Meet The Suicide Squad’s new rogues’ gallery
The DC universe is about to get bigger. But who exactly are these new villains and anti-heroes? And why is one of them literally a shark?
1. BLOODSPORT IDRIS ELBA
With the absence of Deadshot, expect Bloodsport to fill the role of the gun-toting walking armoury in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad reboot. In the comics, Robert Dubois is a vengeful foe of Superman who comes close to killing the Man Of Steel with Kryptonite-laced bullets, and Gunn has hinted that Idris Elba’s version of the character is locked up for that very reason. His high-tech arsenal, supplied by Lex Luthor in the comics, should come in handy against rumoured villain Starro.
2. KING SHARK STEVE AGEE
Yes, King Shark. An actual shark. Not to be outdone by the original Suicide Squad movie’s Killer Croc, the sequel will feature this brilliantly bizarre fan favourite from DC’S lower tier of villains. A humanoid shark, his origins are murky, though he claims to be the son of the ‘Shark God’. Since debuting in the comics in 1994, he’s already made regular appearances in the Arrowverse TV world and on animated shows, but this is his live-action feature debut.
3. PEACEMAKER JOHN CENA
Your classic homicidal pacifist, Peacemaker is described by Gunn as a man who believes in peace “at any cost, no matter how many people he needs to kill along the way”. Played by John Cena, a man whose arms are as wide as most people’s living room, the character also known as Christopher Smith debuted in the ’60s and is most famous for being the inspiration for Watchmen’s The Comedian.
4. SAVANT MICHAEL ROOKER
Characters such as Polka-dot Man have only one quirk, but Brian Durlin — aka Savant — has three. He’s the heir to a huge fortune and has a genius-level intellect, but a chemical imbalance means he also experiences lapses in memory. That’s plenty for Michael Rooker to have fun with, and we wouldn’t bet against him keeping his head for longer than most.
5. POLKA-DOT MAN DAVID DASTMALCHIAN
Tell Polka-dot Man that he looks like he’s wearing a pair of pyjamas at your peril. Those polkas may look pretty but they’re actually an array of impressive weapons. In the comics, Abner Krill is a bothersome adversary to Batman, so it’s with neat synchronicity that he’s played by David Dastmalchian — previously an irritant to Gotham’s finest in The Dark Knight.
6. WEASEL SEAN GUNN
John Monroe was originally just a costumed villain, who took on the Weasel moniker to reclaim the insults levelled at him in his university gig. After being rebooted in the New 52 comics run, he became a full-blown, bug-eyed, anthropomorphic baddie. Played in mo-cap by Sean Gunn (brother of The Suicide Squad’s writer-director James, previously on mo-cap duties as Rocket in the Guardians movies), he has no superpowers per se, but he’ll give you a nasty nip if you’re not careful.
7. THE THINKER PETER CAPALDI
While Bloodsport is firing bullets in all directions, it’ll be down to Peter Capaldi’s The Thinker to say some brainy stuff. Capaldi looks set to play the Clifford Devoe version of the character, a criminal mastermind and tech wizard whose thinking cap not only makes sure his hair doesn’t get wet in the shower but also gives him telepathic and telekinetic powers. Also taking its cue from the New 52 run of comics, here the cap is replaced by bolts embedded in The Thinker’s head.
8. JAVELIN FLULA BORG
A former nemesis of Green Lantern, Javelin is a German athlete who, yes, throws pointy sticks. His utility belt boasts spears including smoke javelins, accelerated javelins, even explosive javelins. He’ll be played by comedian Flula Borg, who of the shoot said: “Everyone’s exploding — genitals, legs, arms, heads.”