Meet the Suicide Squad, the First DC Superhero Team to Head to the Big Screen

Clockwise, from left: Captain Boomerang, Blockbuster, the Enchantress, Deadshot, and Bronze Tiger

Talk about a superhero smackdown. Just days after Marvel dropped its bombshell about Robert Downey Jr. flying into the world of Captain American 3, their Distinguished Competition at Warner Bros. officially unveiled the nine comic-book movies that will expand the DC cinematic universe in the wake of 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Some of the announced titles were expected, of course, including a Wonder Woman solo outing due out in 2017, with Gal Gadot as the Amazon warrior; a 2018 Flash flick with Ezra Miller playing the Scarlet Speedster; Jason Momoa’s Aquaman adventure in 2018; and a two-part Justice League team-up opening in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

But mixed in amongst all those familiar comic-book names is one many may not be as familiar with: Suicide Squad. It’s surprising that Warner Bros. is taking a gamble on a lesser-known property, and even moresurprising that they’ve picked it to be the first movie out of the gate after Batman v Superman. The Caped Crusader-Man of Steel showdown will open on March 25, 2016, while the David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad follows a few months later, in theaters on August 5. That said, Marvel used an early-August date to launch a previously unknown band of heroes calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy — and look how well that turned out. Warner has two years to make the Suicide Squad a brand name, but in the meantime, here’s a short primer on a group of anti-heroes who definitely need an introduction.   

The Suicide Squad made their comic-book debut in ‘The Brave and the Bold’ #25

•  The Suicide Squad embarked on its first adventures in 1959, appearing in a six-issue run of The Brave and the Bold, where they also operated under the name, Task Force X. But the more successful version of the outfit launched in the late ’80s under the guidance of veteran comic book scribe, John Ostrander. That iteration also introduced the idea that the Suicide Squad would be comprised of anti-heroes and/or outright villains, tasked with completing impossible missions with the promise that they might win their freedom. Ostrander’s run lasted 66 issues, and subsequent volumes followed in 2001, 2007 and 2011. Yet another relaunch happened this past September under the title, New Suicide Squad.  

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•  The Squad’s line-up changes fairly regularly, but it’s almost always headed up by Amanda Waller, a top government agent who makes up for her lack of superpowers with a super-stern attitude and formidable fearlessness in the face of danger. (Fun fact: Angela Bassett played Waller in Ryan Reynolds’s ill-fated Green Lantern movie — which Warner will reboot, sans Reynolds, in 2020 — but almost certainly won’t be back for Suicide Squad. We’re casting our vote for Viola Davis as her replacement.)

Deadshot knows a thing or two about rifles

•  Other foot soldiers in this private army include the ace sniper Deadshot (above), the kung-fu fighter Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang (and his obvious weapon of choice), animal whisperer Vixen, and magically-inclined Enchantress. Warner Bros. and Ayer have yet to announce a specific Squad line-up, but you can bet that popular bad guys like Deadshot and Captain Boomerang will be in the mix, along with at least one female team member. (Latino Review is claiming to have the entire seven-person Squad figured out, naming the trio of Deadshot, Boomerang and Vixen along with Hulk-like muscleman Blockbuster, the telepath Mindboggler, quicksilver Jaculi, and one-man replicant generator, Multiplex.)

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•  Back in the ’80s, the Suicide Squad often battled real-world threats like terrorist cells and evil dictators — in other words, guys even worse than they were. (One storyline, for example, sent them to Cold War-era Moscow.) Later versions pitted them against vast government and corporate conspiracies. Considering Ayer’s background in gritty crime movies like End of Watch and Training Day, it seems likely that he’ll try to keep the villains more grounded in reality. But since DC is also trying to imitate Marvel’s “everything is connected” shared universe, he may be required to tie the Squad’s exploits into a larger narrative that will involve heavyweight bad guys like Brainiac and Darkseid, who are likely going to be the Justice League’s foes. Just so long as they don’t tangle with any irritable, trigger-happy rodents. That’s Marvel territory.

Photo credits: ComicVine.com