Will fans ever see the director's cut of Suicide Squad? While it's unclear if David Ayer's
cut will ever be officially released, there's plenty of information online about how the
two versions of the film differ. Here's what the director's cut of Sucide Squad would have
looked like.
The introductory Comic-Con 2015 Suicide Squad trailer hinted at a hauntingly gritty movie,
set to an eerie rendition of "I Started a Joke." It left the viewer taut with ominous
anticipation, along with a sinking feeling that survival rates would be low, successfully
capturing the ethos of Suicide Squad comic books.
These aren't inspiring tales of superheroes overcoming great odds, they're centered around
repeated themes of violence, incarceration, torture, and death. Hence, the name "Suicide
Squad." Ayer claims his film's midnight palette was inspired by Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight
trilogy, and his version is more akin to Todd Phillips' Joker.
By the time it hit theaters, however, audiences were left with a notably lighter movie, both
literally and figuratively.
"Please don't touch me. Please don't touch me."
According to Ayer, drastic changes were made to his, quote, "soulful drama" by, quote,
"shell shocked" Warner Brothers executives concerned about scathing reviews from Batman
v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as the wild success of Deadpool. In an effort to
capture some of that box-office magic, Suicide Squad was transformed into a more comedic
film.
According to Lady Falcon's interview with Richard Cetrone, Ben Affleck's stunt double,
he shot a few additional action scenes that never made it to theaters.
"I did a little more with the car, like trying to get into the car, trying to get through
the roof. So I did a little more."
The car in question is the Lamborghini Batman jumps on top of while Joker is driving it.
Cetrone describes a scene in which Batman can be seen attempting to cut into the roof
of the car with something like an oxy-fuel torch. Apparently, Batman's role was always
intended to be limited, and the additional material featuring the character doesn't have
as large an impact as other changes in a possible director's cut. However, even if it's not
a large amount, more Bats is always a good thing.
Though she's a key character in the theatrical version, the introduction of June Moone and
her alter ego Enchantress feels rushed in Suicide Squad. Rather than highlighting the
importance of Enchantress' vast powers, or going into more detail about how archeologist
June Moone was possessed by the ancient sorceress, this part of the story gets glossed over like
a side note.
Ayer has noted he wanted Suicide Squad to open with June Moone and Enchantress, rather
than jumping right to meeting the ill-fated crew. He also went on to say the two characters
have a more solid arc in his cut.
Rumors abound that these deleted scenes include better insight into the nature of June Moone
and Rick Flag's romantic relationship. If so, this would add weight to the film's climax,
which pivots so heavily upon Rick's feelings for June.
Many of the final costuming choices in Suicide Squad stirred controversy among fans for being
either too sexualized or not true enough to their comic book counterparts. Like all other
aspects of production, the last call on character looks was out of Ayer's hands. However, Enchantress'
final look took the most drastic turn from his initial vision.
Unlike the grungy, temptress-in-chains presented in the theatrical cut, concept art for Ayer's
Enchantress mesmerizes with an ethereal beauty encased in an airy confection of light and
color. This would have been a far lovelier, more tasteful way to portray the potent magic
flowing through Enchantress.
There's a long-running trope in Suicide Squad comic books that says on every mission, one
new recruit doesn't believe they actually have a live bomb implant in their neck, and
has to learn the hard way as a result. Since these characters never last longer than a
few minutes, they are usually low-grade villains no one in the audience will be sad to see
go.
As a result, readers of the comics weren't that surprised at Slipknot's lack of screen
time in theaters. However, like other aspects of the film reduced during the final editing
process, his part in the story feels incomplete.
According to Adam Beach, the actor who portrayed the rope-obsessed villain, he filmed a flashback
sequence. Maybe one day we'll see how Slipknot actually got caught.
The extended cut of Suicide Squad, which is not to be confused with a hypothetical director's
cut of the film, is 13 minutes longer than the theatrical version. Most of that time
comprises additional footage from Harley Quinn's flashbacks throughout the film, including
an extended view of Joker's escape from Arkham.
While his cronies wreak havoc on the medical center, Joker can be seen killing someone
with a baseball bat, all while Dr. Quinzel is being wrestled onto an examination table.
Then the two would-be abusive lovers have a discussion over the merits of Quinzel's
therapy methods, before cutting back to the original version where Joker says:
"Oh, I'm not gonna kill ya. I'm just gonna hurt you really, really bad."
Another extended cut scene details what happened later that night, leading up to Quinzel's
transformation into Harley Quinn. The extended cut still falls short of filling all plot
holes, however. Supposedly, the Ayer cut would make use of these scenes to include additional
insight into the harsh realities of their relationship, and more Joker in general.
One trait that makes Joker so terrifyingly dangerous is his chaotic unpredictability.
This is something Monster T, as played by Common during Harley's club flashback scene,
had to learn the hard way when he offended Joker during a perceived inappropriate encounter
with Harley.
Regardless of motives, Monster T meets an untimely end at the hands of Joker in the
theatrical version. According to Ayer, even more insight into Joker's twisted mind can
be found in his version of this scene, instead of shooting him, Joker intimidates Monster
T into taking his own life.
