'Birds of Prey' trailer teases live-action debut of an iconic DC villain

It’s tough to say what we expected from a quasi-sequel to 2016’s disastrous Suicide Squad but it certainly wasn’t what Birds of Prey seems to be, based on the trailer that dropped yesterday. A neon-soaked girl gang movie featuring some of DC’s raddest female heroes, villains, and antiheroes? Sign us up. The trailer also featured our first look at Ewan McGregor as the villainous mobster Black Mask (although he notably seems to have not suffered the injuries that lead to his taking on that mantle … yet, at least) and Christopher Messina as the scar-ridden psychopath Victor Zsasz.

However, they’re not the only DC characters making their debut in the DCEU. The Birds of Prey trailer features the first onscreen depiction of a couple of long-running comics characters, but their appearance is a bit quicker than those of the other characters. So fast you might just miss them if you’re not paying attention.

It looks like the film will be the first to feature Bud and Lou, Harley Quinn’s pet hyenas. A few quick shots in the trailer depict Margot Robbie as Harley as she plays with one of them and (presumably) adopts another from an illegal shelter. One hyena also makes an appearance on a promotional poster for the film.

Bud and Lou are longtime sidekicks to the character, serving as her equivalent of Superman’s dog Krypto or Ace the Bat-Hound. They don’t have any particular superpowers, or even costumes, but they’re as nasty as they come and fiercely loyal to Harley, who often uses them to take out attackers and defend herself.

The deadly duo first debuted in Batman: Mad Love and went on to appear across a wide variety of media. They’ve shown up in various Harley-centric comics as well as a few animated shows, including Batman: The Animated Series and Krypto the Superdog. Birds of Prey marks their first foray into live-action, though.

One question remains though, and that’s whether or not we’ll be seeing both Bob and Lou in the film. As of now, every shot featuring the character(s?) only sees Harley with a single hyena, not the real dynamic duo. There’s a chance the crew has been scaled down to account for budget, production logistics, or a new take on the story. Heck, we may see the second introduced in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which just officially started filming.

There’s no telling who else will be showing up in Birds of Prey. There have long been rumors that Batgirl will have a cameo and there’s a rich well of badass DC women to draw from. The film could end up featuring anyone from Spoiler to Vixen. For now, though, Harley’s post-Joker-breakup coping mechanism of finding a new group of girlfriends and adopting a wild animal that laughs when it eats is a pretty solid step in the right direction for her growth as a character.

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