It’s no secret that Suicide Squad received some pretty harsh reviews. Even people who enjoyed the film had some problems with key parts in it, especially when it comes to the logic of the story and how some characters were mishandled. But hey, no film is perfect.

Thankfully, director David Ayer has come forth and admitted that Suicide Squad does indeed have flaws. Furthermore, he elaborates that he would have done plenty of things differently if he made the movie today, knowing what he knows now. That includes one drastic change for how Jared Leto as The Joker was used.

Read how David Ayer reflects on Suicide Squad after the jump.

This response from David Ayer didn’t come unprompted, and it didn’t even come from a disappointed fan criticizing the movie being the straw that broke the camel’s back. Instead, it was a fan who said the movie was a masterpiece on Twitter that prompted the director to be reflective and honest about his work on the movie. Here’s what he had to say on Twitter:

“Thank you so much. I know it’s a controversial film, I really tried to make something different, with a look and voice all its own. I took inspiration from the insanity of the original comics. Making a movie is a journey, not a straight line. I learned so much. People want what they want, and everyone has a personal vision of how each character should look and walk and talk. If you set out to make a mass appeal movie, it’s easy to end up with vanilla. But I went for it. And I know Suicide Squad has its flaws. Hell, the world knows it. Nothing hurts more than to pick up a newspaper and see a couple years of your blood, sweat and tears ripped to shreds. The hate game is strong out there. The movie was wildly successful commercially. And the world got introduced into some very cool characters in the DC Universe. And that success is due exactly to the wonder and power of DC, of its characters. Would I do a lot of things different. Yep, for sure. Wish I had a time machine. I’d make Joker the main villain and engineer a more grounded story. I have to take the good and bad and learn from it. I love making movies and I love DC. I’m a high school dropout and used to paint houses for a living. I’m lucky to have the job I have. I have to give the characters the stories and plots they deserve next time. Real talk. (And no, there isn’t a secret edit of the film with a bunch of Joker scenes hidden in a salt mine somewhere.)”

It’s nice to hear a director like David Ayer take all the criticism in stride, especially when it comes to admitting that Suicide Squad has flaws. Most directors won’t say things like this until years later, so you have to give the guy credit for being honest about his feelings on the matter, especially after he claimed the theatrical cut as the true director’s cut.

When he says, “I have to give the characters the stories and plots they deserve next time,” he must be talking about the developing Gotham City Sirens movie, since a Suicide Squad sequel hasn’t been formally announced yet. That could change, but I think Warner Bros. and DC are still playing with exactly how they’re going to keep expanding the DCEU.

As for that mention of those Joker scenes we never saw in the movie, there may not be a secret cut of the movie with those scene in it, but we know those scenes exist, and it would be nice to see them some day.