10 Deleted Scenes That Actually Improve Movie Characters
4. The Origins Of Joker & Harley Quinn - Suicide Squad (2016)
It is well known by now that vast swathes of Jared Leto's Joker scenes never made it to the big screen, as 2016's Suicide Squad was hacked, whacked and chopped into pieces by David Ayer and the music video editors Warner Bros hired to make the final product look more like the trailer...
One of many rescued from the big editor's bin in the sky, this scene works double-time, giving us insight into both Harley (Margot Robbie) and the Joker with one quick character-driven scene.
Having been seduced into helping Joker escape Arkham Asylum, psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel tracks him down on a motorbike and insists he take her with him, leading to her first kill in his name.
The fact that Harley is still going back for more after she has been betrayed and abandoned by the Joker says a lot. It speaks to her dedication for this toxic man and just how profoundly he drove her crazy, as well as the lengths Joker is willing to go to get what he wants, treating all others as mere means to his ends.
Both characters are provided with the depth and depravity they deserve, and this would have set up Joker's later betrayal of Harley - as Ayer originally intended - before their abusive relationship was cut in such a way as to appear romantic.
Aw shucks.