Now that fans have adjusted to the shock of learning that James Gunn is going to write (and possibly direct) Suicide Squad 2, the next question is who he will cast in the movie. After his firing from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3fans weren't sure about what the future held for Gunn, with the lingering possibility of him returning to Marvel, but now that he's on Suicide Squad 2, things could look very different for the sequel.

Gunn, having proved himself already adept at handling teams of misfit criminals working together to save people, is a fine choice for the sequel to 2016's love-it-or-hate-it villainous group hug of a movie. Warner Bros. have played an extremely captivating chip in their ongoing struggle for box office dominance with Marvel Studios, showing that Disney may have made the wrong move after all, in firing Gunn and keeping him that way.

Related: James Gunn Is A Better Fit For Suicide Squad Than He Ever Was For Guardians of the Galaxy

The DC Extended Universe now has a thrilling opportunity to level the playing field with the quality of their future releases. Gunn will hopefully be bringing his unique sensibilities, keen sense of humor, stylistic action, and knack for ensemble scripts to the Suicide Squad sequel. It's a franchise that captured the zeitgeist two years ago in such a way that some people are comfortable with forgetting the first film's 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes in favor of its $747 million worldwide box office haul and Academy Award. Harley Quinn's 'Daddy's Little Monster' shirt continues proving to be a Halloween best seller two years later.

With word that Gunn's script will be a "fresh take" on the franchise, it's not clear if we'll see any former cast members returning, but they could (perhaps wisely) bring back the ever-popular Will Smith as Deadshot, find a gap in Robbie's schedule (including an appearance in Birds of Prey), and arrange a return of Viola Davis as Amanda Waller - the glue that keeps the Squad together (under pain of death, but still).

Regardless of whether or not Gunn's script brings back any original cast members, the writer-director has a whole box of toys to play with from the DC Universe, and fans would be remiss to think he hasn't inserted some new ones. So what would a newly revitalized team of supervillains, working off their prison sentences by hunting, killing and rescuing people for the U.S. government, look like?

Dave Bautista as Bane

Split Image: Bane (comic book) hooks up to his super serum; Dave Bautista in his wrestling days

Bautista has very vocally been against James Gunn's firing over at Marvel, and has even said that he'd be hesitant to appear in a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 without Gunn at the helm. Since the news dropped that Gunn would be working on Suicide Squad 2, Bautista gave a very clear response; "Where do I sign up!".

Should Bautista be able to get out of his contract for Guardians 3 - or even if he completes filming for that second sequel, and he becomes available for Suicide Squad 2 - it's easy to imagine that Gunn would bring him over to the opposition for a role. His physicality lends a few options, none moreso enticing than Bane. Fans have already been envisioning him in the role, and he certainly looks the part.

Bane (previously played by current Venom Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises) has been a member of the Suicide Squad in the comic books of the same name, and is depicted as having a moral code beset by shades of gray. He also appeared in the similar villain-centric comic Secret Six, and acted as a kind of father figure to fellow teammate Scandal Savage.

The opportunity for Bane's character to move past his menacing roots and become softer-edged over the course of a Suicide Squad movie would be an enticing arc for any actor to undertake. Having already played hulking comic-relief Drax in Guardians, Bane offers an alluring alternative to Bautista as it offers the opportunity to play a darker, more serious role. At this point, its fair to assume that Bautista would undertake any role Gunn gifts him. Here's hoping it's Bane.

Read More: Who Dave Bautista Should Play in Suicide Squad 2

Michael Rooker as Jonah Hex

Gunn has already expressed a desire to work with the character of scarred Wild West bounty hunter Jonah Hex, and it would be simple enough to propel the character forward in time from his 19th Century origins into the present day - much like the character once was catapulted into a dystopian future in his source material.

Related: James Gunn's Suicide Squad Reboot: DC's Secret Weapon?

Rooker is one of Gunn's 'good luck charms', appearing in more than a few of the auteur's films, including a fun, highly-praised turn as Yondu in the Guardians movies. If Gunn ends up at the helm of Suicide Squad 2, it wouldn't come as any surprise if he took Rooker with him - and the gruff actor has the Southern drawl and rough charm that would suit Jonah Hex to a tee. The actor's strong comedic chops would also benefit from the fish-out-of-water comedy that having Hex in the present would provide.

Plus, we all need to wash the taste of Josh Brolin's take on Jonah Hex out of our mouths.

Page 2: Casting Poison Ivy, Doctor Light and Nightshade for James Gunn's Suicide Squad

Christina Hendricks as Poison Ivy

As recently as December of last year, it was rumored that a Gotham City Sirens film was in development at Warner Bros., and was touted to be teaming up Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn with Catwoman and Poison Ivy. Now that Robbie is a lock for the similar women-on-a-mission Birds of Prey, it's unclear whether Gotham City Sirens will move forward, looking more unlikely by the day.

That said, there's no reason that villainous plant queen Poison Ivy can't first make an appearance in Suicide Squad 2, setting up a relationship with Robbie's Quinn that could further be explored in a Birds of Prey sequel, or some eventual attempt at Gotham City Sirens in the future.

There's one fantastic actress who would definitely be able to pull off all of Pamela Isley's oozing sex appeal, dangerous vibe and subtle sense of tragedy - Mad Men's Christina Hendricks. The actress has been keeping fairly busy since Mad Men finished its run back in 2015 (with appearances in last year's Fist Fight and Netflix's current crime-caper serial Good Girls), but her career hasn't exploded like it should have.

Poison Ivy would present an opportunity for DC to continue their world-building, fans to see a fan-favorite character played by someone who isn't Uma Thurman, and for Hendricks to go big time in the world of big-screen superheroes.

Related: Why Warner Bros. is Okay with Gunn’s Twitter History But Not Disney

Nathan Fillion as Doctor Light

Another of James Gunn's good luck charms, having starred in the director's cult horror gem Slither, Nathan Fillion has even appeared in a cameo (on a series of barely-glimpsed posters!) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, as Simon Williams aka Wonder Man. Whilst it's improbable we'll see Fillion suit up as Wonder Man for real any time soon, a more likely prospect is seeing the much-loved Castle and Firefly star follow Gunn to DC, where Fillion already has a rich history as a voice actor.

If he does, Gunn should cast him against type, and allow him to have fun as a smarmy bad guy like Doctor Arthur Light. The villain is notable for constantly being thrashed by the Teen Titans back in the day, before becoming more darker and dangerous in recent years - even joining up with the Suicide Squad in their early days. They could even go for broke and give him the classic black and white costume with the silly headpiece - if anyone can pull it off, it's Fillion.

Recently, the character's dark turn has been fairly controversial, after it was revealed in Identity Crisis that Light used to be an extremely dangerous villain - even managing to break into the JLA Satellite and rape the Elongated Man's wife, Sue Dibney. The JLA responded by wiping his memory - and Batman's along with it, as the only objector to the mind crime. Whilst its unlikely DC would use any of the uber-dark plotlines associated with Doctor Light's character, there exists the capacity to go more menacing, and for Fillion to do the same - or to completely ham it up and go for the humiliated, bumbling version.

Camila Mendes as Nightshade

Whatever the cast of characters ends up looking like for Suicide Squad 2, the group dynamic is crying out for more well-rounded female cast members, and Squad mainstay Nightshade fits the bill. First appearing in Charlton Comics all the way back in 1966 before coming over to DC after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Eve Eden has the ability to transform into a two-dimensional living shadow, thanks to her mother being an inter-dimensional being.

Nightshade soon found herself fighting alongside the original incarnation of the Suicide Squad as a government agent working with Task Force X. Her time with the team led her to infiltrate a dangerous terrorist organization, and assist with the massacre of innocent civilians at an airport, thus demonstrating her loyalty. The horrific 'mission' took a toll on her personality and brought her into conflict with Amanda Waller. Later, she would become one of June Moone's first handlers, assisting with her transformation to and from Enchantress. She would even go on to become a host for the evil Enchantress persona.

Related: Why Rehiring James Gunn Is Harder For Disney Than Fans Realize

Eve Eden's frankly traumatic character history lends itself to a meaty role should she ever be selected for the on-screen Task Force X. The character's history with Enchantress would help build a bridge with the first Suicide Squad movie, should James Gunn decide to not completely turn away from the events that unfolded there.

Anybody watching The CW's Riverdale can attest to the obvious talent and dark, smoldering intensity of Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica Lodge, and she could inhabit the role of Nightshade with ease. The young actress' star is on the rise, and a role in the much-anticipated Squad sequel could be just the springboard she needs to take her fledgling acting career to the next well-deserved level.

Page 3 of 3: Casting Merlyn and Black Hand For James Gunn's Suicide Squad

Donald Glover as Merlyn

Every superhero team should have a bowman - Hawkeye in The Avengers, Green Arrow in the Justice League - and the Suicide Squad should be no different. The team will also need a healthy dose of cool, cynical comic relief, especially if Jai Courtney fails to make a return as Captain Boomerang.

A prime candidate for a similar role on the team would be Green Arrow's nemesis, Merlyn - the Dark Archer. A marksman who is Oliver Queen's equal in every way, allied with the League of Assassins, Merlyn provides an opportunity for the right actor to come along and effectively portray his swaggering braggadocio, whilst pulling off all of his peak physicality. Introducing Merlyn also paves the way for a big-screen version of Green Arrow to finally grace us with his presence - perhaps by combining that old Supermax film that went nowhere with a future Squad sequel.

Donald Glover, whose career is currently at an all-time high thanks to his show-stealing performance as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story and his FX show Atlanta, would be an extremely fun choice for the role. It's unclear whether he'd be keen on playing second fiddle with a character like Merlyn, but there's no doubt that he'd make the role his own thanks to his charming, hilarious personality and esoteric good looks.

Sterling K. Brown as Black Hand

Every good squad needs a good villain to fight, and a good pick would be perennial Green Lantern villain Black Hand. Always fascinated by death since a young child, William Hand would grow up to be the villain known as 'Black Hand' - a name chosen to represent his status as the 'black sheep' of his family, who run a Coroner's Office - wielding a device that saps the power from Green Lantern rings, allowing him to make similar projections of his own creation out of darkness.

Related: DC Characters Who Should Join The Team In Suicide Squad 2

Hand would later die and become reborn as a Black Lantern, paving the way for the 'Blackest Night' event in 2009. He travels the DC universe resurrecting dead heroes and villains, all under his - and dark overlord Nekron's - thrall.

A character so consumed by death would make a fitting enemy for Task Force X, considering they are not only faced with death on every single mission, but actually expected to die. Black Hand would represent the opportunity for the team to be confronted with their own knife-edged mortality, even tempting them into eternal life, posing a question something like 'why risk suicide, when I can set you free from death?'. Thematically, there's none more suitable a villain.

Introducing Black Hand also paves the way for the planned Green Lantern Corps movie, which James Gunn would be an easy choice for writing and directing, considering his past assembling space-led galaxy-saving heroes. If DC wants to continue interconnecting their movies at all anymore, Suicide Squad 2 would be a fine stepping stone.

Sterling K. Brown, fresh off a fun, villainous turn in The Predator and an acclaimed stint on emotional rollercoaster TV show This Is Us, has the brooding and subtly menacing chops to play a dark villain like Black Hand. Brown's career is going from strength to strength, and judging from the fun it looks like he had appearing in The Predator there's precious little reason why he wouldn't have a similarly engaging time playing a DC Comics supervillain. Recently he's expressed interest in playing Green Lantern John Stewart, so let's assume playing a bad guy is his second choice, at least.

Read: Every DC Movie Supposedly Filming in 2019

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