Suicide Squad is the current dark horse hope of the DC Extended Universe – a wild, out-of-left-field property that has somehow ballooned into being the biggest and best hope that DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. have for overcoming a lot of bad branding and getting their DCEU off the ground and on its way to becoming a legitimate competitor for Marvel (if that’s possible). They’ve stacked the cast with big names (Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis and more…), and spent (and re-spent) the money to produce a big end-of-summer blockbuster, with DC movie crossovers to spare (look for Ben Affleck’s Batman and a few of his friends…).
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By now there are probably few people sitting on the fence about whether or not they’re going to see Suicide Squad in theaters – but for those still looking for guidance, we’re keeping things 100% SPOILER-FREE as we discuss the 6 Reasons to See Suicide Squad.
DC Evil Universe
The first reason to see Suicide Squad is to get a taste of the underbelly of the DCEU – a place I lovingly refer to as “The DC Evil Universe.” Even if you don’t have immediate love for outlandish characters like a crocodile man, a samurai lady with a haunted sword and a witch (to name a few), you can probably appreciate the fact that director David Ayer and Co. are at least offering a nice aside to the usual superhero (or super team) origin story, with some familiar characters (Joker) and the comfort of some big stars (Leto, Smith, Davis, Robbie).
If all goes well enough, Suicide Squad will help flesh out the DC Extended Universe by giving us an idea of the opposition our favorite heroes will be facing – and why some of them (Batman) have so many deep scars.
Will Smith Back to Basics
This may seem like an odd reason for seeing Suicide Squad, but it’s plenty valid to us. Maybe that’s because having Will Smith as leading man in a big summer action blockbuster reminds us of so many fond summer movie experiences of ’90s and 2000s.
Sure, Smith tried to do “bad superhero” before in the 2008 film Hancock (bad memory), but there’s enough history to the character of DC Comics’ Deadshot to guide Smith relatively easily toward a good performance. He may not have been fans’ first choice to play the infamous assassin – but Smith’s ability to entertain must never be underestimated. Suicide Squad could prove why there’s already talk of Deadshot appearing in Ben Affleck’s Batman movie.
The Wall
DC fans already know why having Amanda “The Wall” Waller making her debut in Suicide Squad is so exciting. Waller is one of the most beloved and iconic characters in the DC pantheon, and she doesn’t even have a single superpower to her name. And yet, she’s the connective thread that weaves so much of the DC Universe (and apparently the DCEU) together.
She’s as covert an operative as they come, and she knows no bounds when it comes to getting her way. Metahumans, magicians, mutants, or just really bad human beings – Waller knows them all, has seen them all, and has leverage against most of them. She’s probably going to be hanging around the DCEU for awhile, and with an actress like Viola Davis playing Waller, we’re definitely in for a good show.
The New Joker
Batman v Superman stirred controversy when it cast Ben Affleck in the role of the new Batman, but Suicide Squad doubled down on that controversy with the release of the very first picture of Jared Leto’s version of The Joker. Covered in gangland tattoos and sporting a silver grill of teeth, this was no “Mr. J” fans had ever seen.
…Which is exactly the same reason they should check out what Leto actually has to offer in the way of performance. No matter the reaction, his portrayal of Joker is what we will likely be seeing in the DCEU for many films to come, and it’s going to be a definite pop-culture talking point for the next few weeks. Might as well see for yourself.
The Debut of Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn wasn’t a character that sprang from the comic book page – she actually debuted in Batman: The Animated Series during the early ’90s, as a girlfriend/sidekick for the animated version of The Joker (voiced by Star Wars icon Mark Hamill). It’s no surprise then, that Harley’s zany, animated ways carried her from the small screen to the comic book page, where her fame only grew. Now Harley Quinn is getting her big screen debut in Suicide Squad, and she’s being played by breakout starlet Margot Robbie – a bit of casting that even the fickle fanbase has generally approved of.
Early Suicide Squad buzz already has Robbie pegged as a clear standout (even in this crowded ensemble), and word has already trickled down that she could be positioned as a big star in the DCEU. Harley Quinn is going mainstream, and apparently Suicide Squad will demonstrate why it’s long overdue.
DCEU Connections
As is the growing trend with shared universe films, big reveals and sketches of what is to come are almost as enticing as the film at hand. Suicide Squad is casually throwing a lot at viewers (metahumans, supernatural and magical elements, an entire other side to the Batman’s history as a crime fighter, etc…) and in a weird way, it’s become the unofficial launchpad for the full-fledged DCEU.
So, before you get to everything Justice League will throw at you; get deeper into characters like Wonder Woman; or even see the rise of the supernatural in something like Justice League Dark, you probably need to experience the intro course that is Suicide Squad.
Suicide Squad blasts into theaters August 5, 2016; 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.
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