Masked singer
Warning: The following post contains spoilers about the ending of Birds of Prey. Read on at your own risk …
Ever since Iron Man began to tease The Avengers back in 2008 with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first post-credits scene, the way that people see movies has completely changed. Gone are the days when audiences would file out of theaters as soon as the credits begin rolling. Now, (most) fans actually stay in their seats as the credits roll, not only giving the hardworking crew members their much-deserved due by reading their names as they scroll past on the screen but also to see what mid- and post-credits surprises may be in store. But now, more than a decade later, we’re officially in the post-post-credits scene era where comic book movies make fun of post-credits scenes themselves. Exhibit A of the pop culture ouroboros: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).
DC’s supervillain spin-off about the fiercest female team-up from the comics starring Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, and Ella Jay Basco is finally in theaters, and if you’re wondering if you need to stick around after the movie ends for any post-credits scenes, the answer is … kind of? There isn’t actually any real post-credits scene to watch but Robbie’s Harley Quinn definitely has one last trick up her sleeve to give audiences a final laugh before they walk out of the door (and into another theater to watch Birds of Prey again).
Claudette Barius/ © DC Comics
After the credits finish rolling, the screen goes black and you hear Robbie’s voice as Harley taunting anyone who’s still sitting in the theater. It’s just another bit of meta commentary to add to the past hour and 49 minutes of neon, glitter-soaked snark. But then she teases that she’s got a secret to share. She starts out, “Did you know that Batman f– ” … and then the sound cuts out.
The joke is clearly on us in that post-credits treat, as director Cathy Yan plays a delightful prank on comic book movie fans expecting one last Easter egg or shocking reveal pertaining to the future of the “DCEU” film franchise or even a wild cameo that no one saw coming. But still, we can’t help but wonder …
What was Harley going to say?! Is it as simple as, “Did you know that Batman f—s?” Harley did name her beloved pet hyena Bruce after all. Or was it something more detailed, like “Did you know that Batman forgot to show up to the third act fight scene?” Just imagine if Robert Pattinson made his debut in Birds of Prey instead of The Batman.
If we’re being realistic, there isn’t a real answer to this question and Yan and Robbie just wanted to play a joke on audiences. We’re all adults here and we can admit that. But it’s just more fun to imagine that Harley was going to say, “Did you know that Batman fired Alfred and I start my new job as his butler on Monday?” And if Birds of Prey teaches us anything — aside from the fact that the perfect egg sandwich deserves to be respected — it’s that there’s still so much more fun to be had when it comes to comic book movies. Especially ones that finally acknowledge that a woman with long hair might want a hair-tie during an extremely physical fight.
Related content:
- Everything to know about the Birds of Prey comic book history and other onscreen adaptations
- Watch the Birds of Prey cast discuss their ‘fantabulous’ film and dig into egg sandwiches
- Birds of Prey star Rosie Perez on fighting hurt, refusing to be whitewashed, and winning Jeopardy!
