Ever since Zack Snyder’s Justice League was officially announced to be coming to HBO Max next year, DC fans have started on a new campaign: calling for Warner Bros. to release David Ayer’s original edit of Suicide Squad. The director’s teased a much darker film that would’ve featured more Joker and given Harley Quinn a stronger arc. And now, Ayer has shared another image from his cut that gives us another reason to want it released: it has more Batman, too.
The monochrome photo captures Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in a not-so-romantic embrace. This is a familiar set-up, as it’s close to the flashback scene in the theatrical cut where Batman rescues Harley from the river. Note that the Clown Princess is a lot bloodier in this picture, though, than she is in the movie we’ve seen. Clearly, the sequence was originally meant to be a little grittier.
Batman’s cameos are some of the best parts of Suicide Squad, with this scene in particular being a highlight. Like something pulled from Batman: The Animated Series, the sequence starts with the Batmobile on the tail of the Joker, causing Harley to dare her puddin’ to floor it. They crash into Gotham Harbor, leaving Bats to go in and save the apparently unconscious Harley. He gives her CPR, but she pulls him in for a kiss instead. This is how Harley was apprehended and ended up in Belle Reve.
Other images Ayer has revealed on social media include a glimpse of the deleted material involving Joker’s comeback after his helicopter crash, which would’ve seen Harley stand up to him. He’s also shared some alternate costumes and make-up tests for both Robbie’s Harley and Jared Leto’s Joker. The interest generated by the bits and pieces Snyder shared from his Justice League is what got that off the ground, so hopefully if Ayer keeps posting these pics, we’ll eventually get a director’s cut of Suicide Squad on HBO Max, too.
