S U I C I D E S Q U A D
The CBM Event of a Lifetime
by Kong
We were recently treated to the surprise release of the trailer for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. The Suicide Squad is a "task force of the most dangerous people on the planet" (as they are referred to in the trailer) who are used to "do some good". The built in deniability factor along with the low moral standards of the group makes them perfect for high profile missions which require the help of those with special abilities and skills.
The trailer set the internet by storm, having over 21,000,000 views on just one of the videos online featuring the trailer. (Most) All of us can agree that this trailer did a great job at setting the tone, introducing the many players in this game, and giving us a taste of the story while still keeping it extremely ambiguous. So what can we deduce from this trailer? Well a couple things actually.
(P.S. To be fully immersed in the experience, listen to this while reading. Really sets the mood.)
Enchantress' Origin Will Be Explored
Above you see Cara Delevingne as June Moon, a.k.a the Enchantress. The cave exploration, pentagram, extremely dirty bath water, and creepy [expletive for butt or donkey] costume she sports leads me to believe that she will be one of the characters on the Squad who's origin we might spend some time on in the film. The Enchantresses' comic book origin consists of her exploring a secret passage in Terror Castle, where she finds a room which holds the demon Dzamor. Dzamor makes June his mystical defender of justice. After uttering the word "Enchantress" June would transform into a witch with an immensely powerful set of magical abilities. Despite the obscurity of the character I don't see David Ayer, "It's all about canon. It's all about being faithful to the source material", going too far off from this origin. The two things that stick out that might seem too campy or inconsistent with the world Man of Steel set up are the name of Terror Castle and the similarities to the other DC Comics character Shazam. It turns out that those two changes are the one's presented in the trailer. Instead of exploring a terrifying castle, she explores a cave. Instead of saying "Enchantress" she invites the demon in. Thanks to @PlasmaSnake I remembered that an inverted pentagram (seen above Enchantress' head while bathing in black) is used to invite in, conjure and become subservient to demons in witchcraft and satanism. Seeing as Enchantress became a witch because of a demon, this could be a much cooler way of her turning in to the witch than saying her name.
The Squad is Falling!
As you can see, the above plane is taking a dive in to the ground. At first I naturally assumed that this was the work of the squad. The bad guys [fork]ing some evil up. Then I remembered this set video where the Squad and some soldiers file out of a crashed plane which looks just like the one in the picture above. This led me to believe that somebody shot the squad out of the sky. In other parts of the trailer we see the Squad walking through downtown Toronto, where the plane lands. Most of the group shots, and leaked set photos came from this sequence which leads to them walking in to the building we see them marching in to, led by Capt. Boomerang. If not, someone on the Squad probably [suck]ed up and crashed it. Who knows? One other thing that was cool is seen in the picture below where Katana slams Captain Boomerang (with the Captain shirt on) against a brick wall, while a soldier has his gun pointed at him. This leads me to believe that the witty, sarcastic, and arrogant Aussie super villain either said the wrong thing or even tried to escape. Boomerang has always been the one who tries the hardest to get that chip out of his head/neck and I'd imagine that transfers over to the movie. Katana could be angry at him for messing up the mission or even warning him. Katana isn't usually portrayed as a villain in the comics, so maybe she's another Rick Flag character. Set to keep the Squad in check.
Harley Quinn's Getting Picked For the Squad
One of the standouts in the trailer is when Harley does her acrobatics while hanging upside down in her cell. I theorize that this scene is when the guards first remove her from her cell and take her to Amanda Waller to be briefed on her recruitment to the Suicide Squad. The guards rush in to the room where the cage which houses the cage which contains Harley is. They take her out and take her down the hallway of the prison. It's hard to make out in gif form, but you can see blonde hair at the bottom of the screen in a shot which appears to be under the walkway with the words "Firm But Fair" on them. The same guards match up in location and appearance, so these are probably the guards that removed her from her cell. This scene is also where we see her ask if Amanda Waller is "the devil" and when she jumps on the guard and attacks them.....why aren't they in the gif....don't judge my forgetfulness.
El Diablo Switches Cells
El Diablo has pyrokinetic powers (manipulation of fire), so it makes sense he would be contained in a cell which constantly is spewing out water at him. In the trailer we see him try to start a flame, which is put out by the water. When he is chosen for the Suicide Squad, he's released from his cell and transferred to a regular cell. He needs to be fresh up on his powers so he can be ready for the Task Force.
