Look, we know how it is. You’re under a lot of pressure because your studio is in a deathmatch with another studio over who can produce the biggest superhero movies, and your new film is supposed to be a big course-correction that’ll win the good graces of audiences and executives. You’ve never done something this high-profile before — and you wrote and directed it! It’s the night of your big New York City premiere, the crowd in the theater is amped up, you’re amped up, and an audience member yells out, “Fuck Marvel!†Your vision blurs, your blood thrums, and for a moment, you forget yourself. “Fuck Marvel!†you echo. The people cheer. The movie soon begins.
But right away, if you’re Suicide Squad writer/director David Ayer, your heart sinks under the weight of regret. You take a long, hard look at yourself and ask, My god, what have I become? Is this really who I am? At 10:27 p.m., your hands trembling, you take to Twitter and offer an unconditional mea culpa: “Sorry about getting caught up in the moment and saying f*ck Marvel. Someone said it. I echoed. Not cool. Respect for my brother filmmakers.†As the faves and retweets roll in, you feel your chest relax. They understand, you think. I’m not a monster. However, when you see that the top reply is some dude saying, “don’t apologize king,†you can’t help but smile a little bit.