At this point, it may be time to put the phrase “DC Extended Universe” out to pasture because there’s not much in the way of connectivity going forward. Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot may be sticking around as Aquaman and Wonder Woman, respectively, sure, but then we have a rebooted Batman in the form of Robert Pattinson and a standalone Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix standing alongside them.
Adding to the confusion is The Suicide Squad, which looks to be a soft reboot of the franchise, similar to what Batman Forever did back in the 1990’s. Given that, it’s no wonder how some moviegoers are trying to piece together the puzzle, especially with the release of Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) also looming.
Actually, one fan approached writer/director James Gunn directly on Instagram, asking whether The Suicide Squad connects to The Batman, as some DC film are connected and some are not. And here’s the response they got from the man himself:
“Yes, just like the comic books.”
Granted, that reads about as ambiguously as an intimate glimpse into the life of Arthur Fleck, but it’s probably safe to say Gunn meant the two films aren’t connected, as the case can often be over in the comic book realm. After all, he’d previously shot down the notion that the Dark Knight will show up at all in his production.
For the most part, comics published by DC are in the same continuity, but there are those Black Label titles that are something of their own these days. When it comes to the main universe itself, though, there isn’t always consistency, lest we forget how differently Harley Quinn is written in her own series from how she is in Suicide Squad books. And while it was short-lived, the DC You era had drastically different representations of Batman, Superman and Green Lantern in their respective series than those published in the pages of Justice League. That said, it appears as though movies are following suit in some sense.
The Suicide Squad arrives in theaters on August 6th, 2021.
