The Suicide Squad: The DC Comics Villain Cameo You Might Have Missed

The Suicide Squad made its debut in theaters and on HBO Max over the weekend, and its take on the DC Comics universe has given viewers a lot to dissect. The film brings characters from across the publisher’s mythos onto the big screen, many of whom are probably best classified as lesser-known. That not only has proved to be true for the movie’s main ensemble — which has turned characters like Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Ratcatcher (Daniela Melchior), and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) into household names — but for some of the characters on the periphery of the film. In one short sequence early in the film, fans got the live-action debut of an unexpected DC Comics antagonist. Spoilers for The Suicide Squad below! Only look if you want to know!

Early on in the film, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is introducing the members of the Suicide Squad to each other, as she takes each of them out of their respective cells in Belle Reve. As Waller leads Bloodsport, Peacemaker (John Cena), and King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) through the women’s prison portion of Belle Reve to get Ratcatcher 2, their presence catches the attention of the other female prisoners. Among them is Kaleidoscope (Natalia Safran), a woman whose skin is covered in various multi-colored shapes.

While Kaleidoscope only has two DC Comics appearances to her name — The New Adventures of Superboy #36 and #37 — the story of her debut is a fascinating one. The villain, who has the ability to create illusions out of light, debuted in the title’s Dial H for Hero back ups, which called on fans to submit ideas for new characters to appear in the series. Kaleidoscope, in particular, was created by Chris Lawson and Nancy Mae Lawton of Fall River, Massachusetts. While Kaleidoscope would become DC Comics property, the pair were included the “special thanks” section of the film’s credits alongside other comic creators.

Kaleidoscope is just one of several DC Comics villains plopped into the film’s Belle Reve scenes, with Calendar Man and Double Down also shown bullying Polka-Dot Man in a later scene. While her appearance in the film is brief, Safran — who is the wife of The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran — did take to Instagram to share a more detailed look at the costume and makeup.

The Suicide Squad is now available both in theaters and on HBO Max.