The DCEU‘s Suicide Squad was a very divisive movie. Most either loved it or hated it, with few filmgoers sitting on the fence. For those who saw it in a negative light, one of its biggest flaws was the characterization of The Joker. Actor Jared Leto portrayed the legendary (if overrated and overused) DC Comics villain. He’s known for picking bizarre projects, and adopting strange behaviors while shooting as an acting method.
However, the majority of what went wrong with Joker wasn’t really Leto’s fault. He was poorly written and terribly designed. Most of us could have possibly looked past the terrible dialogue – Jack Nicholson’s was only marginally better – if not for the awful, horrible, terrible look he was given. Gangsta meth-head Joker really should have gotten some people fired. And by “some people,” I mean literally everyone who allowed this abomination to make it to the screen.
But I digress. Even people who like the movie still had a complaint about the character – they wish he had been the main villain. While more scenes were reportedly shot, what made the final cut was little more than a glorified cameo. Perhaps, with more screen time, the portrayal could have been redeemed somewhat.
As it turns out, director David Ayer feels the exact same way as those in the latter group. In fact, he recently replied to a fan’s tweet saying as much, with the words:
“Believe me, I agonize over this. Yes, Joker should have been the main bad guy. Wish I had a time machine. I’d make Joker the main villain and engineer a more grounded story. I have to take the good and bad and learn from it.”
“Agonize” is a pretty strong word. Clearly, Ayer was hugely disappointed by the final product, even though he created it. He isn’t returning for the Suicide Squad sequel, although he is still reportedly developing a new DC project. Gotham City Sirens is supposed to be a female-villain-driven film, including Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. Catwoman and Poison Ivy are rumored to be in the movie as well.
There’s also a Joker and Harley Quinn movie said to be in development.
Do you agree with the director? Would more Joker have been a good or bad thing for Suicide Squad? Tell us what you think in the comments!