THE SUICIDE SQUAD Director James Gunn Reveals Why Harley Quinn's "Rotten" Tattoo Has Been Removed

THE SUICIDE SQUAD Director James Gunn Reveals Why Harley Quinn's "Rotten" Tattoo Has Been Removed

Eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Harley Quinn's "Rotten" facial tattoo is nowhere to be seen in The Suicide Squad, and James Gunn has now shared the reason and revealed whether it's addressed in any way.

By JoshWilding - Jun 24, 2021 09:06 AM EST
Filed Under: The Suicide Squad

When our first look at 2016's Suicide Squad was revealed, the response to the tattoos covering The Joker and Harley Quinn was mostly negative. Given what a departure this body art was from the comic books, that's not overly surprising, but the biggest issue for many fans what the tattoos actually said! 

We all know how ridiculous the Clown Prince of Crime's "Damaged" tattoo was (which is probably why it vanished in Zack Snyder's Justice League), but Harley's "Rotten" ink was every bit as bad. 

Some changes were made to the character's appearance in Birds of Prey, but the tat remained. Well, it's M.I.A. in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, and the writer and director has now shed some light on the decision to scrap it for his highly anticipated take on the eclectic members of Task Force X. 

"Margot [Robbie] didn't like it and found out I also didn't like it so we decided just to remove it," he told a fan during a recent Instagram Q&A. As for whether the tattoo's disappearance will factor into The Suicide Squad in any way, Gunn made it clear that, "No, it's not addressed."

This isn't something the movie really needs to waste time explaining, and scrapping Harley's "Damaged" tattoo feels like the right decision. It's interesting that Robbie wasn't a fan of it either, and it feels a lot like the actress is making a real effort to move the character away from the one we met in 2016. 

The Suicide Squad will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6, later this year. 

SUICIDE SQUAD Star Scott Eastwood Talks Future Superhero Roles And #ReleaseTheAyerCut Support (Exclusive)
Related:

SUICIDE SQUAD Star Scott Eastwood Talks Future Superhero Roles And #ReleaseTheAyerCut Support (Exclusive)

SUICIDE SQUAD Director David Ayer Shares Script Pages Revealing More Of The Ayer Cut's Original Ending
Recommended For You:

SUICIDE SQUAD Director David Ayer Shares Script Pages Revealing More Of The Ayer Cut's Original Ending

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
GhostDog
GhostDog - 6/24/2021, 9:01 AM
Let’s be real though, she’s rotten as hell
Blergh
Blergh - 6/24/2021, 9:05 AM
@BlackBeltJones - it was David Ayer cleverly forshadowing the RT score
aresww3
aresww3 - 6/24/2021, 9:27 AM
@BlackBeltJones -
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 6/24/2021, 9:42 AM
@BlackBeltJones - But what if this Harley Quinn is from a different "multi-verse" and that's why the tattoo is missing? What if we currently have 3 HQs?
McMurdo
McMurdo - 6/24/2021, 9:54 AM
@mastakilla39 - hahaha
inkniron
inkniron - 6/24/2021, 9:03 AM
I think you'll find most people didn't care for most of the tattoos between her and the Joker. It wouldn't have hurt my feelings at all if they removed them all.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 6/24/2021, 9:04 AM
good.
Cbmfilmjunkie
Cbmfilmjunkie - 6/24/2021, 9:04 AM
Good.

The “rotten” and “damaged” tattoos were too try hard.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 6/24/2021, 12:57 PM
@Cbmfilmjunkie - It's funny because a lot of people who loved the designs and the tattoos for Joker and Harley Quinn were up in arms over the rainbow flag representing the LGBTQ community. It was bizarre how it's ok for certain characters to have tattoos announcing their mental illness and justification for their behavior but it was wrong for the gay community to have a symbol that represented them. Very bizarre.
Blergh
Blergh - 6/24/2021, 9:05 AM
The tattoos were all such a bad choice for Joker and Harley. Don't get me wrong, I like tats and am inked myself but these two don't scream "gangsters" in that sense to me.
Joker has had many interpretations over the years but that one in particular really didn't sit well with me.

I'm glad they're moving to remove most of the more irksome tats
KWilly
KWilly - 6/24/2021, 9:05 AM
I don't remember any of her tattoos except the "Lucky You" one right above her nether region. That was pretty clever, I'm not gonna even lie.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 6/24/2021, 9:12 AM
she looks so [frick]ing good in this film
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 6/24/2021, 9:14 AM
Snyder removed "Damaged"
Gunn removed "Rotten"

99OPTIMISTPRIME
99OPTIMISTPRIME - 6/24/2021, 9:26 AM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 -
newhire13
newhire13 - 6/24/2021, 9:26 AM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - Why did I see this and think “Aww” 😂
1 2
View Recorder