James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (2021) is a wild, violent, darkly comedic ride through the DCEU that reinvents the team with a sharper tone, gorier action, and emotional depth. Loosely connected to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016), this film serves as both a soft reboot and a sequel, taking full advantage of its R-rating to go where few superhero movies dare.
Detailed Summary
Mission Brief: Task Force X Assembles (Again)
Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) returns with her ruthless style, assembling a new version of Task Force X—better known as the Suicide Squad. The team comprises two groups: one led by Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney); the other headed by Bloodsport (Idris Elba), featuring Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian).
The first group is sent as a decoy and is almost entirely annihilated in a hilariously brutal opening, revealing Waller’s strategic ruthlessness. Meanwhile, the second team sneaks into the fictional island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy a secretive experiment called “Project Starfish.”
Welcome to Corto Maltese: Project Starfish Revealed
As the team makes its way through Corto Maltese, they encounter various enemies, civilians, and betrayals. We learn that Project Starfish is actually a massive alien creature named Starro the Conqueror—a kaiju-like starfish capable of mind control via smaller spores.
The squad’s mission is to destroy the facility housing Starro before it can fall into the hands of the new authoritarian regime on the island. Along the way, Harley gets captured and has her own subplot involving a twisted romance with the new dictator, which ends with her murdering him in cold blood (as Harley does).
Truth, Betrayal, and Team Bonds
Bloodsport and Peacemaker constantly clash, with both embodying a twisted sense of honor. Ratcatcher 2 becomes the emotional heart of the film, with flashbacks to her relationship with her late father, played in a cameo by Taika Waititi. Meanwhile, Polka-Dot Man, a tragic and surprisingly powerful figure, reveals he sees his mother in every enemy he fights—literally.
Rick Flag discovers the U.S. government was complicit in Starro’s capture and experimentation, and Peacemaker murders him to protect this secret. However, Ratcatcher 2 escapes with the hard drive containing evidence of U.S. involvement.
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Movie Ending
As Starro escapes the lab, it begins taking over the city, turning civilians into mind-controlled extensions of itself. Waller orders the team to leave, but they disobey her and choose to stay and fight.
- Polka-Dot Man has a heroic moment, managing to injure Starro severely before being crushed to death.
- Harley Quinn dives into Starro’s eye with a javelin, swimming through its inner fluids as rats—summoned by Ratcatcher 2—overwhelm and devour the alien from the inside out.
- Bloodsport threatens to release the hard drive publicly unless Waller guarantees their freedom. She reluctantly agrees.
The surviving members—Bloodsport, Harley, King Shark, and Ratcatcher 2—fly away in a helicopter, finally free.
But there’s more.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
Yes. There are two post-credits scenes:
- Mid-Credits Scene: Weasel, seemingly killed in the opening scene, wakes up coughing and wanders off into the jungle.
- Post-Credits Scene: Peacemaker is revealed to be alive in a hospital, setting up the events of the HBO Max series Peacemaker (2022), where he’s tasked with saving the world “in his own twisted way.”
Type of Movie
The Suicide Squad is a superhero action film with heavy elements of black comedy, science fiction, and war film satire. Think of it as Dirty Dozen meets Guardians of the Galaxy on a very, very bad acid trip—with gore.
Cast
- Idris Elba as Bloodsport
- Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
- John Cena as Peacemaker
- Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag
- Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
- Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark
- Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2
- David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man
- Peter Capaldi as The Thinker
- Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Pete Davidson, and Sean Gunn in smaller roles
Film Music and Composer
The score was composed by John Murphy, known for 28 Days Later and Sunshine. The film also features a killer curated soundtrack with tracks like “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band and “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. The music helps amplify the chaotic, irreverent tone.
Filming Locations
- Panama City, Panama stood in for Corto Maltese.
- Some sequences were also filmed in Georgia, USA.
The choice of Panama gave the film a humid, lived-in atmosphere, appropriate for the jungle and warzone aesthetic Gunn was aiming for.
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Awards and Nominations
- Nominated: Critics Choice Super Awards (Best Superhero Movie, Best Actress for Robbie)
- Won: Hollywood Critics Association Awards for Best Stunts
- Nominated: Saturn Awards for Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture
Despite being a fan favorite, it was largely underrepresented at mainstream awards.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- James Gunn was hired by Warner Bros. after being temporarily fired by Marvel.
- The cast had no idea who would survive; Gunn kept the script’s deaths secret.
- Viola Davis improvised the scene where she smacks a golf ball across the office.
- Stallone recorded King Shark’s lines in multiple tones—even trying “Shakespearean.”
- The Thinker’s headpieces were 3D printed and adjusted daily.
Inspirations and References
- Inspired by classic Suicide Squad comics by John Ostrander (who also has a cameo).
- Tonally and thematically similar to The Dirty Dozen, Full Metal Jacket, and B-movie creature features like The Blob.
- Starro was the first Justice League villain in DC Comics (1960).
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
- A longer version of Peacemaker vs. Flag’s fight was shot.
- Ratcatcher 2 originally died in early drafts, but Gunn changed it to preserve the film’s heart.
- Extended scenes with T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion) were cut for pacing.
Book Adaptations and Differences
While based on DC’s Suicide Squad comics, the film pulls characters from various issues and reimagines them with new backstories or powers. Ratcatcher 2, for example, is an original character based on the obscure villain Ratcatcher.
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Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- Beach massacre in the opening act.
- Harley Quinn’s blood-red flower-fueled escape from torture.
- King Shark trying to eat Ratcatcher 2 in his sleep.
- Starro’s final monologue through a possessed civilian.
Iconic Quotes
- Harley Quinn: “I love the rain. It’s like angels are splooging all over us.”
- Peacemaker: “I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women, and children I need to kill to get it.”
- Ratcatcher 2: “Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures… If they have a purpose, so do we all.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- John Ostrander, creator of Suicide Squad, appears as the doctor who implants explosives in the squad.
- Harley Quinn’s javelin was a tribute to Javelin, who dies early in the film.
- Corto Maltese is a long-time DC location first mentioned in The Dark Knight Returns.
- King Shark wears board shorts—Gunn gave him a more endearing “dad bod” design.
Trivia
- James Gunn confirmed that the film is in no way beholden to the 2016 movie, except that a few characters return.
- Idris Elba was originally set to replace Will Smith’s Deadshot but was rewritten into a new role.
- The CGI for King Shark was so intensive it delayed post-production by weeks.
Why Watch?
Watch The Suicide Squad if you’re tired of sanitized superhero fare. It’s bold, bloody, and unapologetically irreverent, but it also surprises you with moments of real heart. James Gunn takes characters you’ve barely heard of and makes you care deeply—only to kill some of them in hilarious, horrifying ways.
Director’s Other Movies
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
- Slither (2006)
- Super (2010)