This weekend is an exciting one for DC Comics fans, as it's finally time to see James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
It's a film that seems to have been teased for years, so to finally reach its US debut is a wonderful feeling for many.
Audiences should expect great things, as the film received glowing praise from critics far and wide — a rather unfamiliar feeling for the franchise. It would seem that Warner Bros.' gamble paid off, and giving Gunn access to everything in their collection was a better move than they probably imagined.
With all the work the director has put into The Suicide Squad, it's still hard not to associate Gunn's name with that of his previous work on the Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Even after all the turmoil Gunn had with Disney, it didn't stop him from including a fun cameo from an MCU mainstay — one that took awhile to be found in the first place.
GUARDIAN HIDING IN THE SUICIDE SQUAD
While appearing as a guest on Happy Sad Confused Podcast, James Gunn teased that there was a secret Guardians of the Galaxy actor as a cameo in his most recent film, The Suicide Squad.
According to Gunn, "no one has seen [it] yet:"
"Well, I mean, people know I almost cast Dave [Bautista] in a role and he couldn't do it, so he didn't. But other than that, well, there might be a Guardian somewhere in the film that no one has seen yet, and I'm so surprised by... I've gotten a hundred reviews from this movie and I just... am astounded... It's going to be found out right after [this interview airs]..."
Warning - Below are details that some may view to be a spoiler for The Suicide Squad:
Well, he wasn't far off. It seems that the folks over at ScreenRant were able to find the mystery actor, and it was none other than Mantis' Pom Klementieff. She can be spotted in the background of the scene where the squad cut loose in a Corto Maltese bar.
Klementieff isn't wearing any sort of disguise but is only on-screen for a matter of seconds.
Other Guardians of the Galaxy cast members who appear in The Suicide Squad include Yondu actor Michael Rooker as Savant, Kraglin actor Sean Gunn as Weasel, and Starhawk actor Sylvestor Stallone as the voice of King Shark.
JAMES GUNN AND HIS SECRET FUN
Director James Gunn is no stranger to hiding things in his films. It's something the director has been especially vocal about in the past, especially when it comes to the Guardians films. In fact, just recently the director confirmed a new Easter egg hidden within Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 where Groot was eating candy out of the very same pot that he grew from.
There are likely to be plenty more surprise Easter eggs and appearances discovered over the course of the next few weeks, especially since the film will be releasing on HBO Max alongside its theatrical debut. It'll be much easier for fans to comb through frame-by-frame searching for things on the streaming service.
All fans need to do is check Gunn's Twitter feed since his engagement with the audience is so consistent, so any new finds will likely be called out by him or acknowledged in some sense.
What's next for Gunn? Well, Peacemaker will make its debut at some point in the coming year on HBO Max, at which time the director will be hard at work creating Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 as well as a holiday special for the same franchise.
Despite his previous hiccup with the mouse, it looks like Gunn is far from done being an integral part of the comic book movie space.
The Suicide Squad releases on August 6 in theaters and on HBO Max.
