While the previous trailer gave a peek at the broad storyline and the members of the new squad being assembled by Amanda Waller (played by one of the returning Viola Davis), the new trailer provides a better look at the members. Moreover, additional details about the key players, particularly Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and King Shark have been provided by the film’s writer and director, James Gunn. Find out the revelations about The Suicide Squad below!
Bloodsport: The Superman connection
The character of Bloodsport (aka Robert DuBois) originally appeared in the pages of Superman Vol. 3 Issue #4 of the ongoing series. This was during the now-famous run by writer and artist John Byrne right after the Crisis on Infinite Earths that rebooted the entire history of the DC Comics multiverse. Bloodsport was a brand new character, portrayed as a man suffering from a schizophrenic episode, believing he was his brother who went to the Vietnam War in his place. As the story goes, Lex Luthor manipulated DuBois to be a willing tool against his archenemy. Luthor armed DuBois with advanced firearms and ordinance, with one particularly special item: a needle gun that fired Kryptonite ammunition. In the ensuing battle, DuBois, now calling himself Bloodsport, managed to injure the Man of Steel by catching him unaware with the Kryptonite bullets. Superman survived only by the operating team using the same Kryptonite bullets to keep Superman’s invulnerability and rapid healing controlled. Based on the scenes and dialogue in The Suicide Squad trailer, Idris Elba’s Bloodsport will have a similar backstory. In the trailer, Amanda Waller mentions the circumstances of how Bloodsport sends Superman into the ICU by shooting a Kryptonite bullet at him. However, it appears this will only be in exposition and not shown. Director James Gunn has stated that Henry Cavill will not be appearing in the film, although the events of the movie are still set in the DCEU and the current continuity. Another detail is the addition of Bloodsport’s daughter, Tyla (to be played by Storm Reid). In a similar fashion to the previous movie’s Deadshot (played by Will Smith), Waller is using Bloodsport’s daughter as leverage in order to convince DuBois to join Task Force X and follow her orders. Gunn has stated that Bloodsport was not initially the character he had in mind for Elba, and the character did not have a daughter in the comic. This adds credence to the rumor that the role was originally intended as a continuation of Deadshot from the first film.
Arkham Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn had a completely different look in the first Suicide Squad film. There, the Joker’s most famous assistant and “Girl Friday” sported bubblegum blue and pink hair, a tank top, boy shorts, and tattoos. When Robbie returned for the Birds of Prey film, Harley had expanded to a wider wardrobe, although noticeably less sexualized than in her previous appearance. On the other hand, The Suicide Squad trailer reveals Harley will be wearing at least two sets of duds. One of them is the already revealed gown, but the other is notable for being similar to the character’s design from the Arkham series of games developed by Rocksteady Studios. This ensemble includes a leather jacket, corset, and pants. The color scheme is red and black, which matches the usual design elements of the character, down to the diamond shapes that evoke her animated series look. Interestingly, Harley seems to have lost some of her tattoos in this updated design. In particular, the “Rotten” tattoo is visibly absent. This removal is addressed by Gunn in an Instagram post, answering fan questions about the film. Gunn confirms that Margot Robbie did not particularly like the tattoo and the director agreed to not include it in Harley’s final look for the sequel.
King Shark
In the previous Suicide Squad film, Killer Croc served as the muscle of the team. In the upcoming sequel, King Shark picks up that duty. And unlike Killer Croc which was portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbajewith makeup and prosthetics, King Shark will be completely CGI. But a welcome surprise is that the voice of the super-strong brute will be none other than action movie legend, Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, Rocky). Stallone had previously worked with James Gunn by playing Stakar (aka Starhawk) in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Stallone is also no stranger to voiceover roles, as he recently lent his voice in reprising his role as Rambo for the Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack 2 DLC. King Shark originally debuted as a villain in Superboy Vol.4 #0. In the story, King Shark was responsible for the disappearance of people in the area of Hawaii where Superboy (the teenage clone of Superman) had been residing. King Shark claims to be Nanaue, the son of the mythical Shark God. Later on, King Shark would be recruited by Amanda Waller and be a recurring villain against Aquaman. In The Suicide Squad trailer, King Shark is portrayed as a simple-minded creature, with barely more than a single word dialogue in his scenes. He does also retain his original name of Nanaue, as referred to by Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) in a quick but funny scene. Also, James Gunn mentions on his Twitter post how it can be difficult to be consistent with its pronunciation among a large cast.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 27, 2021
Starro The Conqueror
The final major confirmation in The Suicide Squad Rain trailer is the major threat the team will be facing - that is the classic Justice League menace named Starro The Conqueror. Starro first appeared as the planetary threat in Brave and the Bold #28 from 1960, which is also the chronological first appearance of the Justice League. Starro is a giant extraterrestrial starfish from a cosmos spawned race. That does not sound intimidating, but Starro possesses massive powers including super strength, invulnerability, regeneration, and mental abilities. The creature can create numerous smaller Starros that can attach to the face of other beings and take control of them as drones. Even without these drones, Starro can mind control entire crowds within line of sight. Finally, Starro can absorb, deflect, and unleash energy projections comparable to nuclear explosions. Although Starro in The Suicide Squad film has not displayed these more extreme powers, the giant starfish was shown capable of slamming King Shark into a building. But if the creature does have a similar powerset as its comics counterpart, then the Suicide Squad definitely has its work cut out for them.
More in store?
Gunn has stated the newest trailer is his favorite of the three released as “it most accurately reflects the film”. On that note, The Suicide Squad’s Rain trailer revealed a lot of new details, but there may still be more in store as Gunn usually keeps surprises close to the chest, evidenced in his prior Guardians of the Galaxy films. Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), John Cena (Peacemaker), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher), Pete Davidson (Blackguard), Nathan Fillion (T.D.K.), Flula Borg (Javelin), Mayling Ng (Mongal), Alice Braga (Sol Soria), Peter Capaldi (The Thinker), Michael Rooker (Savant), David Dastmalchian (Polka Dot Man), and Sean Gunn (Weasel). The superhero film releases in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day, August 6, 2021.
