Five Things I Want from Suicide Squad

• Bruce Cook


• 4 Aug 2016

After a long summer of anticipation, the much anticipated Suicide Squad movie opens tomorrow. After the lukewarm response to Batman v. Superman, Warner Brothers and DC have a lot riding on the success of Suicide Squad. Unfortunately, early reviews have been tepid at best.

And while hoping a team of conscripted super-villains will be the cure for what ails your DC Cinematic Universe is a longshot at best, it can still be done. I’ve read Suicide Squad since it spun out of Legends back in the mid-80s, and there are certain elements that need to be in place for the movie to work.

So, what do I need from Suicide Squad to make it a success?

Why, I’m glad I asked.

LET’S GO TO THE LIST

1. MINIMAL BATMAN – I may be in the minority here, but I think the less Batman the better. Warner Brothers has a tendency to shoehorn the Caped Crusader into everything. He’s their creative crutch. Suicide Squad needs to be about the team, not the Bat.
2. THE WALL – Amanda Waller is the government official who puts the Squad together.  She has always been depicted as strong-willed, motivated and cold. That’s exactly who we need to see. She shouldn’t care about the members of her team, only the mission.
3. CAPTAIN BOOMERANG – As one of the Flash’s premier rogues, Boomerang has usually served as the team’s comedic relief. That’s not to say I want him depicted as Crocodile Dundee with boomerangs. No, I want appropriate quips at appropriate times and pure ruthlessness the rest.
4. MINIMAL JOKER – I know I’m in the minority on this one, but, much like Batman, I need the Joker to be a background character at best. He’s not a part of Suicide Squad mythology and Warner Brothers’ need to reintroduce the character here smacks of marketing desperation to me.
5. EXPLOSIONS – specifically exploding Squad members. The members of the Suicide Squad are fitted with nano-explosives in their necks to insure their compliance. If they try to run or jump sides, their heads can be remotely detonated. At least one team member needs to go BOOM to give the threat some teeth.

Those are the things I’m looking for out of Suicide Squad. What about you?  ell us what would make you consider the movie a success in the comments below.