Suicide Squad director David Ayer remains adamant that his unseen cut of the movie is vastly superior to the one released in theaters almost a decade ago. It's not hard to imagine, given what a Frankenstein's monster of a blockbuster it ended up being, but will DC Studios #ReleaseTheAyerCut? Don't bank on it.
One controversial scene in the 2016 release saw Batman violently apprehend Deadshot in front of his young daughter. It seemed out of character for the Caped Crusader, and is a moment still complained about to this day.
Addressing a fan on social media, Ayer finally shared his take on the scene (and yes, he once again alluded to a better version being in Suicide Squad's "Ayer Cut").
"Wish you could see the scene as shot. There’s a lot going on," the filmmaker said. "It’s rich and emotional. Perhaps by arresting her father, Batman believes he’s sparing her worse trauma. Or perhaps with his own traumatic past, Batman is doing what many hurt people do: he’s leaving wreckage behind him without being aware."
"Batman has always operated at the edge. Does he fight and arrest bad guys to protect his wounded inner child? Is he just reenacting the past from an unhealthy place? I love this kind of debate," Ayer added.
It's an interesting justification, though one which does seem to suggest that Ayer didn't have a clear understanding of what makes Batman tick.
Before Gunn helmed 2021's The Suicide Squad, Gavin O'Connor (Warrior, The Accountant) was writing a version of "Suicide Squad 2" we've heard was set to pit Task Force X against Black Adam.
"There was a knock on the door, and it was the new DC president," O'Connor revealed back in April. "He said, 'So where are you with the script?' I said 'It's almost done,' and he said 'Can I read it?' And I said, 'Well, you can read it when it's finished.' A couple of weeks later, I gave it to him, and he said 'Can you make it a comedy?'"
"And I said, 'That's not what I wrote, and that's not the agreement I have with the studio.' He wanted me to make it into a comedy, and I was like, all right, I guess I won't be working here," he continued. "It was really a father-daughter story with Deadshot and his daughter."
The Suicide Squad also featured a father-daughter story, though it seemed that Deadshot was swapped out for Bloodsport when Will Smith decided against returning for a follow-up. Enchantress recently received a mention in Peacemaker season 2, but it doesn't look like the stories of any Suicide Squad character will continue in the DCU.
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