The Suicide Squad: James Gunn's Chance to Revive DC
DC is falling apart. While Wonder Woman 1984 is on track to be a smash hit, the rest of the DC universe is struggling. The Batman movie has been delayed, Birds of Prey lost its director, and The Flash movie seems to be on the rocks. The Arrowverse is doing great, but its success is a double-edged sword – it makes it harder for the movies to stand out.
James Gunn, fresh off the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is joining DC at a crucial time. The writing and directing duties for The Suicide Squad are reportedly his, and he’ll have a role in the larger DC universe as well. The casting of David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark Kent and Lois Lane is a promising start, and both actors are well-suited for their roles. The addition of Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and Edi Gathegi to the cast brings more talent to the project. But the roles they are playing, and the potential for overstuffing the project, is concerning.
Fillion will portray Green Lantern, specifically Guy Gardner, in a cameo appearance. That’s fine – there’s a lot of history with the character in the DC universe, and it expands the scope of the movie. However, Merced and Gathegi will take on the roles of Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, respectively.
The problem isn’t that these characters exist – it’s that they’re being introduced before we’ve met Superman and Lois Lane. The core of a Superman movie is the relationship between Kal-El and his adopted parents, and then his relationship with Lois. That’s where the heart and conflict are. The Arrowverse has struggled with this – in Justice League, Hawkgirl and John Stewart’s relationship was used as an easy contrivance to make the gang meet. It was hollow and unsatisfying.
DC already has plans in place for a Green Lantern Corps movie, and Hawkgirl is a major part of that – there’s no need to shoehorn her into this project. By expanding the scope of this movie, it potentially complicates the story, which is meant to be a straight-forward introduction to Superman.
The rushed approach to building a cinematic universe, as seen in Justice League, resulted in a convoluted and hollow experience. DC should learn from Marvel’s approach of establishing individual characters before team-ups. While introducing new characters like Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl makes sense, it adds complexity to the story. These characters need to be introduced alongside Superman and Lois Lane, while also playing significant roles. Audience familiarity with these characters will be limited, making it challenging to fill in the gaps.
Gunn’s track record inspires confidence, and if this were a Guardians of the Galaxy movie with a smaller cast, I’d be much more on board. But the inclusion of multiple heroes before a single frame is shown is a little concerning – much like the troubled Birds of Prey film, there’s a risk that the scope could get out of control. Perhaps the script is perfect and will deftly handle balancing so many heroes and new characters. But with DC’s track record, I’m not willing to give them a pass, and I hope Gunn isn’t either.
Check out the official trailer for The Suicide Squad:
The Suicide Squad will be released in 2023.
Original story by Sam Queen.
