.
We have been able to see it since Birds of Prey by Cathy Yan (2020) (our review is here) and in the awesome The Suicide Squad (2021) by James Gunn, still played by the actress of wolf of wall street. Since 2019, she is also the main character of her own animated series, harley quinnfor which actress Kaley Cuoco lends her voice.
In the comics, the character particularly likes to give nicknames, in particular to the Joker and Batman. She herself has many nicknames, given to her in particular by her love and torturer, the Joker. : “Doll Face”, “Darlin'”, “Pooh” or even “Harley Girl”. While some of the films in which the criminal appeared made explicit reference to some of these nicknames (one thinks in particular of the scene where Deadshot / Will Smith calls her “Doll Face”), there is one that we will probably never hear in the cinema.
Indeed, in the twelfth issue of the comics Suicide Squad: Hell to Payby Jeff Parker and Matthew Dow Smith, the anti-heroine makes a quick presentation of the different members of the squad mobilized, giving each a nickname. When it’s her turn, she introduces herself as “Insane Clown Pussy” (Crazy Clown’s Pussy). If hip hop lovers will have recognized the reference to the group Insane Clown Posse, we understand that it is above all a question ofa sex pun.
As we said before, it seems unlikely to us that a film will use this nickname to talk about the character of Harley Quinn. And the reason is quite simple: this would go against the symbol that the Joker’s sidekick has become in the films and in the animated series that we mentioned above.
Indeed, from Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn has become a kind of feminist muse. Cathy Yan’s film truly dealt with the question of patriarchy, which Harley Quinn tries to escape from. The animated series harley quinn starts from roughly the same premise: Harley Quinn realizes, thanks to Poison Ivy, that the Joker abused her. The two friends will even end up sleeping together. Finally, in The Suicide Squad by James Gunn, although the character is not as assertive, and she has a love-interest, Harley Quinn brutally kills her suitor. A symbol that shows that Harley Quinn is no longer anyone’s “P*ssy”.
You would have understood it, summarizing the character of Harley Quinn by a nickname only as a sex object of the Joker goes against the current development of the character. This is why it is unlikely that you will ever hear the nickname “Insane Clown Pussy” in the cinema, to speak of Harley Quinn.
And if this article interested you, did you know that a very sensual scene between Harley Quinn and Deadshot was cut during the film’s editing? Suicide Squad ?
