The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Talks About Considering Joker, Heroes & Obscure Villains For Sequel

The Suicide Squad director James Gunn opens up about not adding Joker and other obscure villains to his iteration of the Suicide Squad.

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Updated: September 24, 2020

The Suicide Squad is one of the intriguing projects that will soon arrive in the DCEU. Directed by James Gunn, the film boasts a massive and star-studded cast, including the likes of Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, and Viola Davis. Not much is known about the hybrid reboot/sequel, but the film's panel during DC FanDome changed that.

Aside from finally revealing who's who in terms of the characters that will be included in the mission, Gunn and the rest of the cast also unveiled an exclusive behind-the-scenes sneak peek for the film, showcasing the explosion-heavy sets and first looks at the protagonists ( and villain ).

From that point on, Gunn didn't shy away from revealing more tidbits about the DC film. The director shared new set of posters , highlighting another grand look at Task Force X. On top of that, Gunn even revealed that the film was entirely shot in IMAX cameras. And now, it seems that the director is not yet finished in terms of revealing more details about the much-anticipated team-up film.

NEWS

In a series of tweets, The Suicide Squad director James Gunn gave more tidbits about the 2021 film. While retweeting a tweet from a fan account, Gunn noted that he "considered many more well-known heroes and outlaws" for the film, but he wanted to "stick with [John] Ostrander's original version of mostly second-rate antagonists:"

This is true. I considered many more well-known heroes & outlaws but I wanted to stick with Ostrander’s original vision of mostly second-rate antagonists. There’s an innate tragic element to supervillains who aren’t even that good at being bad. https://t.co/hx8cQLR6YA

The outspoken director admitted that DC villain "Dog Welder" was considered to be part of the film, but he bared that he doesn't want to see it "expressed cinematically" due to the fact that he is an animal lover:

Dog Welder was considered of course. But, you know, being an animal lover, I’m not sure it’s something I’d personally want to see expressed cinematically.

More so, Kite Man was also considered, but the director "didn't think it was the freshest way to go:"

I love Kite Man but he’s been fucked with (and used as a punchline) so much in the comics - sometimes in wonderful ways - I didn’t think it was the freshest way to go. But who knows what the future holds.

Gunn also revealed that he "never seriously considered" dimension-hopping villain Bat-Mite to join Task Force X:

If I said I was unable to use Bat-Mite - which I don’t quite remember - it was only because I didn’t think he’d fit on the team, so it would be because of my story, not a DC mandate. Honestly though I never seriously considered Bat-Mite. He’s too powerful for one!

Interestingly, a fan asked Gunn about adding Joker to the film, but the director pointed out that he doesn't think that "Waller would have any use for him:"

I don't imagine Waller would have any use for him, which is why he's never been in the Suicide Squad comics.

WHAT THIS MEANS

From the onset, Gunn has been known to hype up fans for his films by revealing exclusive details that relate to his vision. It seems that the director took it up a notch with this wide array of tweets. As is, Gunn's latest comments indicate his passion not just for the franchise but for the characters involved as well.

Gunn's extensive research about The Suicide Squad is evident as he worked on adding characters that will fit to his exact vision. It remains to be seen if not adding villains like Dog Welder and Bat-Mite will improve the film, but Gunn seems confident that not having them is appropriate. For instance, the inclusion of Dog Welder could be detrimental to the film since it involves animal cruelty, which could have force fans and dog lovers to boycott the film entirely.

Based on the first teaser of the film, the director's focus on second-rate antagonists is front and center, and it will be interesting to see it all play out on the big screen. The inclusion of Joker to the team could've added more weight to the arc of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but it makes sense that Gunn didn't consider adding the villain since the fate of Jared Leto's version is currently unknown.

Still, The Suicide Squad has a lot of interesting characters to expand the narrative, and Gunn's passion and vision for the film will all be revealed when it premieres next year in August.