The Who’s Who of Suicide Squad

You may have been hearing some rumblings here and there about Suicide Squad, the upcoming DC movie boasting a cast including Jared Leto as The Joker and Will Smith as Deadshot. Now the first cast photo has been revealed during a script read-through you’re probably going to start hearing a lot of names you don’t recognise unless you’re a proper, die hard DC fan. We’ll get the the naming and shaming in a minute but first let’s just talk about the plot, because it’s pretty incredible.

UPDATE: Director David Ayer has just released this photo of Leto on Twitter with the iconic green hair of The Joker

Suicide Squad Jared Leto

Basically Amanda Waller, who is in some senses the DC counterpart to Nick Fury (but even more imposing) assembles a group of incarcerated super villains into what is known as Task Force X. In exchange for reduced sentences, Task Force X act as deniable government assets, carrying out dangerous black ops missions. In some iterations of the comic, they also had remote charges inserted beneath the skin, to be fatally detonated if they ever got out of hand. Crazy, right?

David Ayer, director of the gritty, realist war drama Fury and the gritty, realist cop actioner End of Watch is on hand to direct the film and also adapted the comic series for screen. It’s difficult to say how well he’ll do with such a huge project given his patchy track record, but it’s nonetheless one of the most interesting comic movies on the horizon (a pretty bright, colourful horizon, bear in mind). So let’s take a quick whistle-stop tour of the characters who will appear in the film.

The Joker – Jared Leto

the joker

This one required perhaps a little less clarity than the others will. The Joker is, of course, Batman’s arch nemesis, the crazed chaos-merchant who lives to test the Dark Knight to breaking point at every possible opportunity. Leto will be the first person to play him in a live-action film since Heath Ledger (although he’s not present in the cast picture). He’s an interesting choice, up until Dallas Buyer’s Club I would have said Leto was completely wrong for the part but his heart-rending turn as a transgender woman slowing fading to AIDs proved just how much versatility and flare he’s capable of exhibiting.

Allegedly this iteration of the clown will be more lean and muscular, given that he’s in prison at the beginning of the film. Whether or not he’s actually in the Suicide Squad is unclear but either way it will be interesting to see what Leto brings to the table.

 

Deadshot – Will Smith

Deadshot

Not to be confused with Deathstroke, the villain that appeared in Batman: Arkham Origins, Deadshot is a master marksman (as the name suggests) and one of the most regular Task Force X members in the comic. Classically Deadshot has an affinity for the dramatic and became a member of the squad partly out of a desire to shuffle off this mortal coil in the most spectacular way possible. He sports a cybernetic eye and initially set out to kill Batman and replace him as a far harsher guardian of Gotham, before becoming a gun-for-hire.

 

Harley Quinn – Margot Robbie

harley

Originally introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley is the Joker’s number 2 (and lover, sometimes requited, sometimes not, depending on what kind of mood he’s in). She was originally a criminal psychologist working at Arkham, she had been writing a profile on the Joker but during the process he gradually manipulated her into breaking him out and she’s been doing his dirty work ever since. In the animated series Tara Strong gave her a squeaky, Brooklyn accented tone which Margot Robbie should have no issue with after The Wolf of Wall Street. This will be the first live-action iteration of the character, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

Rick Flag – Joel Kinnaman

Rick flag

Rick Flag is actually three characters, three generations of military men, all of whom were tasked with keeping an eye on Task Force X during missions. Flag is one of the only characters to have been introduced originally in Suicide Squad. Regardless of which version they base this iteration on, he will be stern, unwavering and utterly intent on keeping the gallery of rogues in line. Tom Hardy was originally lined up for the role but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts and after the role ping-ponged around several other actors the Robocop remake star Joel Kinnaman landed the role.

 

Boomerang – Jai Courtney

boomerang

Boomerang (or Captain Boomerang) originally appeared as an enemy of The Flash, real name Digger Harkess. He’s an Australian mercenary who clearly takes his heritage very seriously, as he’s outfitted with a collection of high-tech, weaponised boomerangs. The role eventually passed from Harkess to his son Owen Mercer, who also exhibited heightened speed and reflexes but it’s unclear which version will appear in the film. Jai Courtney, star of the upcoming Terminator: Genisys will play him.

