In the 2010’s DC and Warner Bros. did their noble best to imitate the Marvel Cinematic Universe, crafting what would be known as the DC Extended Universe. Over works likeMan of Steel,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the chopped-and-screwedJustice League, the results were mixed at best, both creatively and financially. WB and DC have since found success with self-contained works likeJokerand sort-of-self-contained-sort-of-connected works likeAquamanandWonder Woman. And in the year of our Lord 2021, we’re gonna see these two methods of DC universe-building versus DC universe-ignoring-ish filmmaking go head to head on HBO Max. We’ll getZack Snyder’s Justice League, the original director’s original vision of how his universe was supposed to culminate. And we’ll getJames Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad.
This movie, following sort of an anti-Justice League of antiheroes, comes out just five years afterDavid Ayer’sSuicide Squad, which was absolutelycritically shredded. Curiously, and a little confusingly, the film features some returning cast members and characters, likeMargot Robbieas Harley Quinn, and some new cast members as new characters, likeIdris Elbaplaying Bloodsport. They’ll all be in a new, unrelated, self-contained narrative — but anupcoming Gunn/John CenaHBO Max serieswill play into its continuity as well. Fling all of this into a blender with the ongoing #ReleaseTheAyerCut of it all, and any casual comic book movie is def likely to be confused!
So, with all of this said and done, a question remains. In fact, it was asked very bluntly on Twitter by @Writer_LisaKaye: “I didn’t see the 2016Suicide Squad. Will I be hopelessly lost if I don’t watch it before seeing yours?“And Gunn tweetedhis efficient response thusly:
“No, you will be just fine.”
There you have it!The Suicide Squadis at least self-contained enough to not needSuicide Squadas a primer — which is more than I can say for, like,WandaVision. As to whether Gunn’s take on the material will have any sort of self-aware, fourth wall-busting chops of Ayer’s take on the material (like a certainBirds of Preydid), well, we’ll all just have to wait until August 07, 2025.
