[SPOILERS ahead for Suicide Squad.]
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El Diablo, played by Jay Hernandez, is arguably one of the more standouts in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. He's introduced as a hardened criminal, but clever character development reveals him to be far more complicated than that - as he eventually reveals to the eponymous "Skwad" that his powers are a curse, not a gift. When the Skwad takes a breather at a local pub, Diablo opens up about his past, explaining that his firepower caused the death of his family. El Diablo thereafter steps into the spotlight in the film's climax, despite Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) having snatched up the spotlight for most of the film up to then.
At the end of the film, Enchantress and Incubus (her seemingly unstoppable brother) were overtaking the Suicide Squad in a massive battle until El Diablo stepped into the arena. He ran out from behind stone pillars shooting flames from his hands in full force, eventually morphing into some sort of ancient God of Fire and weakening Incubus. At this point, most of the audience was probably in shock, considering few (not even hardcore DC Comics fans) had any idea that El Diablo was secretly a mystical fire man. El Diablo thus sacrifices his own life to save the rest of the Skwad - and ultimately the entire world.
In a recent video interview with Comic Book, El Diablo actor Jay Hernandez explained more about his character:
“It was interesting, because there were some changes that happened later on. I didn’t know that’s how the end was going to happen, early on. For me, it was important to make it good, make it impressive, and go out in a blaze of glory. Ultimately, I think it worked to give it some meaning, some emotional weight to the end of the story.”
Also adding that even though he was pretty dead at the end of Suicide Squad, he might be returning for the sequel:
"Of course there is [a chance he could return]! I’m not saying anything, just that it’s a possibility”
Hernandez went on to say he put his all into the revealing bar scene to drive home an emotional message:
“It was the scene I was most focused on. I wanted to make sure, because a lot of the story hinges on that moment. It’s the moment the Squad is sort of galvanized. Before that, it’s a bunch of just random people and everybody has their own goal and direction, they hate each other, some are plotting to kill each other. After that, they sit down and they realize this is it, this is their shot or not, and they decide to do the honorable thing. I think part of why that happens is the opening up of Diablo, who has been closed off for the whole movie up to that point. It was a pivotal moment, and a really important scene for me.”
Here's an idea - El Diablo might not be dead after all, considering that he made the ultimate sacrifice to save the rest of his team (which he eventually considered to be his new family). Diablo, transformed into a fire god wearing ancient Aztec-style armor, was the most useful member of the squad. If there is some crazy magical twist that allows him to return to life, we want to see it.
NEXT: Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn & Joker Relationship Discussion
Suicide Squad is in theaters now. Wonder Woman opens on June 2, 2017; 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, the Batman solo movie and Man of Steel 2 are currently without release dates.
Source: Comic Book