James Gunn's upcoming DC project The Suicide Squad features a large roster of comic villains. Easily the most famous of the lot is Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie, who is returning to the franchise that kick-started the character's live-action career. In The Suicide Squad DC Fandome trailer posted on Twitter leading up to DC FanDome, Robbie explained how the film will introduce a new side to Harley.

"I always have such a ball playing Harley Quinn. Every time I've done it, I learn new things about her, and this movie's no different. When Harley's put in a different group of people, and put in a different place, you're going to see different aspects of her personality coming out, depending on how she feels about those people or the things she's doing. So you get to see new sides of Harley again, and she's in a new group of people, a big group of people, and it's insane. As always, it's crazy fun."

In David Ayer's original Suicide Squad, Harley was inducted into Task Force X, a covert government program that enlisted a team of supervillains to carry out clandestine operations in return for a reduction in their jail sentence. Harley, along with the other villains, bristled at the thought of doing the government's bidding, and she spent the entire film trying to escape back to her beloved Mistah J.

Then came Birds of Prey, and Harley was finally on her own, without even the Joker, and set out to create her own criminal empire. When the supervillainess returns to Task Force X in The Suicide Squad, she will be already familiar with the workings of the group and will be a more complete person thanks to her experience in Birds of Prey, which might mean audiences will get to see a more mature version of the character who no longer fights her position on the team.

The first look at Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad teaser released during DC FanDome bears out this theory. In the trailer and in accompanying images, Harley is seen wearing full combat gear and a red gown that would not be out of place at a posh party.

This kind of dressing choice is a sharp departure from the original Suicide Squad, in which Harley paraded around in shiny hot pants for the duration of the movie, and Birds of Prey, where she favored over-the-top tween-styled dress ensembles. The fact that Harley is now wearing combat suits implies she is taking life a bit more seriously and has completed her journey from being Joker's sidekick to becoming her own full-fledged supervillain.

It will be interesting to see how this new version of Harley interacts with the rest of the damaged and violent individuals that comprise Task Force X. Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad features an extensive cast consisting of Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian, as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Steve Agee as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, John Cena as Peacemaker, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film will be arriving in theaters Aug. 6, 2021.