'Birds of Prey': Harley Quinn First Look Has a Clever Easter Egg

Today, Margot Robbie shared the first look at her return as Harley Quinn in the Birds of Prey movie. A closer look reveals a clever Easter egg reference hidden in plain sight.

In the photo Robbie shared, her Harley costume includes a dog tag worn around her neck. Not a military dog tag, but an actual dog tag. A close enough look reveals the name on the tag to be "Bruce."

For Batman fans, the name "Bruce" will conjure up the name Bruce Wayne, the secret identity of the Dark Knight himself. This could be an Easter egg reference in that direction, but it would be somewhat random since Harley doesn't know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Unless she does. Which brings up a whole other level of theories and possible plot spoilers.

Odds are it is not a reference to Bruce Wayne but to Bruce Timm, Harley's co-creator. Timm developed Batman: The Animated Series and created Harley Quinn with writer Paul Dini for the episode "Joker's Favor." The role was intended to be minor, but Harley's relationship with the Joker was developed and turned into a romantic one. She gained unexpected popularity, was introduced into the Batman comic books and has become a major character in her own right. Timm returned to work on Harley in the 2017 direct-to-video animated film Batman and Harley Quinn.

"Her popularity has just exploded over the years," Timm told ComicBook.com in 2017. "I wasn't even really aware that it was happening. I was kind of peripherally aware of it happening and then a couple years ago a reporter says to me, 'You know she's like the fourth most popular character in comic books now,' and I was like, 'What!? How did that happen?'"

Robbie debuted as Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad. The role was well-received and has led to several Harley-centric spinoffs in development. Birds of Prey is the first to head towards production, with Robbie serving as a producer as well as star.

The film sees Robbie reprising her role as Harley and will introduce Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, and Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, the founding members of the girl gang-like vigilante team called the Birds of Prey. Rosie Perez also stars as Gotham City Detective Renee Montoya. The villain of the film is crime boss Black Mask, reportedly played by Ewan MacGregor.

Do you think Harley's dog tag refers to Batman or Bruce Timm? Let us know in the comments!

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) opens in theaters on February 7, 2020.

Upcoming DC Extended Universe movies include Shazam on April 5th, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020.