Suicide Squad director David Ayer has been vocal about the 2016 film on X (formerly known as Twitter) and today, he shared what he called his “original intent” for the Joker – and it looks pretty different from what we got from Jared Leto’s interpretation.
Ayer posted what seems to be a concept image of the Joker, which shows the villain in a long black coat and… a big pile of purple skulls. This almost seems to suggest a more supernatural take on the Joker. What was he doing with those skulls? Did Ayer just think it was cool, actually?
In all seriousness, we can speculate that it was likely meant to symbolize a throne of skulls Joker sat on top of. Anyway, you can see it yourself and speculate below.
Original intent pic.twitter.com/cQpn3NI3iG
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 10, 2023
It’s only the latest comment Ayer’s made about Suicide Squad recently. Just earlier this week, Ayer stoked more flames after tweeting a photo of the interpretation of the Joker that we actually did get in his widely panned 2016 movie. After responding to fans who asked him why he shared the image without any caption or explanation, he wrote, “Have you ever had an experience in life that didn't [turn out] the way you wanted, that dragged you, that made you rethink everything? I have."
He then said that DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn is on board with releasing the long-rumored “Ayer Cut” – a.k.a., the director’s edit of the film that he’s hinted at for years – eventually:
"All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release,” he wrote. “The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it's time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects. In a way I'm chained to this thing. I'm riding a tiger here and navigating this situation the best I can. Life is a very strange journey."
This is only the latest word from Ayer on how his original Suicide Squad is different than the one Warner Bros. ultimately released. He’s since spoken about its deleted ties to Justice League, as well as his original plan for Enchantress.
Whether we ever get Ayer’s full vision for Suicide Squad remains to be seen, but in the meantime, we’ve got these purple skulls.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
