Is fandom destroying films? Was James Gunn’s comment on Martin Scorsese legitimate? Is Gunn going to be Zack Snyder of the DC Universe? Today, we are not going to answer any of that. Because these unconstrained conversations are not a part of the film and rather gossip stuff for fans and media alike. Rephrasing Charlie Chaplin’s famous quote, “today we talk a lot around films and not about films.” This article will mainly focus on James Gunn’s Reboot of Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad runs high on Gunn’s wittiness developed all through the years. Additionally, he has incorporated a few action sequences shot over Pop Music numbers as already loved and witnessed in his Guardians of the Galaxy series. The Suicide Squad reboot flaunts a band of under-rats, the lowliest and most despised meta-power villains who find a purpose to save the world (in most American Sense).
‘The Suicide Squad’ Plot Summary
Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), head of Belle Reve penitentiary, sends a squad of amateur supervillains on an undisclosed mission. The Dummy Task Force X, composed of Captain Boomerang, Blackguard, Mongal, Javelin, T.D.K, Weasel, Brian Durlin, & Harley Quinn under the leadership of Col. Rick Flag, lands on the South American island nation of Corto Maltese. Their arrival is welcomed with a rain of bullets from the Corto Maltese army. Most noob villains lose their lives except Quinn, Flag, Javelin’s Javelin, and Weasel (spoiler).
It is quickly revealed that Waller knit another Task Force X comprising some serious villains, i.e., Robert DuBois / Bloodsport, Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, Nanaue / King Shark, Abner Krill / Polka-Dot Man, and Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2. Taskforce two is headed by Bloodsport, who is compelled into the mission in exchange for immunity for his daughter, Tyla.
The mission of these outlaw supervillains is to destroy Jotunheim, a scientific experimentation facility containing a secret project titled Project Starfish. These menacing villains are armed with an explosive device fused in their neck region. The device will explode if any of them fail to follow Waller’s order or try to run away from the cause.
Revolt of Corto Maltese
In The Suicide Squad, Corto Maltese was a small island nation off the coast of South America. Over the past 100 years, the monarch Herrera family ruled the Spanish-speaking country with an iron fist. However, recently, an army head General Silvio Luna, along with his threatening right-hand man, Mayor General Mateo Suarez, fueled a military coup and controlled the Corto Maltese government.
In the revolt, the entire Herrera family was executed. Luna and Suarez aspired to terrorize the world. They discussed the possibility of unleashing an extraterrestrial monster named Starfish and controlling it. They wanted to enter the “Big Leagues” and become supremos of the world.
Project Starfish & Origin of Starro the Conqueror
Gaius Grieves/ The Thinker was a geneticist in charge of Project Starfish. According to him, the extraterrestrial Starfish “Starro the Conqueror” was brought by reckless Americans who found it floating in space. Starro had the power to capture hosts through its parasitic extensions in the form of small Starfish. These parasitic creatures attacked a host’s face. Through them, the monster was able to control its victims’ minds.
Chapter “Dirty Little Secrets” didn’t directly suggest but hinted that under his command, the Herrera family and their American counterpart experimented and used Starro to curb the political rivals, journalists, and all resistance. He revealed that the American Government (Waller) didn’t send the suicide squad to protect the world from alien technology. Instead, they sent them to cover up their part.
After American astronauts found Starro, it turned into a top-secret mission to weaponize the mighty beast and secure their sovereignty during the Cold War. But any such experiment on American Soil might have become cataclysmic. They made a secret deal with the Corto Maltese government to conduct their illegal experiment in Jotunheim. The Thinker was made in charge of the project by the US government. But due to the accidental military coup, their deal got compromised, and hence they sent Task Force X to clean out the evidence.
PeaceMaker and its Symbolization
PeaceMaker might not flaunt a star-studded Cap shield. However, it still better portrays Sacha Baron Cohen’s US & A. (the comment is not about the people but the socio-political conditions).
When Flag turned fugitive and decided to publicize dirty little secrets, PeaceMaker threatened to kill him. He unveiled that Waller assigned him personally to make sure that evidence is erased without a trace. PeaceMaker’s words and disposition underlined his ideology which could be better grasped in his words.
“Keepin’ the peace is worth any price, including the life of the hero.”
PeaceMaker
While apparently true, the country developed one of the largest depositories of nuclear weapons and secretly experimented on children (in the film) to maintain world Peace. Praise for James Gunn for such a symbolic and realistic portrayal of a patriot. In contrast, others in the superhero realm are busy with “White Washing and Multiverse.”
‘The Suicide Squad’ Ending Explained – Suicide Squad vs. Starro the Conqueror
Checklist before the showdown. PeaceMaker killed Flag because he wanted to share the proof with the press that American Government was behind Project Starfish. Later, PeaceMaker was injured by Bloodsport, and he fell unconscious. The Thinker was ripped apart by Starro, who later literally destroyed the Corto Maltese army and conquered their minds. The people of the Corto Maltese killed the remaining military generals and took charge of the city. However, they had a more significant threat on the streets as Starro was unleashed.
After Waller was informed that Jotunheim had been destroyed along with its records, she immediately called Task Force X back to Belle Reve. However, the remaining squad, i.e., Bloodsport, Quinn, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2, rebelled against the order. Before Waller could detonate the bomb in their system, a conscious American in the control room smacked her down.
In the final feud, Starro crushed Polka-Dot Man, but the remaining bandits survived. Ratcatcher 2 summoned an army of rats that plagued Starro’s body and infiltrated its waterish-nervous system. The rats, with a purpose, munched on Starro’s veins and killed it off. Before dying, it muttered its last words suggesting it was happily floating in space and staring at the stars before some government decided to weaponize its existence.
Bloodsport uploaded the footage evidence of Project Starfish on a secured server. It threatened Waller to publicize it if she dared to kill any of the remaining Squad members or try to harm Bloodsport’s daughter. Waller agreed, and The Suicide Squad got its freedom and immunity.
The closing sequence displayed a suffocated Weasel coughing out water. It suggested that he is still alive and ready to threaten the island of Corto Maltese.
‘The Suicide Squad’ Post Credit Scene
A post-credit scene establishes that Peacemaker is still alive. A group found him in the rubble and shipped him back to the US. He is admitted to the “Mount Rogue” multicenter under the supervision of Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alandy.
Warden of Belle Reve penitentiary, John Economos, and Emilia Harcourt visit the hospital and get terrorized by the news of Peacemaker’s survival. They speculate that Waller may use Peacemaker against them and Bloodsport’s team.
However, they may take drastic measures to save the world that will probably kill Peacemaker while he is still recovering. However, the film ends before any act of elimination. It sets the ground for the upcoming Spinoff series to explore his origins and expand his narrative further.
The Suicide Squad is a 2021 Supervillain film written and directed by James Gunn. It is based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad.
