Awards ceremonies such as the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards may be by and large considered the most prestigious awards shows that celebrate the best of the best in movies and/or television every year, but they’re far from the only events that make up “awards season”. Traditionally, prior to the Globes and/or Oscar nominations for any year being announced, nominations for other other major awards events (like the Independent Spirit Awards) are revealed. The National Board of Review and the Critics’ Choice Awards even go ahead and finalize their selections for the best of the best in film and/or TV, well before the actual year is over.

The Critics’ Choice Awards, in particular, make for a nice alternative awards event for those who feel that most awards shows place too much emphasis on “Oscar bait” films – as the CCAs also include awards categories for only only the drama and comedy genres, but also the action genre. Among the winners from the action movie category at the 2016 CCAs is none other than Margot Robbie, for her performance as the fan-favorite Harley Quinn in director David Ayer’s DC Extended Universe film, Suicide Squad.


Robbie’s turn as the villain/antihero (take your pick) Harley Quinn won her the top honor in the Best Actress in an Action Movie category at the 2016 Critics’ Choice Awards. That made her the second actor to win for a performance in a comic book movie at the event, along with Ryan Reynolds – who won for Best Actor in a Comedy for his turn in Deadpool and was dubbed Entertainer of the Year.

Meanwhile, Robbie’s Suicide Squad costar Viola Davis (who plays Amanda Waller in Ayer’s film) didn’t go home at the CCAs empty-handed either. Davis picked up a Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in the Denzel Washington-directed play adaptation Fences (for the same role that Davis had previously won a Tony for playing on-stage), as well as the #SEEHER awards for this year.

Harley Quinn in Prison Suicide Squads Margot Robbie & Viola Davis Win Critics Choice Awards
Opinions amongst fans and critics alike are all the over the place when it comes to Suicide Squad as a whole – yet, Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn earned her nearly universal praise and is generally cited as a high point of the movie. Development is actively underway on a Suicide Squad spinoff that will center around Harley Quinn and feature other noteworthy female DC characters, with Robbie producing in addition to starring. Robbie’s win at the CCAs should only bolster that spinoff’s chances of getting a green-light sooner than later, as it illustrates the widespread popularity of Robbie’s version of the (unhinged) Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel.

Less clear is what the future holds for Davis’ version of Amanda Waller, when it comes to the DCEU. Davis, for her part, has a nice amount on her plate as it – what with her ongoing starring role in the hit TV series How to Get Away with Murder (which Davis was nominated for again at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards) and upcoming projects on her to-do list like a Harriet Tubman biopic and a leading role in 12 Years a Slave director Steven McQueen’s heist thriller, Widows. With Harley Quinn due to reappear in the DCEU in the more immediate future, perhaps Miss Waller won’t be too far behind her.