The premiere of Matt Reeves‘s The Batmanstarring Robert Pattinson (The Devil All The Time) and Zoë Kravitz (KIMI), alongside the success of James Gunn‘s Suicide Squadand the hit sequel series, Peacemakerhas got everyone on a DC Universe kick.
DC and Warner Bros.’s change in both direction and marketing strategies for the franchise has so far led to positive reviews and appears to have re-energized the fan base. However, for fans of DC’s Harley Quinn, this has made the wait for Season 3 all the more… difficult.
After ending on a high note back in April 2020, production for Harley Quinn Season 3 began ater that year (September to be exact), with show runners, Patrick Schumacker (Abbot Elementary) and Justin Halpern (Powerless), telling audiences to expect the next chapter in Harley Quinn’s saga to be complete by late 2021 or early 2022.
Now three months into 2022, fans are asking when we will finally see our favorite female anti-hero, her partner in crime, and beloved cohort of misfits return to the small screen. Well, here’s everything we know about that so far.
When Will DC’s Harley Quinn Season 3 Premiere?
Harley Quinn Season 3 will debut on HBO Max on July 28, 2022, which means that we do not have much longer of a wait to see Harley, Ivy, King Shark, Clayface, and Frank the Plant, all back together. Though for those who plan on attending San Diego Comic-Con, you’re in luck as the first two episodes of the third season will be premiering at there. While there is no set date for the preview screening, this year’s edition of Comic-Con starts on July 21 and goes through July 24.
Is There a Trailer for Harley Quinn Season 3?
HBO Max released a “first look” at Season 3 back in October 2021. As reported on Collider, a 2:53 minute teaser featuring a partially animated storyboard was released as part of last year DC Fandome Event.
It does not give too much away in terms of plot other than Harley and Ivy, now officially a couple, wreaking havoc, Harley describing their antics as the Eat, Bang, Kill Tour. A spin-off, limited comic book series of the same name started publication in August of last year, featuring 6 issues. The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour comics take place between Seasons 2 and 3 of the show and follow Harley and Ivy (after having left Kite Man at the altar) on their cross-country road trip while they are being pursued by GCPD’s Commissioner Gordon.
The DC Fandome teaser did offer a sincere apology to all the “ladies, gents, theys, gays” for the wait though, with Harley Quinn herself breaking the fourth wall to explain the season was yet to be finished and that “animation takes forever! ”
The first official teaser trailer for Season 3 was uploaded on June 28. Set to the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts jam “Bad Reputation,” the trailer gives fans their long-awaited first glimpse at all the madness the new season will entail, including Harley and Ivy as an official couple, the appearance of Swamp Thing, Batman and Catwoman getting a little frisky, and a bizarre cameo appearance by James Gunn involving Clayface.
Who Are the Cast and Characters of Harley Quinn Season 3?
Showrunners Schumacker and Halpern have both suggested many times that fans should expect to see more beloved DC heroes and villains in Season 3. So far, they have confirmed appearances from Nightwing, John Constantine, Mad Hatter, Clock King, and Amanda Waller.
Once again, we have found ourselves with little clues as to who will voice these characters.We do know that What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén has been cast as Nightwing but the rest of them are still a mystery. However, given the show’s impressive list of guest stars, which has included the likes of Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle), the late Jessica Walters (Archer), and Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), whomever the show-runners cast are sure to surprise and excite fans.
Back in March 2021, Schumacker teased a special guest cameo on Twitter. Soon after that tweet surfaced, Collider staff speculated that it could be someone from James Gunn‘s Suicide Squad. It’s since been confirmed that James Gunn will play a fictional version of himself in the new season.
Returning to Season 3 are, of course, Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant) as Harley, Lake Bell (Marvel’s What If?) as Poison Ivy, Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien) as Clayface (among others), Ron Funches (Bob’s Burgers) as King Shark, Tony Hale (Arrested Development) as Dr Psycho, Matt Oberg (Superstore) as Kite Man, Jason Alexander (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Sy Borgmen, Diedrich Bader (Space Force) as Batman / Bruce Wayne, and Christopher Meloni (Happy) as Commissioner Gordon.
What Can We Expect From Harley Quinn Season 3?
Season 3 will pick up from where things leave us in the Eat, Bang, Kill Tour comic series. At the end of the final issue, Harley and Ivy are seen escaping the clutches of Commissioner Gordon, hightailing it towards Central City (the hometown of Barry Allen aka The Flash).
Showrunners, Schumacker and Halpern, have confirmed that Season 3 will explore more of Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy’s backstory while, naturally, further developing her new romantic relationship with Harley Quinn. In an interview with Deadline back in 2020, Halpern elaborated that Harley’s past could affect the dynamic between herself and Ivy, posing the following questions:
“… when you’ve mostly been in toxic and bad relationships your whole life, how do you then be in a good one? How does the baggage that you bring from all these other relationships affect the relationship you’re in that you really want to work? ”
Fans should also expect more of Christopher Meloni’s dysfunctional police commissioner Gordon and his quest to re-establish both the GCPD’s and his reputations, as well as a stand-alone Joker episode, much in the same vein as the stand-alone Batman episode from Season. 2.
The official plot synopsis for Season 3 via HBO Max reads:
“The mayhem and madness continue in season three of this biting and uproarious adult animated comedy series. Wrapping up their” Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour, “Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) return to Gotham as the new power couple of DC villainy. Along with their ragtag crew – King Shark (Ron Funches), Clayface (Alan Tudyk), Frank the Plant (JB Smoove) – “Harlivy” strives to become the best version of themselves while also working towards Ivy’s long desired plan of transforming Gotham into an Eden paradise. “
Where Can You Watch Harley Quinn Season 3?
The first season premiered on the now-defunct DC Universe streaming platform back in 2019, as did the second season in 2020. Since then, Harley Quinn has found a new home on HBO Max, along with the majority of DC content, including the Zack Snynder cut of Justice League and James Gunn’s Peacemaker starring John Cena (Vacation Friends). Seasons 1 and 2 of Harley Quinn are currently available to stream online.