Suicide Squad was released in 2016 to negative reviews, but even seven years on, the movie will not go away. The #ReleaseTheAyerCut movement continues to boast a vocal following on social media, and director David Ayer is still teasing his original plans for Task Force X's big screen debut before Warner Bros. stepped in and drastically changed his vision.
Despite not being a member of the team, it's no secret that Jared Leto's Joker was set to have a much bigger, vastly different role, while Harley Quinn and Deadshot's romantic relationship was also going to be better explored. Backstories for Slipknot and Enchantress were also scrapped, while Katana and El Diablo once had a significantly larger presence in the final act.
So, yes, we're sure the "Ayer Cut" of Suicide Squad was a very different beast. However, in the wake of The Suicide Squad's release and James Gunn now overseeing a reboot of the DCEU as DC Studios' co-CEO, it feels like the movie's time has been and gone.
Despite that, Ayer continues to tease his original plans for Suicide Squad, specifically relating to the Clown Prince of Crime.
A new still showcases the villain wielding a pair of golden guns, while the filmmaker would later respond to a fan by admitting that he regrets The Joker's divisive "Damaged" tattoo.
"It was Joker trolling Batman after getting his teeth punched in by him," Ayer explains. "It’s the one aesthetic choice I wish I hadn’t made. Caught a lot of smoke for it obviously."
When the first promo shot of Leto's Joker was released, it was met with widespread ridicule. Most people zeroed in on that "Damaged" tattoo for obvious reasons, with the decision to remove it in Zack Snyder's Justice League praised by fans. However, even if he'd been 100% comic accurate, the Oscar winner's take on the villain would have likely still been divisive.
Do you think the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad will ever see the light of day?