How Suicide Squad May Connect to Justice League Dark

Suicide Squad is now in theaters, and while the film tells the story of some DC Comics villains uniting fo ra greater good, the film also serves as a bridge to so many other things in the DC Extended Universe. We have other articles detailing all the big reveals and secret Easter egg references packed into the movie, so now it’s time to discuss one particular element of the film that could lead to some exciting new things.

Here’s Suicide Squad’s Connection to Justice League Dark Explained. SPOILER ALERT!!!

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A Time of Magic (Again)

Suicide Squad definitely threw a lot of DCEU mythology at us in some pretty big (yet strangely casual) info dumps. In the midst of all the freaks and killers, however, was one anomaly: The Enchantress, who served as Amanda Waller’s proof to her government colleagues that there are threats out there beyond metahumans. Threats like Ancient mystical beings bent on vague plans of world destruction – which is exactly what Enchantress becomes when she escapes Waller’s leash.

When Task Force X finally steps up to take down the Enchantress, she implores them to join her, explaining that her return was part of a resurgence in magic – that the rise of metahumans was a beacon to the magical world that humanity was ripe for conquer, or change, or…. something (again, threats be vague in these MCU/DCEU films). The Squad ultimately puts down Enchantress and her brother Incubus, but the powers that be in government (and, as we saw in the mid-credits scene, some higher authorities) now know that magic and the supernatural are real phenomenon in the world.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? – If you can believe it, this whole Enchantress/Incubus plotline is actually based on Suicide Squad comic book storyline called “Nightshade Odyssey.” Aside from introducing us to Enchantress and Incubus – or supernatural forces like Katana’s soul-stealing sword – the Suicide Squad storyline actually sets the stage for the mystical side of the DCEU to blow wide open – which is where Justice League Dark comes into play.

Justice League Dark

In modern DC Comics, Justice League Dark is a team of DC superheroes who all come from some kind of mystical or supernatural background, banded together to protect the DCU from magical threats that the regular Justice League aren’t equipped to handle. The JLD team members have included the likes of surly exorcist John Constantine; the ghostly Deadman; sorceress Zatanna; mystical half-human/half-demon Raven; fortune teller Madame Xanadu; the Swamp-Thing – and more. Justice League Dark has long been in development as a DCEU movie (once under the guidance of Guillermo del Toro), and there’s evidence that it could still happen – especially with Suicide Squad paving the way.

For those who don’t know, DC/Warner Bros. didn’t just jump into a Suicide Squad movie; they tested the concept out first as an animated feature, Batman: Assault on Arkham. When that movie received good reviews from fans, Suicide Squad was put into the pipeline. Now that Suicide Squad is in theaters and dropping on-the-nose dialogue about the existence of magic in the DCEU, DC animation just-so-happens to be gearing up to launch a Justice League Dark animated feature this fall. Coincidence? I think not. After the Enchantress laid waste to Midway City, the DCEU is going to need some serious magic police – Task Force X just got lucky this time.

The magic/supernatural element of these comic book universes is arguably the next big frontier; Marvel Studios is jumping into it ten-toes-deep with Doctor Strange this fall – hard to imagine a Justice League Dark animated film keeping pace with that. After the failure of a Constantine TV series, it looks as though Warner Bros. is once again mired in false-starts and catch-ups in this game. By the time a Justice League Dark movie arrives, fans may have move on to the next phase; but hey, at least all the witches and demonic soldiers would actually make sense in that film…

Suicide Squad is now in theaters; Wonder Woman is coming on June 2, 2017; followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 16, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020.

Have you seen Suicide Squad yet? Want to win a Hot Toys Joker figure from the movie? All you have to do head on over to ComicBook.com’s Movie Database or click the image above and rate the movie to enter! A winner will be chosen August 19th, 2016!