Unless he actually gets given the opportunity to prove the doubters wrong by releasing his original cut of the movie, David Ayer’s career will continue to have the shadow of Suicide Squad‘s negative reception hanging over its head.

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The antihero ensemble blockbuster may have made a killing at the box office, but it’s also the lowest-rated installment in the history of the DCU, and has largely been swept under the rug in the aftermath. We’re closing in on seven years since the filmmaker’s comic book adaptation was taken out of his hands and completely overhauled in post-production, and yet he’s still batting away accusations that he was the one responsible for the film’s poor quality.

Once again, the End of Watch and Harsh Times creator has taken to Twitter to interact with fans, this time flat-out denying that he had anything to do with the underwhelming and ultimately unsatisfying arc endured by Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.

Harley’s arc of overcoming her unhealthy relationship with Joker was gutted. It was her movie and her story. The 3rd act was all about Harley standing up to him and saying no.

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) January 27, 2023

In a way, Ayer’s comments fly in the face of Robbie’s confirmation that she was at one stage in line for a romantic entanglement with Will Smith’s Deadshot, which would have reduced her to little more than a love interest twice over.

One positive is that the actress is surely guaranteed a spot in James Gunn’s DCU given their closeness, even if there’s a belief she’s not worthy of sticking around after Suicide Squad was panned by critics, while its reboot and Birds of Prey both flopped in theaters to raise serious questions over the popularity of the two-time Academy Award winner’s stint as the former Harleen Quinzell.