In the years since the release of David Ayer's frequently teased Director's Cut.
The movie's roster was a unique lineup of the team featuring several mainstays such as Deadshot (Will Smith), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), recent additions like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), as well as classic like El Diablo (Jay Hernandez). To the shock of fans everywhere, Jared Leto's Joker wasn't actually the movie's main villain, and it was instead the ancient sorceress Enchantress (Cara Delevigne) that the team was pitted against in their first outing. This decision was one that was criticized as being very high-stakes for such a ragtag team, and it's a decision that Ayer himself claims to regret.
Even though she wasn't a part of the main roster, Karen Fukuhara's Katana was a highlight for many. It's a shame that in the final cut she doesn't get nearly enough time to shine, a choice that ranks among one of the worst in the film.
Because of her comic-accurate backstory, Katana is depicted as one of the most intriguing and unique characters in the movie. After her husband was murdered by his own brother (a high-ranking gangster in the Yakuza), using a mythical blade known as the Soultaker sword, Tatsu Yamashiro vowed revenge. She hunted down and defeated her husband's killer, taking the sword only to discover it was now possessed by the spirit of her husband. The events inspired her to use the weapon to fight crime and, taking up the namesake Katana, Tatsu traveled to America where she became entangled with several established DC superheroes, including Batman and the Outsiders. In the released version of the film, Katana accompanies Rick Flag on the Squad's mission and acts as a "bodyguard" of sorts, but doesn't end up doing much within the context of the movie's plot. However, we now know that Ayer's original plan for her involved Katana being possessed by Enchantress later in the film and turning on her teammates.
This addition would have given her a larger role in the film and utilized her unique status as a fighter in an exciting way. Katana is frequently depicted as one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the DC Universe, and the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad doesn't give her a chance to shine, so having a scene where Katana squares off against the entire Suicide Squad alone would have really put her talents into perspective. Even with this additional scene, though, it wouldn't necessarily justify her presence in the movie or give her a proper story arc that taps into her nuanced backstory.
With more and more information coming to light on just how different the theatrical version is from Ayer's original vision, there's a chance that the possession scene could have given her character a bit more heart in execution. Apparently, Warner Bros. wanted to cut out much of the dark atmosphere that Ayer had built up in his cut of the film. Similar to Leto's Joker, who had a ton of material left on the cutting room floor, Katana might have overall been more memorable to audiences had this scene been included in the movie. It might not have made her a standout character like Harley or Deadshot, but even one more scene in Suicide Squad that showed off what an intriguing vigilante Katana can be would have been worthwhile and made for a more enriching viewing experience.
