Suicide Squad released in 2016 to relatively divisive reviews, but the characters and ideas left fans wanting more. Thankfully, a sequel is on the way; this time from director James Gunn. The first trailer for The Suicide Squad has finally been revealed, so let’s examine each mind-blowing detail it has to offer. 

The trailer opens on a scene where members of Task Force X are crammed on a speeding bus. Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Rick Flag, the Thinker, King Shark, and Polka-Dot Man are there and are planning to save Harley. It makes one wonder where the rest of the members are. Are they dead by this point in the movie? Do they have another objective that requires them to be elsewhere? Someone can be heard saying “Team 2 is good to go.” Perhaps the other members that aren’t present here are Team 2 and are split up from the others. 

Harley saves herself before the others are able to put their plan into motion, and has a hilarious back and forth with Rick Flag. This moment has suspense, humor, and sets up some of the action. It truly sets the tone for the rest of the film and lets the viewers know what kind of movie we’re in for.

“Dirty Work” by Steely Dan plays, in which the lyrics fit the Suicide Squad perfectly. They’re stuck doing Amanda Waller’s dirty work and none of them really want to be there. 

We see many of the Suicide Squad members in prison, which is likely Belle Reve once again. Belle Reve is the prison where Amanda Waller typically stores all of her Task Force X lackeys. 

Amanda Waller explains that if they complete their mission, they get ten years taken off their sentence, and that if they disobey her, bombs that were planted in their skulls will be detonated. This is the premise of the Suicide Squad comics and of the previous film. It seems like they are staying true to the source material here. 

It does make one wonder what Rick Flag’s motives are in this film. In 2016’s Suicide Squad, he was willing to obey Amanda Waller because she had his girlfriend, June Moon, that she would set free if he listened to her. Now that she is free from the Enchantress curse, why does Rick still need to be here? Is he here just because it’s still his job, or does he now have a bomb in his skull even though he’s not a criminal? It will be interesting to see if this is answered. 

Fun fact: The doctor putting the bomb in Savant’s skull is played by John Ostrander, the comic book writer who created the original Suicide Squad. It’s great to see the team’s creator celebrated in such a way. Who better to make these characters the Suicide Squad in the movie than the guy who made them a team in the comics? 

After the quick setup of the film’s premise and tone, we get our first shot of the most of the team together. Characters like Harley, Rick Flag, and Captain Boomerang returning ties the story in with the original film nicely. Will Smith’s Deadshot got his happily ever after in the first movie, and many of the other characters died, but where are the remaining characters? Will we get an explanation as to what happened with Killer Croc and Katana? In the comics, the team members are chosen based on who would work best for a given mission, so some are swapped out every now and then. This fits that, but for the sake of movie storytelling, it would be nice to get some sort of explanation for them. 

Many of these criminals have been members of the Suicide Squad in the comics, but some have not. It’ll be interesting to see the dynamic between the chosen characters and fun to see what James Gunn has in mind for them. If he chose characters that have never been members of the Suicide Squad before, he must have some entertaining reasons for them.

It’s worth noting that, for quite a few of these shots, Harley is wearing a red and black outfit that matches her traditional look much more than whatever strange attire she dons in the other DCEU movies she has appeared in. It’s nice to see that Gunn and the costume designers care about the source material enough to make sure the fans are satisfied with each superhero and villain’s look on screen. 

King Shark straight-up eats someone! If you’re going to have a shark person in a movie, you might as well use him in fun ways, and that’s clearly what they’re doing here. 

The setting for much of their mission appears to be on a tropical, remote island of some sort. Perhaps they are here to thwart a top secret project that will endanger the world. 

While in an auditorium (likely for mission briefing), Bloodsport says “we’re all going to die,” in which Polka-Dot Man replies with “I hope so.” Why does he hope they all die? What’s wrong, Polka-Dot Man? Who hurt you? Also in this scene, King Shark shows off how hilariously dopey he’ll be in the movie. 

The next part of the trailer takes part on a rooftop where Rick Flag, Bloodsport, and Harley Quinn explain their situation to the Thinker and seemingly intimate him. It appears, based on how they’re talking to him, that he’s not a member of Task Force X at this point in the film. Maybe he joins later than the rest of the characters, or retrieving him is a part of their mission. 

The Cortos Maltese military makes an appearance, which could potentially throw a wrench in their plans. Are these soldiers here to help them or hinder them? How big of a role will they play in the story? Seeing the Suicide Squad take on a military could lead to some especially exciting action. 

Peacemaker and Bloodsport bicker about leadership and how it should be handled as they creep through the jungle. Them butting heads could prove to be an entertaining subplot to follow throughout the film.

There are a couple of brief shots of the characters partying it up at a nightclub. When would they even have time to do this on their mission? From the rest of the trailer, it looks like a lot of their time is spent being shot at when they’re not in jail, so taking the time to drink and dance seems like it wouldn’t quite work with their new schedule. 

In contrast to the partying scene, we then immediately see Bloodsport attempt to stab Amanda Waller in the throat. These members of Task Force X clearly don’t want to be working for her, which also matches the comics well. If any of them get the chance to escape their situation or even end her, they would. 

King Shark rips a guy in half! The ribs are visible and everything! James Gunn and the rest are thankfully having a lot of fun with their R rating. 

In the next scene of the trailer, Harley looks especially upset while gunning down her foes. Hopefully it’s not because she’s still trying to move on from the Joker. That arc has already been covered in both 2016’s Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), it’s time to further her character more. If she’s upset about something else, it will be exciting to learn what that is. 

A couple of the Suicide Squad members have a heartfelt discussion about getting each other out of this alive. By the looks of this scene, there will be some rather emotional subplots during the movie. This should lead to an entertaining contrast to see compared to the fights, shark bites, and explosions. 

The ground trembles, something erupts from the rubble of a destroyed building, and the antagonist (or at least one of them) is revealed, and it’s none other than Starro! Starro is a giant alien starfish and leader of the Star Conquerors. He can reproduce countless miniature parasites that can control people’s minds, which will prove to be a powerful threat for the Suicide Squad to fight. One of the most exciting details about Starro is that he was the first villain the Justice League ever fought in the original comic books. Seeing this big bad in a live-action blockbuster for the first time will be an absolute treat for comic fans. 

This first official trailer for The Suicide Squad is action-packed, hilarious, and gives the audience a feel for what we’re in for when the movie finally releases. So far, this is one sequel that is without a doubt worth looking forward to. 

The Suicide Squad releases August 6th, 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max. Are you excited for this next installment in the DC Extended Universe?