Superman Wasn't the Beginning, but the Resurgence
"Maybe Superman was some kind of beacon for them to creep back from the shadows" - Amanda Waller
This line at the beginning of the trailer is more than it seems to be. Most people see this as "Oh cool way of establishing that this is in the same universe as Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman!" I see it differently. This was a little hint at the universe these films take place. Obviously, since Batman's been around for 20 years, according to the most recent trailer, there has to have been some super villains that have popped up, but we only expected in Gotham. Although a lot of them are, not all of the members of the squad are Batman villains, and I doubt that Amanda was referring solely to the members of the Squad. If she has a whole prison filled with these guys, they had to come from somewhere. This leads me to believe that the big reveal to the world after the events of MOS was not super powered beings, but aliens exist. In this universe there definitely could've been an age of heroes before. Maybe we'll se a JSA movie featuring superheroes that were in Vietnam (rather than WWII because they'd all be VERY old by now). Ezra Miller's Flash could be inspired by Jay Garrick. At one point in time Wildcat, Mr. Terrific, Hourman, and even Sandman patrolled the streets. Whether it was a law against them, a big event, or just a change in the times something caused the heroes and the villains to creep in to the shadows, and Superman could've been what brought them back out. Now one thing going against this is that Perry White saw the idea of someone with special abilities as rubbish in Man of Steel, but the heroes of the past could've bee powerless vigilantes, similar to Watchmen, or just operating secretly.
Joker's Breaking Out of Arkham; and He's Taking Harley With Him
We see various shots throughout the trailer of crazy masked men moving through a building, shooting guards, and accompanying the Joker. I've placed them in order of how I think it plays out in the actual movie. This whole thing takes place at Arkham Asylum. Joker has just escaped his cell with some help from the outside (Jim Parrack's Jonny Frost) and the inside (the various henchmen dressed in costumes). The henchmen lead the way through more industrial looking silver area where they are greeted by guards. They proceed to kill them while giving the Joker a clear path to where his next stop is. Then they eventually make it to the dirtier, darker, and overall brown toned hallway. We see the eyeball head and the baby peer around the corner shooting, telling us there's someone in the hallway. That someone is dangerous as well, killing the eyeball and probably the baby too. Despite the death of some of them, the henchmen ultimately won the hallway shootout. The goat and the others, including the Panda, make their way to the room where Harleen Quinzelle is located. The henchmen take out the guards in the room and Jonny Frost proceeds to strap her down. This is when the Joker comes in and begins to use electro-shock therapy to transform Harleen in to Harley. Clearly this Joker didn't use mere persuasion, manipulation, and love to transform the doctor in to his crazy sidekick. This is where his famous line, possibly the next why so serious, is uttered.
"Oh I'm not gonna kill ya. I'm just gonna hurt ya really....REALLY....BAD!"
Now, some things are going against this. For one the complete change in setting is a little jarring, and why would Arkham have a factory within it? The only henchmen that appears in both areas is the Panda, and who says he can't survive to different missions. Or maybe it's a different guy in the same suit. Also Joker is wearing a jacket, shirt, and necklace in the factory area, and in the room with Harleen he has nothing on his upper body. He very well could've taken them off, but why? Although, it does appear that Jonny Frost is wearing the same thing in both areas.
The Joker Killed Jason, and is Getting Locked Up For It
For some time the rumor has been that the scene where Batman is on top of Joker's car is directly after Joker kills Jason Todd. I've built a theory around this, which points out something I think virtually NO ONE has thought of yet. So where do we begin? We start off in the scene where we see Joker kill the trucker. He is then approached by a doubtful Harley Quinn who is decked out in civilian clothes. Why is this? She's going to help trap Robin (Jason Todd) by tricking him in to thinking she's in trouble. She doesn't feel right doing it, knowing of the Joker's plan and saying that it goes to far. They get in to an argument which causes her to pull a gun and him to pull a Hank Pym and slap her across the face. Then in true Joker/Harley fashion they make out and he leaves, the plan is in action. Then they take Jason to the Joker's flashing golden hang out, where Harley gets back in to her normal attire, this time with black and silver harlequin diamonds. Then Joker beats and kills Jason for Harley and all of his henchmen to see before leaving in his pink car with Harley. This is when Batman chases them down and then jumps on top of their car, blows of the ceiling and pulls them out. After brutally beating Joker, he leaves them for the authorities and they both go to Belle Reve, Joker is kept far away from her. This sets up where we find them in the film. This would make the rumored prison break towards the end (featuring another appearance form Batman) emotionally charged. Him seeing Joker and Harley for the first time since Jason's death.
The thing going against it is, again, costume changes. The things presented above could definitely be two different scenes, but who knows? This is pure speculation. Even so, noticing Harley was wearing the same outfit while dancing that she was in the car is a good find.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my theories and plots. Discuss what you like about them, dislike about them, agree or disagree with, or your theories too! As always this has been a Skull Island editorial. And remember always...