Dave Bautista’s Potential Role in ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel Revealed

New details about James Gunn‘s first DC Comics film are starting to trickle out, as we now know who is likely to feature in The Suicide Squad.

After news broke that Idris Elba would replace Will Smith as Deadshot for the sequel, a new report from Collider reveals which villains the assassin is teaming up with — including the likely candidate for Dave Bautista‘s role.

According to the report, Gunn is looking at Bautista to play Peacemaker, a soldier who goes to extreme measures to — what else — make peace. The character is a somewhat deep DC Comics cut, coming from the Charlton publishing line that included Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, the Question, and Black Canary.

Those characters were used as the archetypes for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, with Peacemaker being the basis for the Comedian.

To bring it all full circle, one of the most recent prominent appearances for Peacemaker in a recent comic was the 2014 Multiversity issue “Pax Americana” by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Nathan Fairbairn, in which the soldier was hired to assassinate the President in a complex scheme to bring about a peaceful era. That comic was considered to be a spiritual successor of Watchmen, trading the nine-panel grid formula for eight panels per page, and telling a story that was anything but linear.

Peacemaker might fill the role of a Captain Boomerang or Rick Flagg character, either being a wild card or someone dedicated to authority, but still with a few screws loose. That could be perfect for Bautista if he does take on the role.

Other characters that are reportedly being considered include King Shark, Poka-Dot Man, and a gender-swapped Ratcatcher.

It remains to be seen just how much the original Suicide Squad movie will influence the new movie, but we’ll find out when The Suicide Squad premieres in theaters on August 6, 2021.

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