DC Comics and Warner Bros have been trying their best to make the Suicide Squad popular with mainstream audiences for almost a decade now, with decidedly mixed results. The core concept is great: an unwilling team of supervillains coerced into taking on missions too morally ambiguous for heroes. But, let’s face it, the results have been a mixed bag when it comes to quality
With Rocksteady Studios’ blockbuster Arkham trilogy sequel Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League putting them back in the headlines, let’s take a look back at every cinematic adventure featuring this oddball team.
Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
This 2014 animated movie takes place in Rocksteady’s Arkham universe between the events of the video games Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum (and is indeed teased in the closing moments of Origins). Despite not featuring the team in the film’s title the Suicide Squad is very much the focus of the story, with this line-up comprising Harley Quinn, Black Spider, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, KGBeast, Killer Frost, and King Shark.
The movie opens with Batman tossing the Riddler into Arkham. Amanda Waller needs a thumb drive hidden in his cane and arranges for the Suicide Squad to carry out the titular assault on Arkham. This is essentially a heist movie, boasting most of the Arkham cast returning to their roles (including Kevin Conroy as Batman). This film was marketed as canon to the Arkham-verse, but Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League seems to contradict it in multiple ways, so it probably isn’t anymore.
Suicide Squad (2016)
It’s never a good sign when the backstage drama is more interesting than the actual movie. Late in production Warner Bros executives decided they wanted a shift in tone to bring it in line with the first trailer, a decision that resulted in the final cut being taken away from director David Ayer. Ayer has spent years campaigning for his almost complete version to be released, so far to no avail.
He recently said that this experience was “the toughest part of his career“:
“I made a great movie. I made an amazing film. I’ll go on record. Anyone wants to dispute that: Come look me in the eye. To have something I put so much love and so much heart into get taken away.”
Despite all this Suicide Squad, which features Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, Katana, Deadshot, El Diablo, Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and Slipknot (and also Jared Leto’s Joker) was a substantial box office hit. Critics were somewhat less enthusiastic.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
This DC Animated Feature has a truly bonkers premise. Amanda Waller assembles a team of Harley Quinn, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Copperhead and Bronze Tiger to steal a “Get Out of Hell Free” card, a mystical relic that absolves its owner of all sins upon their death and grants them access to Heaven.
The story flashes back to a previous Suicide Squad consisting of Black Manta, Count Vertigo, Punch and Jewelee, and also features Vandal Savage, Reverse Flash, Two-Face, and Professor Pyg. It’s a pretty fun ride and, despite being an animated feature, never fails to underline that the team is composed of the worst of the worst.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
The Suicide Squad aren’t the focus of Apokolips War, though do play an important role in the story. Here Amanda Waller is dead and Harley leads a team composed of Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Black Manta, Bane and Cheetah. Faced with a world overrun by Darkseid, Lois Lane contacts the Suicide Squad to join the fight back against the Apokoliptian invaders.
I won’t spoil the outcome, though let’s just say this incarnation of the team ends up in a very different place than most other versions.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
While technically a sequel to Suicide Squad this often feels more like a reboot. James Gunn takes his first strides into the DC universe with two distinct Suicide Squad teams for the price of one. The first, effectively a decoy, consists of Rick Flag, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Savant, Blackguard, The Detachable Kid, Javelin, Mongol, and Weasel.
The actual team is Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2, on a mission to track down and destroy a secret laboratory on the South American island of Corto Maltese. This was a notable flop for Warner Bros. though perhaps that’s mostly down to being released during COVID lockdowns. Regardless, it didn’t do Gunn’s career any harm as he was soon confirmed as the new head of Warner Bros’ superheroic efforts.
For now, The Suicide Squad is their final cinematic adventure, though despite team members having alarmingly low life expectancy they keep making a comeback. We’re sure this list will be expanded on sooner or later.
