James Gunn has revealed his original scrapped, much darker ending for the DC hit The Suicide Squad. Had Gunn pursued this ending, it would have resulted in a different fate for Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher 2.
Recently speaking with CinemaBlend, the visionary director revealed his initial vision for The Suicide Squad's ending, claiming that he just couldn't go through with it as he was sorting through earlier drafts. Although reports indicate that Gunn let it slip out in previous interviews while promoting the film that Melchior's Ratcatcher 2 would be killed off, he finally shared how it would've played out.
"At the very end of the movie, Ratcatcher 2 had taken the information about from Jotunheim. She had smuggled in and gotten away with all of that information from Jotunheim, and the rest of the group didn't know about it. And (Amanda) Waller blew up her head, after they went back to the prison! At which point, Harley tries to talk Bloodsport -- Bloodsport’s freaking out, because he's connected to this person, like a daughter. And he's freaking out, and Harley is actually being sort of kind, in a weird way, trying to talk Bloodsport into just letting it go," Gunn recalls, admitting he cut this gory sequence from the script before actually submitting it to Warner Bros. "But Bloodsport ends up shooting Waller in the heart with a combustible bullet and threatening to blow her up. It was sort of complicated, but it was something like that. He didn't shoot her in the heart. He shot her right below the heart with one of the exploding bullets, which we see Peacemaker using earlier in the movie. And so now she has to do what he says," Gunn added. The director felt that while the much more bleak ending involved a bloodier send-off for some of the task force group of convicts, it didn't fit the tone he was going for.
"It was just too dark for me. It was really just too dark. It didn't really work for me. It didn't really tell the story that I wanted to tell, which is much more about the characters’ different journeys, emotionally. And for me, really, the ending with Bloodsport petting the rat... that, to me, was the perfect ending for the movie," Gunn explained. Melchior plays the thief Ratcatcher 2, the daughter of the original Ratcatcher (played by Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, who is shown in flashbacks throughout the film) who inherited the mantle and now has the ability to control rats. While not appearing to be the most flashy or exciting hero, Melchior's portrayal became an instant fan favorite, as her role provided much of the film's heart and emotional impact. It became clear why Gunn decided to stick with the film's current ending, as it made more sense for her arc and also set the possibility up for Ratcatcher 2's exciting return.
The Suicide Squad, the sequel/reboot to David Ayer's disastrous 2016 adaptation, was, unfortunately, a box flop due to many restrictions involving the COVID-19 pandemic and its hybrid release between theatres and streaming. However, it garnered much critical acclaim for its thrilling actions scenes, change of pace, and exciting new characters like Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, and Polka-Dot Man.
Although a sequel for The Suicide Squad has not officially been confirmed, DC Films president Walter Hamada has stated that he has plans for Gunn to be attached to future DC projects, with his upcoming spin-off Peacemaker series for HBO MAX being the first of many. The series will take place after the events of The Suicide Squad, exploring the origins of John Cena's egotistical vigilante and his newly assigned missions. Gunn will direct five episodes, as the series is currently set for a January 13th, 2022, premiere.
For now, fans can own The Suicide Squad on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K disc on October 26th, 2021.
Source: CinemaBlend