It's Rumor Time: These might be the new members of Suicide Squad
DC has made it pretty clear they’re going to give James Gunn carte blanche to reshape Suicide Squad as he sees fit in creating the sequel to the hit (if widely derided) film. That means a host of possible new characters are on the table, so let’s take a look at which ones are supposedly in play.
We already know Idris Elba is set to take over for Will Smith in the role of Deadshot, and it’s unclear whether Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag will be in the film. However, it’s extremely likely Gunn’s old Guardians Of The Galaxy buddy Dave Bautista will play a role. There’s also basically zero chance Margot Robbie won’t return as Harley Quinn, even if it’s in a more limited capacity, given that she’s likely under contract. Now, Collider is citing its own unnamed sources to say Gunn has settled on the following characters from the comics to add to his new lineup of antiheroes. (The article is also very upfront about the fact that any or all of these could change in re-writes of the script, so let’s be clear these are only rumors for now.)
First up is Ratcatcher, a.k.a. Otis Flannegan, a former exterminator and old-school Batman enemy who can literally communicate with and control an army of rodents. He also uses poisonous gases and a gas mask is part of his standard get-up, though he’s apparently being gender-swapped to a woman for the movie, so this probably won’t be Bautista’s part.
The other characters include King Shark, a.k.a. Nanaue, is a humanoid shark whose father may or may not be a Shark God, which sounds like a character hand-picked to replace Killer Croc. There’s also Polka-Dot Man, a.k.a. Abner Krill, another Batman villain who possesses the extremely weird ability to take any of the many polka-dots covering his costumed body and turn them into a variety of items, including weapons, fireballs, and more. And lastly, we’ve got Peacemaker, a.k.a. Christopher Smith, a believer in extreme pacifism—in fact, he’s so committed to peace, he’s willing to commit extreme acts of violence in pursuit of that goal, so, you know, obviously a well-adjusted individual.
Peacemaker is supposedly also the role Gunn is eyeing Bautista to play, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether this will end up being the new Suicide Squad. Personally, we’re a little disappointed Gunn hasn’t brought in extraterrestrial bounty hunter Bolphunga The Unrelenting, but hey, baby steps.