The Suicide Squad director James Gunn remains hard at work shooting Peacemaker in Vancouver, Canada, and some new photos of John Cena as the Task Force X member have been revealed.
As you can see, the former WWE Champion was seen covered in (fake) blood from head to toe, presumably after shooting an action scene for the eight-part HBO Max series. The pro wrestler turned actor was celebrating his 44th birthday when these photos were taken, and fans cleverly managed to grab Cena's attention by showing up to set with a balloon and sign!
We don't know a huge amount about Peacemaker, but it's previously been reported that the events of the series will unfold prior to The Suicide Squad (making this a prequel to the upcoming movie).
Gunn, meanwhile, had his own unique way of celebrating Cena's birthday last week:
Written and produced by James Gunn, Peacemaker stars John Cena, Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland, Chris Conrad, Chukwudi Iwuji, Lochlyn Munro, Annie Chang and Christopher Heyerdahl. The eight-episode series will arrive on HBO Max in January 2022.
Click on the "Next" button below for a breakdown
of The Suicide Squad's red-band trailer!
5. Where's The Other Team?
Like the character posters, the first trailer for The Suicide Squad focuses primarily on a team comprised of Rick Flag, Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Polka-Dot Man, Ratcatcher 2, and King Shark. However, we catch a glimpse of another Task Force X at one point in this sneak peek.
That team is made up of Captain Boomerang, Savant, Blackguard, Javelin, Mongal, T.D.K., and Weasel.
While Flag is shown with them, something tells us this is probably the team that gets sent in and wiped out by the movie's big bad (with Rick being the only survivor). That's one theory, anyway, though it's also possible the opposite could happen! We'll have to wait and see, but hope they get more than cameos.
4. Harley Quinn's New Status Quo
At the end of Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn had seemingly embraced her newfound status as an anti-hero.
It felt like a natural progression for the character (similar to her comic book counterpart), and regardless of your thoughts on that team-up, it was intriguing to wonder where Harley and Cassandra Cain might go next. Well, the former clearly did something to wind up back in Amanda Waller's clutches, and a closer look at her rap sheet might explain what: it seems Harley is now a vigilante!
We're sure she has a unique way of fighting crime, but this is a cool direction to take the character in. It should also go some way in changing how Harley is perceived by her teammates here. We're also loving her new tattoo which reads "Property of No one" after her breakup with The Joker.
3. An Unexpected Villain
One of The Suicide Squad trailer's biggest reveals comes when we learn that Thinker isn't actually part of the team. Instead, it looks a lot like he's someone they pick up along the way.
Clearly, he has intel that is important to Task Force X's mission, and if he messes them around...well, they're clearly not going to hesitate to kill the villain. If we had to hazard a guess, Thinker is somehow tied to whatever is going on with the movie's apparent big bad (we'll get to him). It's an interesting and intriguing twist, that's for sure.
There's definitely more to this than meets the eye, but we'll have to wait and see how it all pans out.
2. Romance For Bloodsport And Ratcatcher 2
Now, it's entirely possible that this will be a brother/sister or father/daughter type dynamic in the movie, but the trailer definitely drops some intriguing hints about Bloodsport and Ratcatcher 2's relationship.
We're not sure why he's promising to get her out of there alive, but given Amanda Waller's duplicitous nature, perhaps Ratcatcher 2 doesn't deserve to be forced into action as part of Task Force X?
Say what you will about 2016's Suicide Squad, but the bonds developed between the characters definitely helped elevate the story. Given how many times James Gunn has tugged on our heartstrings with his Guardians of the Galaxy movies, don't be surprised if he does the same here too!
1. Starro
We suspected this might be the case, but the trailer for The Suicide Squad finally confirms that Task Force X will be facing off with classic Justice League villain, Starro. It's an unexpected, awesome choice of big bad, and one which should ensure we get a massive, action-packed final battle.
In the comics, Starro is a planet conquering warlord who has enslaved numerous galaxies thanks to his link with the Star Conquerors, and while it looks like he's being held captive here (likely so he can be used as a weapon by a shady South American government), we fully expect him to try and enact a similar plan when unleashed. That should be really fun to watch play out.
Gunn has confirmed that Taika Waititi isn't voicing Starro, so it seems that's being kept a surprise for now.