The 10 Most Significant Easter Eggs From Suicide Squad

Whatever the quality of the film in question – and many are calling this film’s quality into question - you can be sure that a superhero movie will offer up plenty of nods and references to the comic books from which the starring characters hail. However, perhaps as a consequence of it being based off a lesser-known comics property and being more standalone than a lot of comic book films around, Suicide Squad possesses fewer easter eggs than the likes of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War. Nevertheless, there are a number of comic callbacks that you may have caught while watching. We’ve tried to keep things not too spoiler-y, but obviously we would urge caution before clicking that ‘Next Page’ button if you have not yet seen the movie. If you've already checked out David Ayer's DC Comics adaptation though, then go ahead and read on for our 10 most significant Easter Eggs from Suicide Squad. 10) Costume Callbacks While Waller’s voiceover introduces Harley, we briefly see the Joker and Ms. Quinn dancing through a black void – he’s in a tuxedo, while she’s in her classic jester outfit (from Batman: The Animated Series). Though it's cool enough that Harley’s traditional costume appears in some form in the movie (Harley also takes it out of her trunk later on), this scene is actually a much more specific easter egg than that. The sequence is perfect recreation of the cover to 1999’s Batman: Harley Quinn from artist Alex Ross. The image has since become an icon of the Clown Prince and Princess’ relationship. In fact, most of the outfits the Joker wears in the film call back to the comics. His white suit with purple shirt is a nod to The Dark Knight Returns and his brown waistcoat is from Joker. Speaking of which... 9) Jonny Frost And Monster T The Joker is frequently followed around by a band of anonymous thugs in Suicide Squad – many of whom like to cosplay as pandas, goats or Batman. If you were really paying attention, though, you would have noticed that one has a patch on his sleeve which reveals his name. It’s Mr. Frost, which is a reference to 2008 graphic novel Joker, which is told from the point of view of the villain’s right-hand man Jonny Frost. Another comics character is hidden away in a scene with the Joker in the form of Monster T, as played by Common in a brief scene at the Joker’s strip club. Though he’s got a different name, comic fans will recognize him as a version of supervillain the Tattooed Man. For one, he’s sports a similar snake-themed tattoo on his face. 8) Enchantress’ Brother As was suspected beforehand, the big bad of Suicide Squad is Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress, along with her monstrous “brother.” Though he isn’t actually named in the movie, the character is lifted from the comics and is usually called Incubus. The one from the page also has an even crazier plan than the Ghostbusters knock-off from the movie. In "The Nightshade Odyssey" storyline, Incubus wants to mate with his sister to create a new host for their father’s spirit. It's probably for the best they didn’t use that… The two characters also look completely different. In the source material, Incubus is a regular-looking human rather than the CGI monstrosity that he was in Suicide Squad. 7) The First Rick Flag Amanda Waller’s introductory scene is stuffed with references, with an obvious one being all the talk of Superman’s death (seen in Batman V Superman). However, there are also a few much more obscure ones. You might recognize one of the men Waller is meeting with as Stranger Things’s David Harbour, but the other one is actor Ted Whittal. His casting is a fun tribute to his previous role as the first live-action Rick Flag in several episodes of Smallville’s tenth season. Flag is of course played in the film by Joel Kinnaman. Even harder to spot is the name of the restaurant in which the meeting takes place – Cicada. This is the name of an immortal enemy of the Flash who can drain the lifeforce of others. Perhaps similar to how Waller is putting the Suicide Squad’s lives in danger for her own ends? 6) Captain Boomerang And The Flash If you had caught the recent leak about it, you would have been expecting that quick cameo from Ezra Miller’s Flash early on in the film, where the speedster foils Captain Boomerang’s bank job. As well as giving us our first look of The Flash’s suit in a movie, the scene is a nice nod to Boomerang’s status as a member of Flash’s rogues gallery. There are a couple of other easter eggs revolving around Boomerang in the film as well. He first arrives at Belle Reve in an Australian mail bag, referencing the character’s roots down under. He also wears a blue jacket with white lining, which is a tribute to his blue outfit with a white boomerang pattern from the comics. 