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“THE SUICIDE SQUAD” 101: Who You Need to Know (Part 2 of 2)

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is the upcoming sequel to the somewhat divisive 2016 film simply titled Suicide Squad. Acclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is taking a very different approach this time around, though. The movie boasts an even bigger cast of random, throwaway characters from the DC Comics universe with the tagline “Don’t get too attached.”

In Part 1, we did a rundown of every confirmed character from the new movie, this time we're taking a look back at some of the Suicide Squad's heroic villains/villainous heroes that didn't make the cut…

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Non-returning characters who survived the first “Suicide Squad”:

DEAD SHOT

Real Name: Floyd Lawton
First Appearance: Batman #59 (1950)
Enemies: Batman, Amanda Waller, the Secret Society of Supervillains, Deathstroke, Deadline
Power Set: Best marksman in the world, highly trained assassin, expert tactician
DCEU Status: Incarcerated

Played by Will Smith in 2016’s “Suicide Squad”, Dead Shot is often mixed up with Deathstroke (see below) or Blood Sport (Edris Elba’s character – see Part 1), but is a very distinct character in a lot of ways. He’s an incredible assassin who never misses a shot, and usually doesn’t take sides unless there’s a paycheck involved. After being cornered by the Batman in Gotham, he was reluctantly recruited into the Suicide Squad along with Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, Killer Croc, and Slipknot. After saving the world, Waller gave him a lighter sentence with visitation rights to see his daughter.

KILLER CROC

Real Name: Waylon Jones
First Appearance: Batman #357 (1983)
Enemies: Batman, Bane, Aaron Cash (Arkham security guard)
Power Set: Genetic mutation, razor-sharpened teeth/claws, enhanced strength, circus strongman
DCEU Status: Incarcerated (Belle Reve Prison)

There’s not much to Waylon Jones, he’s a lower-tier Batman villain and former circus freak who has a genetic mutation that gives him a reptilian appearance, and has been known to eat people. At the end of “Suicide Squad” he was last seen in his cell at Belle Reve watching BET.

KATANA

Real Name: Tatsu Yamashiro
First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #200 (1983)
Affiliations: Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, the Outsiders, Justice League
Enemies: Takeo Yamashiro, Coil, Vandal Savage, Heatwave, Swagger, Shiv, Shimmer, Shuriken
Power Set: martial arts expert, wielder of a mystical sword called “The Soul Taker”
DCEU Status: Alive

Unlike most of the Suicide Squad members, Katana isn’t a villain. She’s a Japanese vigilante who wields a mystical sword called the “Soul Taker” which (as the name implies) takes the souls of her enemies. It’s said that her late husband’s spirit is trapped inside the blade. Like Rick Flag, she was recruited into Task Force X by Amanda Waller because of her skills and experience. We’re still hoping she’ll make a reappearance somewhere else in the DCEU…

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And a few characters who *definitely won’t* be returning:

EL DIABLO

Real Name: Chato Santana
First Appearance: El Diablo (vol. 3) #1 (2008)
Enemies: Amanda Waller, Apex
Power Set: Pyrokinesis, ex-gangster
DCEU Status: Dead

“El Diablo” was a Mexican gangster and metahuman with pyrokinesis abilities. He accidentally murdered his family in a fire when he lost control of his powers in a fit of anger and spent the rest of his life trying to atone for his past. He eventually sacrificed himself to save the Squad and stop the Enchantress.

THE ENCHANTRESS

Real Name: June Moon
First Appearance: Strange Adventures #187 (1966)
Power Set: Possessed by an ancient goddess of immense power, granting her superhuman abilities, magic, telepathy, energy manipulation, control over the elements, and the ability to alter reality itself!
DCEU Status: Dead?

Following the death of Superman, Amanda Waller’s plan to harness the Enchantress as a weapon backfired, and the Suicide Squad managed to take her out before she could retain her full power and remake reality to her will.

SLIPKNOT

Real Name: Christopher Weiss
First Appearance: The Fury of Firestorm #28 (1984)
Power Set: Speed, agility, reflexes, strength, skilled with ropes, grappling gear, knots, etc
DCEU Status: Very dead – head exploded

In the comics, Slipknot is the go-to example of a “throwaway villain”. In the movies, he’s basically a joke. At the first sign of trouble, he attempts to flee and Waller detonates the bomb in his head! Yeah, we probably won’t be seeing this guy again…

THE JOKER?

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Batman #1 (1940)
Affiliations: Himself
Enemies: Batman, Robin, Batgirl, the GCPD, Harley Quinn, The Red Hood, The Riddler, Hush, the Justice League, etc
Power Set: Agent of Chaos
DCEU Status: ???

Jared Leto’s “Joker” (Suicide Squad, 2016)

I think it goes without saying that The Joker is by far the most well-known character on this list. Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime has had a number of wildly different incarnations over the years since his introduction in the Batman comics over 80 years ago, but in most versions, he’s a completely psychotic mass murderer. In the 2016 “Suicide Squad”, we got perhaps the most bizarre take on Batman’s arch-nemesis to date with Jared Leto’s somewhat divisive over-the-top performance as a tweaked-out manic-depressive gangster. While we did get a brief appearance of this Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the jury’s still out whether or not we’ll see Leto don the makeup (and tattoos) again.

