Suicide Squad director David Ayer revealed there is only one creative decision that he made regarding Jared Leto's Joker that he now regrets.
Replying to a fan on Twitter, who asked why Ayer decided to give the Joker a forehead tattoo that read "Damaged" in 2016's Suicide Squad, the director admitted that he regrets that choice. Ayer explained that the heavily criticized tattoo was meant to be the Joker's attempt at mocking Batman after getting his teeth punched in by him. "It’s the one aesthetic choice I wish I hadn’t made," he said. "Caught a lot of smoke for it, obviously."
Suicide Squad's 'Ayer Cut'
While he has admitted this regret, Ayer has stood by his original vision of the critically-panned supervillain movie since its release, continuously claiming that Warner Bros. ruined his version of the movie in post-production. He has even gone as far as to state that the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad is not his movie. In a lengthy statement released in July 2021, the director said, "I put my life into Suicide Squad. I made something amazing - My cut is [an] intricate and emotional journey with some 'bad people' who are shit on and discarded (a theme that resonates in my soul). The studio cut is not my movie. Read that again."
Ayer released that statement as people began applauding James Gunn for his work on 2021's The Suicide Squad, which acted as a soft reboot after the failure of the original 2016 film. While Ayer did want to defend himself and provide fans with his own take on the situation, he has never had anything bad to say about Gunn. In fact, the director also applauded Gunn when he was named co-CEO of DC Studios and has revealed that he and Gunn have discussed the "Ayer Cut" of Suicide Squad. "I spoke to him a while ago. All with patience," Ayer said. "He has the right to put together his new universe before visiting the past. Cheer up. Good things are coming."
While Ayer's relationship with DC fans has been rocky ever since the release of Suicide Squad, he has admitted that he has found a silver lining in the situation. The director revealed that he believes the negativity of certain DC fans is a testament to the power of the characters they are all dealing with. "There’s something deeply mythological in them that ignites passion on both sides," he conceded.
Suicide Squad and its sequel, The Suicide Squad, can be streamed on HBO Max.
Source: Twitter