5) Midway City Though there are a few flashbacks set in Gotham, the main setting of Suicide Squad is Midway City, in its first cinematic appearance. It is a canny choice of location for a film that follows Batman V Superman. In the comics, the city gets its name from being situated slap bang in between Gotham and Metropolis. However, Midway City isn’t usually connected to Task Force X. Instead, it is home to some other lesser-known DC characters. In particular, it’s the turf of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (recently seen in Legends of Tomorrow) and Doom Patrol, a team of misfit metahumans yet to be brought to the screen. One place the team visit in Midway City is the John F. Ostrander Federal Building. This is a nod to the man responsible for revamping the team in 1987 into what we know them as today. 4) Arkham, Ace Chemicals And Belle Reve A number of locations that will be familiar to fans of the Joker and Suicide Squad make cameos in the film. First of all, you can’t have Task Force X without Belle Reve Penitentiary, where most of the team are incarcerated. The facility previously appeared in live-action on Smallville and Arrow. But Harley Quinn, of course, is tied to Arkham Asylum instead, the madhouse where most of Batman’s enemies are held (and frequently break out of). It appears in all its gothic glory here during Harley’s flashbacks and can also currently be seen in FOX's Gotham. Finally, the location of the scene with Joker and Harley and the vats of chemicals isn’t named on screen but one of the vats is labelled ‘Ace Chemicals’ – where Joker’s story began, according to The Killing Joke. The plant was previously alluded to in BvS as well. 3) Slipknot’s Death It was painfully obvious from the off that Adam Beach’s Slipknot, who turned up without a snazzy introduction like the other Task Force X-ers, was not going to last very long into the film. Sure enough, after being goaded by Captain Boomerang into trying to escape, Rick Flag activates Slipknot’s implant and kills him. This would have been even more signposted to comics fans as Slipknot suffers a similar – but lesser – fate in the source material. In 1989’s Suicide Squad #9, the exact same scenario happens, except this time the bomb is instead strapped to his wrist rather than injected into his neck. When it's set off, he only loses an arm rather than his life. A bit of a pain for a guy whose gimmick is climbing but hey, at least he’s alive. 2) David Ayer Regulars Just as Zack Snyder employed a number of Watchmen actors in BvS, David Ayer recruited a lot of his frequent collaborators to feature in Suicide Squad. In particular, three veterans of 2014’s Fury appear – Jim Parrack (who played previously mentioned Mr. Frost), Kevin Vance and Scott Eastwood. Kenneth Choi also briefly turns up in Katana’s flashback, after working with the director in Street Kings. Plus, Corina Calderon plays El Diablo’s wife here and previously appeared in End of Watch. Speaking of that movie, at one point the Joker is firing a gold-plated gun – the same gun that appeared in End of Watch. Harley Quinn’s choice of weapons are also of significance. Traditionally, Harley carries an oversized mallet – the same one she initially has at Belle Reve. Her later choice of baseball bat, meanwhile, comes from the 2015 video game Batman: Arkham Knight. 1) Harley’s Origins In a nice attempt to marry the two distinct versions of Harley – the original incarnation from Batman: The Animated Series and the character’s recent revamp – Suicide Squad blends together separate origin tales for its take on Harley’s backstory. Dr. Harleen Quinzel falling for the Joker enough to help him break out of Arkham is lifted straight out of Harley creator Paul Dini’s ‘Mad Love’ comic (later adapted into an episode of BTAS). Her fall into the vat of chemicals is taken from the New 52’s reboot version. Robbie is even wearing the same outfit as in that storyline. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but Harley's bio that appears on screen when Waller introduces her appears to drop a major reveal - apparently she's the one who killed Jason Todd. Since we saw Robin's defaced costume in BvS's Batcave, we all assumed it was the Joker who murdered the Boy Wonder. Is Harley just covering for her puddin'? Or did she really do the deed? I guess we'll have to keep our eye on the DCEU to find out.