There’s also a “crazy” fan theory that Jared Leto’s Joker is actually former Robin, Jason Todd – a copycat Joker who went crazy after the original Joker captured and tortured him! There’s a lot of odd circumstantial evidence that points to this throughout the DCEU (like the Joker’s shoulder scars and the bullet holes in the Jokerized Robin suit in the Batcave), but as of yet, nothing has officially confirmed it. Yes, I know that it’s said that the Joker killed Robin, but I’m still going with the Obi-Wan “from a certain point of view” interpretation on this one, especially considering Ben Affleck’s Batman has shown that he has absolutely no issue killing off bad guys, so there’d have to be a reason why this Joker is still alive…

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And finally, a few characters that we hope show up… eventually:

DEATH STROKE

Real Name: Slade Wilson
First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #2 (1980)
Affiliations: League of Shadows, Checkmate, Secret Society of Supervillains, Suicide Squad, the Injustice League
Enemies: Green Arrow, The Teen Titans, Batman
Power Set: Elite mercenary, skilled hand-to-hand combatant, marksman, swordsman with enhanced strength, intelligence, reflexes, accelerated healing, and an arsenal of weapons.
DCEU Status: Active (cameo in “Justice League”)

Deathstroke is one of DC’s most popular anti-heroes, so it’s a little odd how underused he’s been in the DC movies to date. His first and only appearance in the DCEU so far was at the end of “Justice League” (both versions) where Lex Luthor recruited him. We’ll have to wait and see if that ever pays off…

POISON IVY

Real Name: Dr. Pamela Lilian Isley
First Appearance: Batman #181 (1966)
Affiliations: Gotham City Sirens, Birds of Prey, the Injustice League, Suicide Squad
Enemies: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, the Floronic Man, greedy industrial corporations, male chauvinists
Power Set: Brilliant botanist, metahuman, control over various plant species, hypnosis through pheromones, secretion of deadly poison through lips, impunity to toxins, etc

In the comics, Poison Ivy isn’t just a great Batman villain, she also has a very close connection to Harley Quinn! (They dated for a while after Harley broke it off with Mr. J.) It’s baffling that she has yet to make her DCEU debut, especially considering how popular Harley has become, but hopefully, we’ll at least see Ivy team up with Harley and Catwoman at some point in a “Gotham City Sirens” movie?

KILLER FROST

Real Name: Caitlin Frost
First Appearance: Firestorm #3 (1978)
Enemies: Firestorm, The Flash, Green Arrow, Vixen, Green Lantern, Geo-Force, Inferno, Black Lightning
Power Set: Cryokineses, cold, ice manipulation

Probably most known from Danielle Panabaker’s portrayal of the character in the CW’s “Arrowverse” (primarily “The Flash”), Frost started out as a Firestorm villain. She has the ability to create weapons and structures of ice out of thin air, but it comes at a twisted price: she is forced to absorb heat regularly to survive, much like a vampire must drink blood. Like a vampire, she can drain the life of another to prolong hers by draining all of the heat from someone’s body! (She’s also a total badass in “Injustice”)

BLACK MANTA

Real Name: David Hyde / David Kane
First Appearance: Aquaman #35 (1967)
Affiliations: Legion of Doom, Injustice League, Suicide Squad
Enemies: Aquaman, Mera, Tempest, the Justice League, the Others, Ocean Master, Amanda Waller, Captain Atom, Green Arrow
Power Set: Mercenary, skilled fighter, engineer, equipped with high-tech armored diving suit outfitted with a variety of weapons and gadgets including optic blasts.
DCEU Status: Alive / Injured – rescued adrift by Dr. Shin

Aquaman’s arch-nemesis and one of the most iconic characters from the Super Friends’ “Legion of Doom!” lineup, Black Manta is an all-around badass. He faced off against Jason Mamoa in the “Aquaman” movie and lived to tell the tale, so we’re hoping that won’t be the last time we see him.

PLASTIQUE

Real Name: Bette Sans Souci
First Appearance: Fury of Firestorm #7 (1982)
Power Set: the ability to project explosive energy at will!

Although she’s not a super memorable character, one of her most defining characteristics is that she’s part of the Suicide Squad, so it’s just a matter of time before she makes an appearance.

THE CLOCK KING

Real Name: William Tockman
First Appearance: World’s Finest #111 (1960)
Enemies: Batman, the Teen Titans, Green Arrow, The Flash, Nightwing, Harley Quinn
Power Set: Clock-themed supervillain?

The Clock King in the Batman: The Animated Series episode: “The Clock King”

I don’t care what anyone says, The Clock King is awesome. Make it happen WB.

Who do you think will survive? Who do you think will show up in the future? Let us know in the comments below!

“The Suicide Squad” hits theaters and HBO Max on Friday, August 6th!

Written by Erik Slader and Chris Carroll.

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