2 Attachment(s)
Suicide Squad Director Regrets Joker's "Damaged" Tattoo
Suicide Squad director David Ayer admits that the Joker's "Damaged" forehead tattoo was "one step too far." Released in 2016, the movie gathered some of DC's most prominent villains and sent them out on a mission to save the world. The premise was a breath of fresh air considering that superhero films that year mainly focused on a hero vs. hero narrative (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War). Sadly, it wasn't received by the public the way Warner Bros. wanted it to.
Despite that, Suicide Squad was a box office success, earning $746.8 million worldwide against a budget of just $175 million. A sequel was greenlighted (its script already finished) alongside several other spinoffs featuring Harley Quinn and Joker - the latest of which already has its script completed recently. So while everyone is raving about the DCEU-separate Joker standalone film directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, people are starting to once again discuss Leto's incarnation of the character in Suicide Squad.
Ayer took to his official Twitter account to interact with his fans and was asked about the inspiration behind the Joker's "Damaged" tattoo in Suicide Squad. Rather than replying with some deep meaning regarding his creative choice, the director admitted that it was a mistake on his part, saying "it was a one step too far." Fans in the comments section were divided about the tattoo - some of them didn't mind it, while others did. However, they all appreciated the fact that Ayer candidly answered the query. Check out his post below:
Regardless of what one feels about Leto's iteration of the Joker, it's important to note that fans have really yet to see his version of the character given his very limited screen time in Suicide Squad. Some will argue that a good character would've been able to shine regardless of screentime, but between the critically-praised performance by Heath Ledger in the Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and the public's negative perception of Dawn of Justice, the odds were stacked against Leto to make the character his own. Relegating him to basically a glorified cameo part in a film with strong performances from Robbie and Will Smith (Deadshot) also didn't exactly help his cause.
With the upcoming Joker and Harley film, Leto will undoubtedly be given the opportunity to prove his acting chops that may (or may not) change people's opinion regarding his iteration of the DC villain. The important thing is that people give him an equal shot at making the role his. Perhaps if things make a turn for the better and people finally start to appreciate his version, Warner Bros. can give him a more prominent role in the sequel for Suicide Squad . Otherwise, he can just move on and focus on Sony's in-development Morbius: The Living Vampire film where he's set to play the main role.
Release Dates:
- Aquaman (2018) release date: Dec 21, 2018
- Shazam! (2019) release date: Apr 05, 2019
- Joker (2019) release date: Oct 04, 2019
- Wonder Woman 2 (2019) release date: Nov 01, 2019
