Suicide Bros.-The DCEU Conundrum

Good Lord!

So Suicide Squad finally was released in theatres. In a move many didn’t want, yet somewhat expected, it was panned by critics. This makes the third consecutive film in a row, right after Man of Steel and Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice, to be trashed, leaving little hope for the DCEU (that’s what DC’s franchise is being called) to gain traction against the juggernaut that’s Marvel. It’s also already caused backlash amongst die-hard fans, reviving the tinfoil hat conspiracy of reviewers being biased. But that’s something I’ve already covered.

So that we’re clear, I’m not a DCEU fan. I’ve never seen a DCEU movie in its entirety, nor do I intend to. The weird, aesthetic blend of Nolan’s Batman movies and DC comic books doesn’t mesh in my mind, and nothing I’ve seen has really convinced me otherwise. All the more upsetting because I’m a bigger fan of DC’s superheroes than Marvel’s, having grown up with the former through Saturday morning cartoons. But I digress.

What’s surprising about Suicide Squad is rumours of behind-the-scenes footage revealing that a major subplot involving Harley Quinn and The Joker’s relationship was cut to skirt questionable material. For those unaware, Harley Quinn was an Arkham Asylum psychologist who fell in-love with The Joker, to the point of assuming the guise of villainess to appease him. Their relationship has often been depicted as shaky, but amidst the rough patches it’s been stressed that the two do love each other, even having sex on numerous occasions. Harley’s path to villainy has been retconned and modified over the years, but that much has remained the same.

Before covering the deleted scenes, I should make it clear that the DCEU’s basing its origin of Harley Quinn off of the Nu52 run of comics that started several years ago. In them, Harley becomes crazy after being shoved into a vat of chemicals by The Joker. I don’t like this decision, as it robs her of her most-compelling aspect: choosing to become Harley Quinn. Up until Nu52, Harley became who she was because she wanted to, making her infatuation with The Joker, who was clearly abusive, all the more tragic. The “vat of chemicals” origin is lazy, but I guess laziness is canon now.

Anyway, the deleted scenes reveal a much larger presence of The Joker. Initially, The Joker was alleged to have shoved Harley into the vat of chemicals with the intention of killing her because he saw her as a cheap gag. After realizing that she’d survived, he dove in to rescue her. He then developed a psychological fascination for her, and he began treating her like his, to put it bluntly, “bitch”. It was only once she got arrested that he realized how much he needed her, so he began stalking her when she joined the Suicide Squad in an attempt to “win her back”.

Sound familiar? It’s because that’s similar to the relationship Jessica and Kilgrave had in Season 1 of Jessica Jones. In both cases, the two ladies were in abusive relationships with men who used them as pawns. In both cases, the two ladies broke free of their relationships as a result of outside circumstances. And in both cases, their former lovers became obsessed with them shortly afterward. There are differences between the two, Jessica wasn’t a psychologist thrown in chemicals who got arrested, but the underlying theme of abusive, stalker-like men controlling their lives is definitely a common link.

And yet, Warner Bros. axed this relationship, one that could’ve added layers to Harley Quinn, because the subtext was “inappropriate”. Instead, we’re left with scenes involving The Joker and Harley that appear and disappear so fast you’re left wondering where the missing reels went. That’s a shame. True, the missing footage might’ve been uncomfortable, but it’d have added meat to this clearly-emaciated film. It’d have been interesting, in other words.

It also would’ve probably helped Suicide Squad fare better critically. I doubt it’d have been by much, the behind-the-scenes complications speak for themselves, but it’d have at least given it a bit of an edge. I know that reshoots and cut material are commonplace in film, especially when there’s a studio agenda, but given that the DCEU is already struggling to gain traction after three movies…this seems less about necessity and more about asserting dominance. David Ayer would’ve been in a lose-lose situation regardless, but he’s not an idiot. Tampering with his vision for the sake of it is more harmful than helpful, especially when your “brand” is about promoting the “filmmaker’s vision”.

It also adds further concern over the future of the DCEU. Ignoring that Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer have already botched two movies, Suicide Squad being panned indicates that the problems with the DCEU are bigger than them. Suicide Squad was supposed to be David Ayer’s baby, and it failed despite containing two elements the previous films lacked: characters and humour. It also makes me less-than-hopeful for Wonder Woman, a film slated for next year, because I don’t trust Warner Bros. anymore. I don’t trust that they’ll respect Patty Jenkins’s vision for the titular Amazonian, nor am I hopeful the end-result will be good. I could end up being wrong, there’s always that, but it seems doubtful at the moment.

Finally, since this needs addressing, I’m aware that the MCU is a studio-driven franchise too, and that many people who’ve participated in it, be it directors, writers or actors, have come out frustrated by the lack of creative input. But I’m willing to let that slide because the head of that universe, Kevin Feige, knows what he’s doing. He has a clear goal, and so far it’s worked to his advantage. Until the DCEU proves that it knows what it’s doing, I’ll forever be turned off. It hurts to say that, but it’s true.