Poised to steal the show in this year's anti-superhero movie Suicide Squad is the wonderfully deranged yet kooky Harley Quinn, one of a number of notorious supervillains coerced into undertaking a top-secret mission for the US government.

Here's what you need to know about the character – and why she's poised to become your new favourite comic book baddie.

1) She's both sweet and utterly insane

Don't be fooled by her somewhat sunny visage and pigtails. Harley hears voices inside her head that compel her towards savage and demented acts. The quirky exterior may draw people in but she's just as insane as her fellow Suicide Squad compatriots like Deadshot (Will Smith) and The Joker (Jared Leto).

2) Comic book fans love her

Ever since her first appearance way back in 1992, Harley has become a twisted favourite of comic book readers, and her development as a character has been intriguing. Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, she first emerged on TV series Batman: The Animated Series, although her first actual comic book appearance wasn't until 1993.

As detailed in 1994 graphic novel Mad Love, Harley's origins derive from her time as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, during which period she became infatuated with the Joker (then incarcerated as a patient). She subsequently fell in love with him and became his close accomplice, setting in motion one of the most popular comic book story arcs of all time. (Whether this will carry over into the movie remains to be seen.)

3) Fans go nuts over the costume

Few comic book villains are as closely identified with their outfit as Harley Quinn. Her oft-imitated juggler's outfit as seen in original animated TV series encapsulates her character in a nutshell: whimsical and off-the-wall but very, very dangerous. However, her style has gone through various adjustments as the years have gone in, transforming into something far grungier in recent years.

Harley's outfit has become such a pop culture phenomenon that in October last year, her get-up was 2015's most popular Halloween costume. Its popularity was no doubt driven into overdrive by the character's appearance in the memorably anarchic first trailer.

4) She's played by Margot Robbie

The Wolf of Wall Street actress is set to bring that enjoyably sassy attitude and no-nonsense style to the role of this iconic character. Robbie has admitted that Harley is such a fun role to play precisely because nothing is off-limits.

"Harley is creepy, violent, crazy – all of the things that I aspire to be," she jokes. "No. It’s the fun of living vicariously through someone who is doing things that I would never do in real life."

5) Harley just loves to be bad

Is there anything more enjoyable than a movie villain who relishes their role as the bad guy? It's one of the reasons why we continue to love the likes of Darth Vader and Hans Gruber – and Harley refuses to let the side down, exclaiming in the trailer: "We're the bad guys!"

Yep, we shouldn't love her – but we kind of do...

Is Harley Quinn set to become your next favourite supervillain? Drop us a tweet @Cineworld and let us know. Suicide Squad is released on 5th August.