James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" is so action-packed that you might not believe anything was left
out. But in reality, there were many scenes we didn't get to see. Here are the scenes
that didn't make the cut.
As "The Suicide Squad" begins, Rick Flag is not paired up with his eventual team. Instead,
he's stuck with a squadron of supervillains that Amanda Waller has sent in as cannon fodder
to distract enemy forces. Their mission does not go well.
"Everyone is exploding; genitals, heads, arms, legs."
In the theatrical cut, the viewer assumes Flag has been assigned to this doomed unit
simply due to Waller's cold attitude toward human life. But originally, a now-deleted
scene was meant to add extra context to Flag's presence on this team. Gunn explained how
the scene would have happened in an interview with the Script Apart podcast.
"Rick Flag makes fun of Amanda Waller's shirt. And you just see death in Viola's face. She
just looks like death. And that's why he's on that beach."
Considering the successful track record of jokes in "The Suicide Squad," an extra-dark
gag like this would've been more than welcome.
Throughout "The Suicide Squad," audiences aren't left wanting when it comes to action
beats involving characters like Ratcatcher 2 or Polka Dot Man. These obscure figures
from the comics get several opportunities to establish themselves as memorable to the
general public. At one point, though, there were plans to feature these two fan-favorite
characters in another extended action sequence. Gunn told Collider:
"There's a whole section with Ratcatcher and King Shark and Polka-Dot Man and Thinker that
I cut, that was pretty dynamite stuff [...] but it was taking our time at the wrong point
in the film. So it was a good cut. It hurts. But that's how movie making is."
"It's the magic of movies."
Though this scene was left on the cutting room floor, at least moviegoers aren't entirely
deprived of action moments from Ratcatcher 2 and Polka Dot Man in the final cut of "The
Suicide Squad."
While Bloodsport and the rest of the Suicide Squad take a bus ride to a bar The Thinker
frequents, most of these supervillains are lost in their thoughts ... but not King Shark.
He's staring out the window, enamored with the denizens of Corto Maltese. King Shark's
captivation by these sights of everyday people connecting makes it apparent that this toothy
fellow isn't just a dimwit with muscles. There's sorrow within this beast, fueled by a burning
desire to be connected to other people.
Originally, though, this quiet, poignant moment was not the only indicator of King Shark's
internal desires. James Gunn initially had plans to build on this moment and further
explore the character's loneliness. Gunn told Collider:
"That actually was a much longer sort of montage. That is really beautiful, and I really like
[it] in and of itself. Again, it was at the wrong place in the movie."
What adversary should a pack of supervillains fight? In the final cut of "The Suicide Squad,"
a series of contenders, ranging from Corto Maltese generals to the alien Starro the Conqueror,
serve as opponents for Bloodsport and company. But there was once an iteration of Gunn's
"The Suicide Squad" that saw these morally troubled characters confronting not another
DC Comics baddie, but one of the most iconic superheroes of all time: Superman.
"There was a time when I thought The Suicide Squad should fight Superman. That they should
have to get Superman. I thought that was a very interesting story."
Instead of Superman, Gunn went with a personal favorite character, Starro the Conqueror,
as the principal antagonist. Gunn explained:
"He's a character I love from the comics. I think he's a perfect comic book character
because he's absolutely ludicrous but also very scary in his own way."
"Starfish is a slang term for a butthole. Think there's any connection?"
Shortly before the release of "The Suicide Squad," James Gunn took to Twitter to reveal
the DC Comics baddies that he attempted to put into the film but couldn't find a space
for. Among those listed was Deathstroke, a dark character who was previously played by
Joe Manganiello in "Justice League." While most of these characters were revealed with
no context as to how they would have factored into "The Suicide Squad," a behind-the-scenes
featurette shed some light on Deathstroke's potential role.
In the featurette "The Suicide Squad: The Way of the Gunn," the director speaks to a
room of artists with various pieces of concept art stapled to the wall behind him. Among
this collection of images is one depicting Deathstroke at the head of the Suicide Squad.
Gunn has been open about the fact that the position of Suicide Squad frontman was written
for Idris Elba first and foremost. In the early stages, the director just didn't know
who he would play. The concept art indicates that for at least a while, Deathstroke was
a potentially prominent player in "The Suicide Squad" as a candidate for the Elba role that
would eventually take the form of Bloodsport.
James Gunn also revealed that he'd considered using another established DCEU character as
well: Black Manta, who previously appeared in "Aquaman."
However, any scenes involving Black Manta in "The Suicide Squad" didn't get far into
the production. On Twitter, Gunn revealed that while he, quote "considered Black Manta"
he decided against it because Manta's power set didn't quite work with the vision he had.
Placing the importance of storytelling above cinematic universe connections speaks to the
kind of sharp, discerning writing that made the final cut of "The Suicide Squad" so much
fun to watch.
The finale of "The Suicide Squad" features plenty of cathartic moments, like Harley Quinn
finally figuring out what she should do with the javelin she's been carrying around and
Ratcatcher 2 channeling the spirit of her father to summon an army of rodents. But it's
not all triumph and exciting action. There's also a crushing moment meant to reinforce
the gravity of the movie's villain when Polka Dot Man gets crushed by Starro just moments
after he finally feels like a superhero for the first time. Interestingly, Polka Dot Man
wasn't always going to get the starsquish. Gunn explained to Variety:
"The original ending that I pitched, one main character died and one main character did
not die. And the main character who died was Ratcatcher 2. She was so sweet, I just felt
like it was just too dark. Not that we don't love Polka Dot Man. We do. I just couldn't.
So I relented."
Given that Ratcatcher 2 has become such a fan-favorite character since "The Suicide
Squad" debuted, it's likely Gunn made the right call.
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