In light of the polarizing response to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. and DC were likely reassured that at least fans were responding positively to early footage of its next DC Extended Universe project, the villainous team-up Suicide Squad. The project – written and directed by End of Watch filmmaker David Ayer – aimed to follow-up the self-serious smackdown between DC Comics’ biggest icons with a lighter, more unconventional comic book film, one which would introduce mainstream audiences to fan-favorite character Harley Quinn and build upon the shared universe that Warner Bros. kicked off with Man of Steel.
However, though Suicide Squad was positioned as a refreshing antidote to the superhero fatigue that some critics have pinpointed, the film ultimately bears a striking resemblance to another project released by DC’s more box office-savvy competitors over at Marvel Studios, namely 2014 hit Guardians of the Galaxy.
[zergpaid]After all, Ayer signed on to helm Suicide Squad just a month after Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters, to the ultimate tune of $773 million worldwide. While DC may have already had their project in development, it’s simply naive to think that the enormous success of Guardians of the Galaxy had no impact on Warner Bros. and DC’s confidence in pushing Suicide Squad into production.
The fact that the two films have so much in common – regardless of how well one may regard either release – makes it easy to pinpoint Suicide Squad as DC’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxy. So, without further ado, let’s get into specifics.