Best Suicide Squad Characters Who Haven’t Appeared in Either Movie

One of the best things about the Suicide Squad as a concept in DC Comics is how the team composition can change with every mission, but also how the creative teams can use C-list characters and make them stars. Filmmaker James Gunn is seemingly tapping into this idea with the new movie The Suicide Squad, bringing in characters like Polka-Dot Man, Ratcatcher 2, Javelin, and The Thinker into live-action, but considering how many different characters have been on the team in the comics there are still a lot that have yet to appear on the big screen. With that in mind here are some characters that ARE on the Suicide Squad that we haven’t yet seen on the big screen, but really, really want to.

“I had to choose what characters I was going to use from DC,” Gunn said previously at a press event attended by ComicBook.com. “And I had a huge trove of characters to choose from. Some characters I knew were going to die from the beginning and then other characters I didn’t know for sure were going to die. Obviously, I chose some characters that I knew were going to die, see that as the movie plays out. And then some of the characters surprised me. Some of the characters lived that I didn’t know were for sure going to live…..In a way it’s weird because I love these characters. And in another way, it’s weird because I am Amanda Waller. I’m pushing that button on those characters because it serves our purposes as an audience to see them go.”

The Suicide Squad hits theaters and streams on HBO Max on August 6!

Bane

Not exactly a team player, and as far as teams are concerned more well known as a member of the Secret Six, major Batman villain Bane has been a part of Task Force X a couple of times and would be a major boon to any version of the team on the big screen. Though Bane has appeared in live-action feature films twice now, his full power and the depth of his character have yet to shine in a movie. Another Suicide Squad movie could see him become a major focal point of the DCEU in the same way that John Cena’s Peacemaker is already making waves.

Black Manta

Though a treasure to get to watch in 2018’s Aquaman movie, Black Manta’s place on the Suicide Squad certainly could be cool from an action stand point but his status as an objector to joining the team in many Suicide Squad comics could be a great dramatic linchpin for a feature film. That can only last so long though before we need to see eye beams. 

Bronze Tiger

Besides Rick Flag, and Deadshot in modern tales, Bronze Tiger was one of the de facto leaders of the Suicide Squad for a long time. In a roster of mostly villains, though Bronze Tiger has some red on his ledger, he represents one of the “good” sides of the coin for the team having hero-turned into a vigilante.

Count Vertigo

Though he has a bigger profile and better powers than Polka-Dot Man, who made the cut for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Captain Vertigo’s nausea and balance-effecting powers could be the source of a punchline and also terror. What makes Count Vertigo a compelling character for the team on screen is his earnestness and literally the friends he makes along the way, some of whom he would continue to work with even after leaving the team.

Deathstroke

Joe Manganiello’s version of the character needs to make a return in a big way in a DC movie and planting him on the Suicide Squad is an explosive way to do it. Deathstroke has only appeared with the team a couple of times and, only recently, with the biggest draw for what separates him from the team is that he’s not a prisoner despite being with the group. As such, he’s collecting his fee and a wild card for both the team and its handlers.

Killer Frost

The ice-powered villain brings a lot to the team mostly because she actually has abilities, something that many of the other members don’t. Like other characters that have appeared on the big screen though there’s precedent for Killer Frost to use her time on the Suicide Squad as a means for turning good, she even saved the Justice League and became a member of that team while on the Suicide Squad!

Manchester Black

The telekinetic villain who, like Suicide Squad member Bloodsport previously brought the pain to superman, once lead a version of the team that was put together by President Lex Luthor. Part of Manchester Black’s history is leading a team of extreme vigilantes too, but his attitudes and feelings that make him difficult to get along with even on a personal level make him a prime foil to appear on the team while also bringing a major boon to the power set.

Manhunter

With redemption a major theme of Suicide Squad stories and some of its characters, Mark Shaw is a prime candidate. Though he’s mostly returned to his evil-doing ways in recent days, Shaw found himself on Task Force X while seeking to rid himself of the Manhunter Cult’s ways and ethos. As a way to do this his time with the Suicide Squad was done under a different mask, appearing as the pirate-themed character Privateer. 

Oracle

Though most DC fans know Barbara Gordon’s Oracle identity as being a monitor and helping hand to Batman, the character actually began her computer-savy career helping out Task Force X resulting in her being recruited by Amanda Waller to join the squad. The Oracle identity also wasn’t revealed to be Barbara Gordon until much later, something that would be hard for the films to replicate.

Parasite

Two different versions of Parasite have appeared on the team (Rudolph Jones, the 1980s version and Joshua Michael Allen, the 2011 version) and their unique skill set of absorbing energy and power from others makes him a unique asset but also potential to be crazy on the big screen.

Talon

One of the most recent additions to the Suicide Squad, Lincoln March, a Talon of the Court of Owls, would offer a unique assassin for the team on the big screen but also expand on the lore of Batman and Gotham City in big ways that the solo-Bat movies may not be planning to explore.

Vixen

One of the Suicide Squad’s best examples of a character with a redemptive arc is Vixen, a hero who gets her animal-harnessing powers from the Tantu Totem. Vixen would go on to join the Justice League and other heroic teams after her time with the Suicide Squad, but was great alongside the other members and even attempted a romance with fellow squad-mate Bronze Tiger.

The Suicide Squad debuts in theaters and on HBO Max beginning Thursday, August 5th.

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