The lockdown has allowed audiences to catch up on old movies and rediscover their love for forgotten gems. Unfortunately, for some viewers, rewatching old stuff is an excuse to dredge up their personal problems with certain films. Recently, a fan on Twitter once again took a shot at 2016's Suicide Squad for sexualizing Harley Quinn. This moved the movie's director David Ayer to publicly apologize for the same.

"Sadly her story arc was eviscerated. It was her movie in so many ways. Look I tried. I rendered Harley comic book accurate. Everything is political now. Everything. I just want to entertain. I will do better."

One can't help but feel it is high time David Ayer stopped being the punching bag for a film he made years ago. Despite repeatedly acknowledging the issues with the movie and his part in bungling the storyline, fans still routinely take shots at the filmmaker for not providing them with a version of the Suicide Squad that they personally wanted to see.

With the release of Birds of Prey, audiences have been quick to point out the difference between the Harley Quinn we got to see in the movie with the one we saw in Suicide Squad. Of particular note is the fact that Ayer's movie saw Harley wearing the same kind of revealing outfits she has been wearing in comics for years, while Birds of Prey gave her more modest clothing.

Harley was the center of the narrative in both films. Suicide Squad dealt with her relationship with Joker and their reunion after her stint in Arkham, while Birds of Prey dealt with Harley's breakup with Joker and striking out on her own. Both movies, while ostensibly being about anti-heroic teams of superpowered characters, ended up letting Harley and her relationship with the Joker take center stage.

And yet, according to Ayer, Harley was supposed to be an even more important part of his film than what we eventually got. This bears out with the rumors surrounding the extra material regarding the character that would be explored in a spinoff movie focused solely on Harley and Joker that was supposedly in development back when Jared Leto was signed on to play the Clow Prince of Crime in several DCEU films.

Now Joaquin Phoenix is indelibly printed on everyone's mind as the new definitive Joker. Leto is off at Marvel playing Morbius, and Harley's popularity is in jeopardy after the disappointing box office garnered by Birds of Prey. The fate of the characters and actors who started their journey so optimistically with the original Suicide Squad is as uncertain as the Joker's true origin story.

Perhaps James Gunn has the magic wand needed to bring the entire franchise back on track with his Suicide Squad sequel, and do justice to the characters in a way that satisfies fans, critics, the box-office, feminists, internet trolls, and every other section of the audience waiting to pounce on the feature.