 

Enchantress – Cara Delevigne

Enchantress

I know what you might be thinking, ‘what a nice name, surely that can’t be befitting of a villain’. Well random hypothetical reader, you’d be wrong. Enchantress is one of the most mercurial characters in DC history, having played on both sides and been unpredictable regardless. She has a host of magical powers at her disposal, but on occasion in the past she has lost control of them and chaos has ensued. Model Cara Delevigne (originally cast as Harley) is a curious choice, but she’s proven that she’s a capable actress in the past and this might be the role to really test her mettle.

 

Killer Croc – Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

croc

Another recurring Batman villain, Croc gets his name from a rare skin deformity that gives him reptilian features. He’s also fucking gigantic, which helps. He has a reputation for being one of the most physically imposing characters Batman ever faced, albeit not one of the most intelligent. Classically he’s never been a Suicide Squad member so it’ll be intriguing to see how he’s utilised in this version. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, most well known for playing Mr. Eko in Lost is a phenomenally good casting choice, too.

 

Amanda Waller – Viola Davis

waller

Waller is, for my money, one of the most fascinating DC characters going. She isn’t any kind of super-human, just a ruthless governmental power tasked with handled with super-powered contingent of the planet (and wider universe). Task Force X is her baby and she is the one who they ultimately answer to. Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey was in talks for the role at one stage, but the part eventually went to Viola Davis, well known for her excellent turn in The Help.

 

Deathstroke – Jim Parrack (Rumored)

Deathstroke

As previously mentioned, you need to try not to get him mixed up with Deadshot, since they both look and sound so similar. To add further confusion they are both highly trained assassins. Deathstroke (sometimes called Slade) prefers a more personal approach, sticking largely to blades and his fists. Perhaps the most well known version of the character came in the Teen Titans animated series, where he was played by Ron Perlman as a manipulative, highly intelligent super-criminal who repeatedly attempted to tempt Robin into becoming his protege. True Blood star Jim Parrack appears in the cast photo as has been linked to the part.

 

Dr. Hugo Strange – Ike Barinholtz (Rumored)

hugo strange

Yet another major Batman player, Strange is a mad scientist who makes use of various scientific means to steal and do whatever else takes his fancy. Classically he tends to be aware that Batman is Bruce Wayne, which gives him an additional edge. He also hasn’t been linked to Task Force X to much extent, but he’s a massive cult favourite so his inclusion is a big deal if it’s true. Ike Barinholtz is an interesting choice, given that he’s largely a comedy actor, well known for appearing in The Mindy Project and The League.

 

Plastique – Karen Fukuhara (Rumored)

plastique1

Another cult favourite and Suicide Squad staple. Plastique sports the ability to project explosions as her name suggests. Originally a Canadian terrorist, she became a love-interest for Captain Atom before defecting over to the nasty side of things. Since she’s the only other actress in the photo, the assumption is that newcomer Karen Fukuhara will be taking on the role, though like the other rumored casting choices nothing is confirmed.

 

Ravan – Adam Beach (Rumored)

Ravan

Perhaps the least well-known character on this list (although prominent in Suicide Squad material, particularly during the late 80s), Ravan is a terrorist/master assassin from the fictional nation of Qurac. For this reason he was originally an enemy of Task Force X but ultimately wound up becoming a member. Adam Beach, an actor from the non-fictional nation of Canada is rumored to be playing the part, best known for his work in Flags for Our Fathers and Smoke Signals. He was also in Walker, Texas Ranger but we won’t hold that against him.

 

And that’s it, there are a couple of other actors missing from the picture who are allegedly involved, most notably Scott Eastwood, who will play Wonder Woman love interest Steve Trevor and boxer Raymond Olubwale will be playing humanoid shark King Shark. The film will come out on August 5th 2016, we’ll keep an eye on it until then, of course.

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