Three official trailers were released before Suicide Squad hit theaters, all containing
scenes that never made it to the final cut. This has fueled the feeling among fans that
extensive material was lost in production, and increased demand for an Ayer Cut. According
to Ayer, one deleted story arc had to do with Katana.
Ayer has said that Karen Fukuhara's sword-wielding character played a bigger role in his cut.
This makes sense, considering how little of Katana made it into the final film.
According to Ayer, Katana was originally supposed to be taken over by Enchantress and turn on
the Squad. We get glimpses of this in not one, but two different trailers, as we see
shots of Katana's eyes going black and more, but the theatrical cut never makes use of
this subplot.
For all its perceived shortcomings, the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad did get one thing right,
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. For the first time since the character was created by Paul
Dini and Bruce Timm more than 25 years ago, Harley was finally seen on the big screen,
and fans loved it.
Unfortunately, Ayer said that his original plans for Harley, which would have included
a more complex look at her relationship with The Joker, were "eviscerated" by the studio.
Instead of the tragic, violent co-dependence the two have shared since day one, their twisted
relationship was reduced to a classic "love story", which is incredibly disturbing to
those familiar with their history. Ayer has suggested his version of the movie puts more
emphasis on Harley Quinn and her journey towards independence from The Joker. We certainly
see some of this in the sequel Birds of Prey, but perhaps the Ayer Cut would shed even more
light on it.
Part of Harley's independent streak in the Ayer cut manifests itself as a fling between
Harley and Deadshot. This is a nod to source materials like the 2011 New 52 Suicide Squad
comic books where Floyd and Harley do indeed hook up.
This may seem confusing for those who have only seen Harley with Joker, but over the
years Harley has had flings with various characters. She's even discovered that she's bisexual
and polyamorous, as seen in the Harley Quinn animated series and more recent comic book
appearances.
A subplot romance between Harley and Deadshot not only makes sense, but would also explain
the chemistry the two shared onscreen.
One of the more memorable Suicide Squad scenes takes place when Harley makes her daring escape
from a rooftop onto Joker's helicopter. Her moment of glory is short-lived, however, because
she tumbles out onto the rooftop below moments later.
How she comes to fall, however, differs between the theatrical version and Ayer's cut. In
theaters, an airborne projectile strikes the helicopter, violently knocking Harley backwards.
It's edited to further perpetuate the idea that Joker really loves Harley, as he's shown
yelling in despair while he tries in vain to keep her from falling out.
Ayer has said that in his version, Joker "pushed her, but not to kill her" in a fit of jealous
rage over her new "friends." This sounds more like the Joker fans are familiar with, considering
his prior abuses include throwing Harley through a glass window from several stories up.
According to Ayer, his original plans for Joker included much more story, including
a deal with Enchantress that would have seen the two basically team up to the point that
Joker would be around a lot more in the third act of the film. Joker's pitch would have
allowed him to set himself up as "king of Gotham," providing a deeper motivation for
his pursuit of the Squad in the first place.
It also helps explain another scene first glimpsed in trailers later cut from the theatrical
release. In one such scene, Joker's unnerving laugh is heard echoing throughout the chamber
where the Squad is fighting Enchantress and Incubus during the climax of the film.
Most of the information about Ayer's vision for Suicide Squad comes directly from insights
he's shared in social media posts. One exception to this concerns a deleted juicy plot twist
detailed on a leaked script page.
It contains a confrontation between the Squad and the temporary team-up between Enchantress
and Joker, who have taken Amanda Waller hostage. The leaked script page provides noteworthy
insight into Joker's disregard for other living beings, and Harley's conflicted loyalties.
When asked on Twitter if the scene was ever shot, Ayer replied,
"Shot and edited. Of course you were not permitted to see it my friend."
If the footage exists, maybe it could be restored in an Ayer Cut release.
Another notable difference between the Ayer and theatrical cuts concerns the fate of El
Diablo. His haunting backstory was almost axed, along with other scenes considered too
dark for a PG-13 film, but the director managed to convince executives of its importance to
the overall story. Ayer later called the fight to keep Dialbo's backstory "the only battle"
he won with executives.
One change the Ayer cut would make to Diablo's story, though, is in his final fate. In the
director's version, Diablo doesn't die while fighting for the common good, instead, he
survives the entire length of the film.
As it turns out, Ayer never intended for the Squad to battle Incubus during the grand finale.
The director said on Twitter that his original plans included a battle with a "Parademon
boss" that was cut while prepping the movie, paving the way for Incubus instead.
Parademons are ruthless monsters serving in the army of legendary DC Comics villain Darkseid,
and we've already seen them pop up in the DCEU thanks to Justice League. Since Darkseid
and his minions already loom over the whole DCEU, Ayer's Parademon plan would have tied
things together even more.
Unfortunately, continuity is something Warner Brothers struggles with, especially when compared
to the comprehensive multi-year plan executed by Marvel Studios. For DC fans, it's difficult
not to be envious of their success. Until more is unveiled concerning a possible release
date for the hypothetical Ayer Cut, fans will have to wait for this possible redemption
with bated breath.
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