• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

David Ayer discusses The Joker and Harley Quinn’s tattoos in Suicide Squad

June 16, 2016 by Gary Collinson

Warner Bros. has certainly done a fine job of building excitement for August’s Suicide Squad with a splendid marketing campaign for the DC Extended Universe supervillain team-up.

However, things didn’t particularly  get off to the best of starts, with the first-look image of Jared Leto’s Joker coming in for some heavy criticism due to the decision to cover the Clown Prince of Crime in various tattoos.

Well, during an interview with Yahoo!, director David Ayer has discussed The Joker’s body art, as well as his grill:

“The tattoos tell a very specific story. Eventually people will decipher them and understand what’s going on, but obviously they’re contentious, any time you do something new it’s contentious. There’s very specific stories and easter eggs in those tattoos. And even his teeth, there’s an entire story behind that which is absolutely canon. It’s putting his history on his body. This Joker is a little more working class, who I believe could live in our world.”

SEE ALSO: David Ayer says The Joker is “very loyal to the canon, but with some modern twists”

Ayer also spoke about the tattoos that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn sports, stating that: “She did these herself in prison. They’re stick and poke tattoos, prison-style tattoos, that you do when you don’t have a tattoo gun. She did them herself out of boredom and desperation… There’s I Heart Puddin’, a Joker face, a love heart… that’s obviously reflective of her time in prison.”

SEE ALSO: New Suicide Squad images featuring The Joker, Harley, Enchantress, Deadshot and Rick Flag

It feels good to be bad…Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5th 2016 and sees David Ayer (Fury) directing a cast that includes Will Smith (Focus) as Deadshot, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flagg, Viola Davis (The Help) as Amanda Waller, Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns) as Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc, Ray Olubowale (Resident Evil: Afterlife) as King Shark, Jay Hernandez (Hostel) as El Diablo, Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Jim Parrack (Fury) as Johnny Frost, Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Batman, newcomer Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Common (Selma) as Monster T, and Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) and Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride) in as-yet-unconfirmed roles.

. url=”.” . width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng

Originally published June 16, 2016. Updated March 2, 2020.

Filed Under: Gary Collinson, Movies, News Tagged With: David Ayer, DC, DC Extended Universe, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Suicide Squad

About Gary Collinson

Gary Collinson is a film, TV and digital content producer and writer, who is the founder of the pop culture website Flickering Myth and producer of the gothic horror feature film 'The Baby in the Basket' and the upcoming suspense thriller 'Death Among the Pines'.

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Next 007: 3 Actors Who Could Lead James Bond Into the New Era

Ten Great Comeback Performances

Ten Great 80s Movie Stars Who Disappeared

David Lynch: American Cinema’s Great Enigma

Ten Controversial Movies and the Drama Around Them

7 Cult 90s Teen Movies You May Have Missed

Sin City at 20: The Story Behind the Stylish, Blood-Soaked Neo-Noir Comic Book Adaptation

Can Edgar Wright conquer America with The Running Man?

13 Underrated Horror Franchise Sequels That Deserve More Love

The Most Obscure & Shocking John Waters Movies

Top Stories:

10 Essential Comedy Movies From 1995

10 Great Horror Movies with Villainous Protagonists

Movie Review – Eden (2025)

The Next 007: 3 Actors Who Could Lead James Bond Into the New Era

Movie Review – Pools (2025)

Movie Review – Honey Don’t! (2025)

Smallville cast talk series’ legacy at Fan Expo Canada

Movie Review – Eenie Meanie (2025)

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Essential Films of John Woo

The (00)7 Most Underrated James Bond Movies

8 Great Recent Films You Really Need To See

Die Hard on a Shoestring: The Low Budget Die Hard Clones

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket