'Harley Quinn' Q&A: Showrunners reveal they got 'cold feet' before Snyder Cut dig, tease Wonder Woman's return
'Harley Quinn' showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker joined the DC Universe community forums for a live Q&A about the show. Answering fan questions, the pair talked about the Harley-Ivy romance, of the inspirations between the characters, that fourth-wall-breaking dig at toxic fandom and some teases for the season ahead. Here are some of the highlights from the session:
The Harley-Ivy relationship
Answering a fan question about why they revealed that the Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) romance would be happening this season, despite there being no overt indications of it yet, Schumacker said the reason for the reveal was, "Peer pressure! I think it was something that we were excited about and I ended up spilling the beans a bit because I wanted to give some folks real hope that something romantic would be happening between Harley and Ivy. Plus we’ve had these scripts written since late winter 2019 so it’s hard to keep it under wraps for so long!"
Both showrunners also talked about their shorthand for understanding the Harley-Ivy dynamic. "... with Harley and Ivy we always looked at them as Ferris Bueller and Cameron Frye. One pushes the gas, the other hits the brake," wrote Halpern. Schumaker echoed this sentiment, writing, "Ivy’s essence in our show derived from wanting to find a good “odd couple” counterpart for Harley. The shorthand for the relationship at its most basic was always the dynamic between Ferris Bueller and Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ivy was the voice of reason, the reluctant companion that loved her BFF to death and would begrudgingly join on adventures."
On that #ReleaseTheSnyderCut dig
The cold open to 'Batman's Back, Man,' Season 2's fifth episode, features a fourth-wall-breaking dig at toxic fans. Two fans, wearing '#ReleaseTheSnyderCut' and 'The Last Jedi Isn't Canon' t-shirts talking about how much they hate 'Harley Quinn' despite obviously having watched every single episode so far.
Halpern wrote, "The goal of that opening was to poke fun at fandoms in general, and how even some of the people who seem to be the most toxic still watch the stuff they say they hate. So it was more of a poke at that. And you know what? It wasn’t laser directed at the snyder cut folks, but the Snyder Cut fan base had a great reaction. They took it as a joke and seemed to really enjoy it, and I think that says a lot about them. Kudos to them."
Schumacker added to that, writing, "And I don’t think he’s representative of all the Snyder Cut enthusiasts AT ALL. In truth, I had cold feet about keeping the shirts but I’m glad we did at the end of the day, and the Snyder Cut fans’ response has been outstanding. Such great sports!"
Schumacker also said he supports the movement, writing, " On my island in Animal Crossing, I have a custom sign that reads “RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT” that you can see when you fly in. I’m for it. I’m a completist who wants to see it released. I want all director cuts to be released."
What to expect from the rest of Season 2
Both showrunners gave minor teases as to what to expect or look out for from the rest of Season 2 of 'Harley Quinn,' and beyond
"Keep an eye in our season 2 finale for a cameo from the car Harley and Ivy ride in, in that classic BTAS episode," wrote Schumacker, referring to the 'Harley & Ivy' episode from 'Batman: The Animated Series.'
Answering a question as to what about underutilized characters, Schumacker wrote, "I think at least Captain Boomerang needs to make an appearance if we get more episodes. And then, I guess underutilized is always subjective, but I think I’d like to continue Kite Man’s story well beyond this season."
Frank the Plant (JB Smoove) is also going to feature in an upcoming episode. "We do have a later episode with Frank doing a recap, and a Frank monologue is a lot of fun," wrote Schumacker. He also mentioned that Season 1 wasn't the last we've seen of the Legion of Doom. "They’ll pop up here and there. They were on a corporate retreat when Joker’s tower blew up LOD HQ. Lex will be back in a somewhat significant way, and you’ll see others."
He also teased a return of Wonder Woman to the series, in response to a fan question about Harley and crew's visit to Themyscira. " As to Wonder Woman… if I recall she was trapped in Queen of Fables book back at the end of season one. I wonder if that’ll play into season two somehow… hmmm…"
You can read the entire Q&A session on DC Universe's forums here.