The Suicide Squad director James Gunn has previously revealed that an earlier version of the movie was set to kill Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher 2, but the filmmaker has now shared more details on his original ending. We were already pleased that the fan-favourite Task Force X member managed to survive, but the original, brutal plan for her might have left a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths.
Talking to Cinema Blend, Gunn explained that in this version of The Suicide Squad, Ratcatcher 2 would have escaped Corto Maltese with that leaked intel about the U.S. Government's involvement with The Thinker's experiments in Jotunheim. However, the rest of the team would have been unaware.
"Waller blew up her head, after they went back to the prison," the filmmaker explains. "At which point, Harley tries to talk Bloodsport -- Bloodsport’s freaking out, because he's connected to this person, like a daughter. And he's freaking out, and Harley is actually being sort of kind, in a weird way, trying to talk Bloodsport into just letting it go. But Bloodsport ends up shooting Waller in the heart with a combustible bullet and threatening to blow her up."
"He shot her right below the heart with one of the exploding bullets, which we see Peacemaker using earlier in the movie. And so now she has to do what he says."
This by no means sounds like a terrible ending to The Suicide Squad, but we're definitely relieved to hear Gunn chose to head down a different route. He went on to tell the site that this ending was "just too dark for me," noting that "It didn't really work for me. It didn't really tell the story that I wanted to tell, which is much more about the characters’ different journeys, emotionally. And for me, really, the ending with Bloodsport petting the rat... that, to me, was the perfect ending for the movie."
Task Force X had blackmailed Amanda Waller and were free to return to their normal lives at the conclusion of the movie, and that happy ending felt earned after everything they'd been through. Ratcatcher's head blowing up? We'll pass on that, though at least Bloodsport and Harley Quinn would have escaped!
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The Suicide Squad sets the stage for the DCEU's future!
5. A Very Different Task Force X
By the time the movie ends, Amanda Waller has been forced to free Bloodsport, Ratcatcher 2, Harley Quinn, and King Shark, while the rest of the villains she sent to Corto Maltese are now dead.
We know there are other baddies in Belle Reve (like, uh, Calendar Man), but Waller may well find herself without any legit heavy-hitters now. That's not a bad thing, though, because from a non-storyline perspective, it gives Warner Bros. the freedom to pick pretty much anyone they want from the DC Universe in a possible threequel.
The death of Rick Flag is also going to change the team's dynamic. Without him, who will lead these villains into battle and keep them in check?
Well, we're pretty sure Deadshot would be a good fit to follow in Flag's footsteps...
4. Weasel Trouble In Corto Maltese?
Starro the Conqueror has been defeated, and Corto Maltese is now a county no longer ruled by a dictator. As a result, things are looking up, but Weasel's survival might be bad news for those who survived that alien's attack (especially as the mindless creature previously killed 23 children).
We're not expecting this to be addressed in a meaningful way, but a Task Force X member being let loose on the island is likely to make headlines, especially if he winds up with more blood on his hands.
This would make for a great Easter Egg in Peacemaker, even if it's just mentioned on television or the front of a newspaper in the background. This post-credits scene was clearly thrown in just for laughs, but it would be pretty awesome to see Amanda Waller embarrassed in some way by this.
Heck, perhaps one of Peacemaker's earliest jobs could be taking Weasel out?!
3. Harley Quinn Is Free Again
The Suicide Squad didn't really reference the events of Birds of Prey in a meaningful way, and only a throwaway line shed some light on how Harley Quinn ended up back behind bars.
A bank robbery certainly isn't out of character, but it is a little disappointing given the way things ended with her and young Cassandra Cain in the 2020 movie. Now, though, Harley is once again free to do what she pleases, and our hope is that it leads to a long-overdue team-up with Poison Ivy.
Given the poor commercial performance of this movie (caused by a number of factors including an unclear marketing campaign and COVID-19), there's some doubt about how much of a draw Margot Robbie's Harley actually is. Despite that, we loved her in this movie, and she deserves another shot.
Gotham City Sirens honestly feels like the best possible direction, especially if Catwoman is thrown into the mix. If she's off-limits, then Leslie Grace's Batgirl would be a pretty great substitute.
2. Bloodsport, The Anti-Hero?
Despite some surface-level similarities to Deadshot, Idris Elba's Bloodsport is a great character in his own right. He goes through a lot in The Suicide Squad, and after saving Corto Maltese, we'd be on board with a redemption art for Robert DuBois. The question is, where would that play out?
An argument could definitely be made that Bloodsport would be a fitting replacement for Rick Flag as Task Force X's leader, but there's no way he's willingly going on more suicide missions for Amanda Waller (he also has what boils down to a get out of jail free card with the drive he managed to acquire).
Unfortunately, that makes us wonder if DuBois' story has perhaps reached its end.
With James Gunn teasing the possibility of more spinoffs, however, an HBO Max series has to be a possibility, and assuming it happens, pairing Bloodsport up with Ratcatcher 2 is a must.
1. Peacemaker Lives!
The Suicide Squad's second post-credits scene is definitely more meaningful than the first, and reveals that John Cena's Peacemaker managed to survive being gunned down by Bloodsport.
Now, he's needed for a mission to help "save the f***ing world," and Gunn has teased a big sci-fi element to the story he plans to tell in this eight-part HBO Max series. There's no word on the show's antagonist, but seeing as we never expected to see Starro in live-action, we expect to be surprised!
We know the plan is to explore some of Peacemaker's past, but delving into what he went through as a member of Task Force X is a must. Peacemaker surely feels some guilt after killing Rick Flag, while we're guessing that being bested by Bloodsport has done nothing to help that ego of his.
Whatever the case may be, we cannot wait to see this story play out next January!