Suicide Squad

Lore & Background

The mission centers on the destruction of Jötunheim, a Nazi-era laboratory housing "Project Starfish." Intelligence officer Amanda Waller assembles two teams; the first acts as a deliberate decoy and is slaughtered by the Corto Maltese military upon landfall, with only Harley Quinn captured. The second team, led by assassin Bloodsport, enters undetected alongside Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, Ratcatcher 2, and her pet rat Sebastian. They discover that the alien Starro was brought to Earth by American astronauts decades prior, with the U.S. government secretly funding experiments on it using Corto Maltesean citizens as test subjects. The Thinker, the project's lead scientist, reveals this history before the team infiltrates the capital. While Waller intends to cover up these ties, field leader Rick Flag Jr. decides to leak a hard drive containing evidence of American involvement, leading to his execution by Peacemaker under direct orders from Waller.

In Their Own Story

The narrative shifts as Harley Quinn escapes her captor, dictator Silvio Luna, after killing him upon learning he planned to use Starro on political dissidents. She rejoins the squad, who capture the Thinker and rig Jötunheim with explosives. Inside the facility, Flag and Ratcatcher 2 locate the giant starfish alien. When Flag attempts to leak evidence of the U.S. cover-up, Peacemaker kills him. A skirmish ensues where Polka-Dot Man accidentally triggers the explosives prematurely. As Jötunheim crumbles, Starro escapes, killing the Thinker and much of the military while taking control of the island's population. Despite Waller ordering a retreat to maintain secrecy, Bloodsport leads the team in fighting Starro. Polka-Dot Man weakens the creature but is killed. Harley pierces Starro's eye, allowing Ratcatcher 2 to summon city rats that chew the alien to death from the inside. Following the victory, Bloodsport blackmails Waller into releasing him and the surviving squad members in exchange for keeping the hard drive's contents confidential.

Reader's Guide

To survive a Suicide Squad mission, one must navigate the volatile dynamic between convicts and their handlers. In this specific operation, the team utilized King Shark's combat abilities alongside Ratcatcher 2's unique control over rodents to defeat Starro. Leadership is critical; while Rick Flag Jr. initially led the decoy team, Bloodsport eventually assumed command of the second team after the first was decimated. Key turning points include Harley Quinn's decision to kill dictator Silvio Luna and Polka-Dot Man's accidental detonation of explosives that forced a premature confrontation with Starro. The mission concludes with the survivors negotiating their freedom: Bloodsport leverages the evidence against Waller, securing the release of himself, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Ratcatcher 2, and Peacemaker (who survived his apparent death). Mid-credits reveal Weasel from the first team survived in the jungle, while a post-credits scene shows Waller assigning the recovering Peacemaker to a new mission with subordinates Emilia Harcourt and John Economos.

Did You Know?

• The film had the biggest sets ever built for a Warner Bros. production.
• James Gunn was hired to write and direct after being temporarily fired by Disney and Marvel Studios as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
• Filming took place from September 2019 to February 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia; Colón, Panama; and Porto, Portugal.
• Sylvester Stallone provided the voice for King Shark, who was physically portrayed by Steve Agee on set.
• Unlike its predecessor, the film received positive reviews from critics and became the most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max.