The Suicide Squad's Original Ending Was Darker, Featured Another Death

The Suicide Squad writer and director James Gunn has revealed his original pitch for the movie, and it would have included another character biting the dust. Ultimately, he "relented," and this character survived. Read on to get all the details.

SPOILERS FOLLOW BELOW, OBVIOUSLY

Speaking to Variety, Gunn said that in his original pitch, "one main character died and one main character did not die." Gunn said his original plan was to kill Ratcatcher 2, who is played by the scene-stealing Daniela Melchior. The character who did die in Gunn's original pitch was David Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man, and that stayed and was seen through in the movie.

"She was so sweet, I just felt like it was just too dark. Not that we don't love Polka-Dot Man. We do. I just couldn't [kill Ratcatcher 2]. So I relented," Gunn said.

Also in the interview, Gunn confirmed that there was never a plan to kill Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) or Bloodsport (Idris Elba), nor was it ever considered to kill everyone.

Ratcatcher 2 is a central character in The Suicide Squad and her journey serves a vital storytelling purpose. The fact that she survives--and plays such an important role in the story both emotionally and logistically with her rats that help save the day--gives the movie a hopeful feeling.

Her tragic backstory with her father (played by Taika Waititi) is one of the central emotional throughlines for the entire film that helps it feel more grounded amid the giant starfish absurdity of it all.

While Ratcatcher 2 did not die in The Suicide Squad, there was a lot of bloodshed, especially early on. Javelin (Flula Borg), The Detachable Kid (Nathan Fillion), Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and Savant (Michael Rooker) all suffer horrific deaths as part of a diversion scheme at the start of the movie. Check out GameSpot's roundup of who lives and dies in The Suicide Squad to learn more.

For more on The Suicide Squad, check out a doctor's take on whether or not the franchise's head-bomb is even possible and the movie's first-weekend box office numbers.