'Suicide Squad' director admits Joker forehead tattoo was 'not a good idea'

David Ayer is owning up to his years-old mistake.

The Suicide Squad director expressed his regret over his decision to have Jared Leto’s Joker sport an obtrusive tattoo on his forehead in the 2016 film.

In the DC Comics film, Leto’s iteration of the anti-hero had the word “damaged” inked across his forehead.

At the time of release, Ayer defended the decision, stressing on his rendition of Joker’s “originality,” noting, the tattoo is canon in the comic books.

Most recently, the filmmaker posted a photo of Joker without tattoos, surrounded by a cloud of purple skulls on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “Original intent.”

When one of the users asked whose idea was it to give Joker the tattoo, Ayer responded: “I own the tattoo idea 100 per cent. It was my choice.”

He went on to explain he originally wanted for the tattoo to say “blessed” instead of “damaged,” noting he regrets the decision nonetheless.

“Now having said that – I regret that decision. It created acrimony and division. Not every idea is a good idea,” Ayer said. “And I’ll just be in the corner here while the internet slaps me around for this post.”

Despite having a stellar cast at its disposal, the 2016 film was lambasted by critics and audiences alike.

The film’s remake by now DC CEO James Gunn in 2021 garnered a positive review and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating.