[WARNING: This article contains potential SPOILERS for Suicide Squad]
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You have to hand it to the minds behind Suicide Squad's marketing: for those not hungrily seeking out each and every detail and insider scoop, and just enjoying the trailers and TV spots, it's almost impossible to figure out exactly who or what the Squad will actually be fighting. Sure, there are the disgusting oily footsoldiers covered in monstrous black eyeballs (or Eyes of the Adversary, as they're known to the insiders) - but whose bidding are these goons doing?
The Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) obviously has a role to play in that subplot, but as we learned during our visit to the movie's set, she isn't the real villain of this story. That figure - the one seemingly responsible for devastating an entire city and the peace officers within it - has been shrouded in mystery. But after director David Ayer teased the comic book roots of the villain, we came up with our top suspect pulled straight from the original DC series. And now that the film's official cast list has surfaced, it seems our suspicions are headed in the right direction.
For those who missed out on our trip back through John Ostrander's original 'Enchantress' twist (and the mythology it's drawing upon), we'll keep it simple. Enchantress, a mystical, ancient entity takes up shelter in June Moone (Delevingne). As time goes by, the Enchantress gains more and more control, until June is brought face to face with an unknown threat she thinks she can beat - until it's revealed that the enemy is a just-as-ancient entity: the Incubus. And with his sister, the Succubus (the true identity of Enchantress) returned to him, the pair can be joined, and usher in the return of their demonic father.
The marketing planted evidence of the same basic storyline, showing glimpses of Moone being possessed in an underground cave, transforming into Enchantress, and most recently, trailers and TV spots revealing Enchantress powered-up, and looking more royal than ever (presumably the powers brought out of her as she begins to realize her true power and destiny).
Still, the Incubus himself has been completely absent from the film's marketing, aside from unclear shots of something supernatural unleashing chaos on the buildings and police of Midway City. The result? For all onlookers, it's the Enchantress who will play the villain, succumbing to a demonic entity inside of her and becoming even more powerful than her colleagues (captors?) in the Task Force X leadership ever assumed she could be. Still, Ayer's tease that the movie's story was based on a single comic story remains - and in that story, the Incubus is an integral part, kicking the actual events in motion.
We've spun some fun theories in the meantime, postulating on a recent episode of the Total Geekall Podcast that Scott Eastwood's character of 'GQ' could be involved, as either the Incubus in a human form (as both he and the Succubus do in the comic), or as the long lost, flesh-and-blood brother of Moone... since the comic required the 'coupling' to be between a brother and sister, in both demonic and physiological form.
Those theories will have to wait to be proven or refuted, but now that the movie's cast list (courtesy of Fandom) has surfaced, fans will notice one credit that stands out among the rest:
That's right, Canadian actor/stuntman Alain Chanoine has been cast in the role of both 'Businessman' and 'Incubus.' We can only deduce that when the Incubus arrives, he will need a human form, deciding to take that of a nearby human (and considering the carnage in subway stations and city streets seen in the trailers, a 'businessman' makes as much sense as anything else). Now, how long Chanoine will actually appear is anyone's guess. Will he only appear as a human before the Incubus twists him into a demonic (a.k.a. prosthetics-covered and CG-agumented) monster?
It's far too soon to speculate on those details, but it would appear that our theory has proven correct, and the movie's story is inspired by Ostrander's original "Nightshade Odyssey" comic arc. But make sure to let us known what YOU think of this reveal, and if there are any sides of the story we're currently missing.
NEXT: Suicide Squad Cast List Confirms Justice Leaguer Cameo
Suicide Squad is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman is slated for release on June 2, 2017; followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash is without release date.