Suicide Squad is probably the most highly anticipated movie of the summer. But if you aren't a comic-book fan, chances are you have no idea why.
Maybe you've surmised the general plot thanks to the trailers, though they haven't been entirely forthcoming with information. Here's what you probably have worked out already: The bad guys are fighting crime — for an unknown reason — but they're still not the good guys. Oh, and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn seems likely to walk away with the whole movie.
But there's a lot more to know. If your friends are movie buffs or DC fans or just comic-lovers, you might feel a little left out heading to the cinema. Don't worry, we've got you covered. Click ahead for an explainer on everything you need to know about the Suicide Squad before the movie.
Warning: Mild comic-related spoilers ahead!
What is the Suicide Squad?
Most of us are familiar with DC heroes like Batman and Superman. But every hero needs a villain. And that's where these guys come in.
The Suicide Squad consists of villains from the DC Universe. Their team basically serves as the antithesis of the Justice League (which also looks like a great movie, btw).
Basically, all you really need to know is that these are bad people who have done some horrible things, and they're living out very long prison terms. In exchange for commuted sentences, they agree to join a hush-hush team of antiheroes. Their mission: carry out black-ops assignments.
These missions are super secret so the government can cut the cord if everything goes to hell.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Who are they and what are their powers?
For as long as the Suicide Squad has existed, there has been a revolving door of villains on the team. But for this movie, the roster consists of just eight members: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Rick Flagg, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, Katana, Killer Croc, and Slipknot.
Their skills and powers range from incredibly awesome to downright ridiculous.
Deadshot (Will Smith) — as you would guess from his name — is an expert marksman and master assassin. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is a former psychiatrist who's now crazy in love with The Joker.
Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is not really a bad guy — he's a soldier in charge of field operations. He also low-key hates all of the villains, but tolerates them because it's his job. Katana (Karen Fukuhara) is an expert samurai turned vigilante.
Here's where it starts to get ridiculous: Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) can expertly throw boomerangs of all shapes and sizes.
El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) basically sets shit on fire. Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) has a medical condition that makes him super strong but leaves him looking like a crocodile, which is very unfortunate for his face. And Slipknot (Adam Beach) is good at making knots. Yes, knots.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.Amanda Waller is one of the best (and most important) characters.
How best to describe Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), a.k.a. "The Wall"?
Well, she's ruthless. She's Annalise Keating on drugs. She's the most powerful, manipulative woman you'll see on screen. She's highly intelligent and ambitious. She's clear in her convictions, even though her morals and character are shady — to say the least.
One of her best skills is identifying other people's weaknesses — including those of our antiheroes. This information helps her force people to do her dirty work. She's the one who makes the tough calls and she's the one who decides who or what is a threat. She's the one who requested the Suicide Squad because she needed a "disposable" team of skilled operatives.
She's also threatened Batman, which is both terrifying and badass.
Harley Quinn is a fan favourite.
Harley Quinn didn't start as a comic-book character. She started as a cartoon on Batman: The Animated Series. And she was fully clothed, by the way. But she was so popular that she burst into the comics, and now she's in a movie (and may even get her own).
She was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, where she attempted to treat The Joker. Obviously, that didn't work out the way she planned. But hey, you can't help who you love. (It's also worth noting that she has a relationship with Poison Ivy at one point in the comics.)
Harley is violent and, well, insane. Her relationship with The Joker is pretty abusive. But she's always been attached to "Mr. J" — with the exception of her appearance in the Suicide Squad.
In the end, you're probably going to love Harley as much as fans do.
Did you know Deadshot is a badass?
When Deadshot, a.k.a. Floyd Lawton, isn't in jail, he's busy being the best assassin there is.
His origin story has changed a few times in the comics, but what you need to know is he is a mercenary. Pay him to kill someone, and he'll do it. And thanks to his horrible past, he has a weird desire to be killed.
The only reason he's in jail is because he decided to roll up on Gotham City and start some trouble with Batman, which is NEVER a good idea (just ask Superman).
Deadshot can't start fires and he isn't covered in crazy makeup, but he's a badass.
"Okay, but I saw Cara Delevingne in the trailer. What's she doing?"
Guys, it's really hard to know exactly what the filmmakers have planned for Suicide Squad, since it's all been pretty top secret and the trailers don't really give much away.
However, one of the more recent trailers suggests that Cara Delevingne's character, Enchantress, might actually be one of the movie's villains.
Here's what to know about Enchantress, also known as June Moone: She's a nice girl who's been "taken over" by a powerful entity. She's been both a supervillain and a superhero in the comics. She uses magic. And in the comics, she has sometimes been part of the Suicide Squad (a.k.a. Task Force X).
What about The Joker?
Reactions to the images of Jared Leto's Joker — who has a grill and tattoos — have been mixed. There's lots of debate on how accurate this depiction of The Joker is. There's also a whole theory that he's really Jason Todd, Batman's second Robin who was "killed"— though it seems unlikely.
But of course, we haven't seen the movie yet, so only time will tell.
Just know this: The Joker isn't part of the Suicide Squad. He's just here to cause trouble, be outrageous, and try to get back his girl Harley.
Could anyone else show up in this movie?
Maybe! The trailers clearly show Batman trying to capture The Joker and Harley Quinn. And there are lots of photos from the set showing Ben Affleck's Batman on their car.
But it's also possible that we could get a Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) cameo, or he could simply receive mention, since he does have a history with the Squad in the comics.
There are also rumours that other Justice League heroes could pop up in the movie. The most popular guess is that we'll see the Flash (Ezra Miller).
Photo: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock
Anyone can die.
The team is called the Suicide Squad for a reason. Their missions are highly dangerous, and the members are expendable. In the comics, tons of Suicide Squad members have been maimed, murdered, or nearly killed. Sometimes they're even resurrected.
Out of the list of team members in the movie, Slipknot is the one who dies in the comics. So it seems highly likely that he could be killed off in the movie. And depending on which incarnation of Rick Flag we're getting (if he's Sr. or Jr.), the movie could spell doom for him, too.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.Will there be sequels?
Is that a real question? Of course, there will be sequels!
Hasn't this post taught you anything? This team has an ever-revolving door of supervillains to choose from. They can die and be resurrected. And did we mention this movie will probably make lots of money?
Aside from straight "sequels," these characters are sure to show up again and again in the DC movie-verse now that they've been unleashed.
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