In less than two weeks, director David Ayer and the creative team behind Suicide Squad will show the world that Superheroes aren’t the only ones capable of saving the day. Ayer’s villain-loaded blockbuster will assemble some of the DCEU’s most extreme individuals, from the mystical Enchantress to the bloodthirsty Killer Croc, to protect the world from an apocalypse-level threat. Make no mistake about it: while the individuals of Task Force X - lovingly referred to as the Suicide Squad – are entirely expendable, each one carries an impressive set of powers that set them apart from your average street scum.
For these antiheroes, failure is an option and survival is not guaranteed. They can’t run, they can’t hide – they’re all in this together, for better or for worse, and the fate of our planet rests squarely on their shoulders (that’s a terrifying thought). With the Joker nipping at their heels and Amanda Waller pulling on their strings, the members of the Suicide Squad will definitely have their work cut out for them come August 5th.
Raise a glass to "honor among thieves," these are Screen Rant's Definitive Suicide Squad Power Rankings!
15. Slipknot
The diabolically-dexterous deviant known as Slipknot (Adam Beach) can be summed up in exactly four letters: LAME. Originally introduced as a Firestorm villain back in 1984, this D-list baddie is really good at tying knots with super-duper top-secret unbreakable ropes. Although he’s a brilliant chemist (he invented that top-secret rope formula) and an expert assassin, it’s still really hard to make Christopher Weiss – aka Slipknot – sound like a remotely threatening individual. If we were writing The Definitive Power Rankings of DC’s Yo-Yo Masters, Weiss would undoubtedly land the number one spot. Instead, he'll sit atop this list because he's the actual worst.
Canon suggests that Ol' Slip-N-Slide won't even make it through the film alive, which is probably for the best. Maybe he'll test the legitimacy of Waller's bomb collars. Maybe he'll get taken out by an extremely aggressive tattooed individual (see below). Heck, maybe he'll just fall off some scaffolding like Captain Kirk did in Generations. Whatevs, for real.
14. Monster T
He’s got the head tats. He’s got the sweet bull ring septum piercing. He’s even got the lower-lip snake bites! Common sense (get it?) says that Monster T is really the Tattooed Man, a long-standing enemy of Green Lantern and the Justice League. We’re not buying the whole "Joker’s business associate" bit that Common has been selling; while there’s a slight chance that Ayer cooked up an entirely original character for the Suicide Squad film, it’s more likely that Monster T will prove to be a mash-up of several more notable characters (Tattooed Man, Black Mantra, Bronze Tiger?).
If our Tattooed Man theory is on the mark, Slipknot is dead meat. If we’re being totally honest, he’s probably still dead meat even if it’s off the mark. Regardless, it’s important to note that Tattooed Man’s power is derived from – you guessed it – his many tattoos, which are loaded with mysterious magic. Some fans have speculated that he might be the "subway tentacle man" from recent Suicide Squad trailers, though if that’s accurate we'll be making some serious adjustments to this list.
13. GQ
Anyone else praying that the rumors swirling around Lt. GQ (Scott Eastwood) prove to be cleverly crafted distractions? Isn’t there anyone else out there crossing fingers and toes, begging the universe to give us Eastwood as Deathstroke (Slade Wilson), Arsenal (Roy Harper), or maybe even Robin? We’d want the latter, obviously, but we’d take anything at this point. You don’t bring in a jawline like Eastwood’s for the role of Lt. Handsome-but-Unimportant. You just don’t.
GQ gets bumped up a few spots here based on pure, shameless speculation. There’s something up with this casting, something that doesn’t make sense. If tagged to play Nemesis (Thomas Tresser), Eastwood’s mystery character would get a bit more depth, but still remain largely unimportant. We’re currently taking bets on who GQ really is; if you’re feeling lucky, send us an envelope full of cash and we’ll add you to the company pool.
12. Captain Boomerang
Not all villains are created equal, as evidenced by this projectile-tossing Kangaroo chaser. Seriously, Captain Boomerang’s highlights include "being Australian" and "throwing the world’s least intimidating weapon better than most people." His Dingo Ninja Stars are super sharp and he does wear a beer holster on the regular, so Boomer gets an additional .25 power points for this list. He now scores a whopping 4.25 out of 100, putting him a few millimeters ahead of nerds like Slipknot.
Although Ayer categorizes Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) as "chaotic evil", it’s hard to take this bar-brawler too seriously. The iconic villain, first introduced in The Flash, is incredibly self-serving and tends to put the "me" in TEAM. He’s reliably unreliable, only moved to action when his own well-being is threatened. Suicide Squad will likely introduce a blend of the original Captain, George “Digger” Harkness, and his son, Owen Mercer. Both have notoriously short tempers, fantastic accuracy, and an appreciation for long walks on the beach jumbo shrimp on the Barbie.
11. Rick Flag
Lassoed into leading Waller’s band of misfits, Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is your quintessential military hard-ass. He’s a combat-proven weapons expert with no love for the Suicide Squad and, though he has been tasked with guiding them to mission success, Flag is unconcerned with who lives and who dies. He doesn’t possess superhuman strength or speed (somewhat of a disadvantage when considering the nature of his company), but the Colonel’s tactical training and willingness to pull the trigger allows him to command the Squad with brutal efficiency.
In the comics, Col. Flag and Deadshot share the same disregard for their own lives, making them both unpredictable and incredibly dangerous. What truly sets Flag apart, though, is his ability to adapt to each personality in the Squad and lead them effectively. It’s unclear how Flag will end up babysitting this gaggle of goons for Ayer’s big-screen adaptation, but we fully expect to see his willingness to scrap the entire team play out in a big way.
10. Amanda Waller
The Suicide Squad hype-train has teased plenty of action and a whole lot of heart, but many fans seemed to have missed the fact that Amanda Waller (Voila Davis) is secretly the film’s scariest character. The Squad’s brutal puppet-master, Waller is "one mean lady" (as Deadshot so eloquently put it) and appears to give precisely ZERO f**ks about anything other than her own shadowy agenda. She’s wrangled some of Earth’s most dangerous individuals into working for her, leveraging their own weaknesses against them and making it quite clear that failure to comply = death, no questions asked.
Waller couldn’t take a single member of the Suicide Squad in a fair fight. That’s probably what makes her so damn terrifying; each of these villains could (and would) put her six feet under in the blink of an eye, if only she didn’t have an extremely powerful trump card for each of them. “The Wall” is a mover, a shaker, and a manipulator, and proves that the right pen really is mightier than the sword
9. El Diablo
Flamethrowers are awesome. You know what’s not awesome, though? Having your flamethrower blow up and turn you into an overdone filet. From Saving Private Ryan to 30 Minutes or Less, the guy with the flamethrower always ends up engulfed in his own fiery fire, screaming in pain as his skin blisters and melts away. El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) is the exception to the flamethrower trope, since he shoots fire out of his hands and doesn’t need to tote around an oversized and absurdly-combustible backpack to do so.
Chato Santana, the iteration of El Diablo that audiences will meet in Ayer’s Suicide Squad, is a former gang leader fueled by grief and remorse. He’s been blessed with the pyrokinetic powers of an ancient demigod, capable of literally becoming fire and turning his enemies to ash. While Santana himself is a vicious street-fighter, he becomes something much, much more in his El Diablo form. The spirit of El Diablo fights for a righteous cause, seeking to eliminate mortal sin and serve justice with a flaming fist. This isn’t your average killer, folks, and you shouldn’t be surprised if El Diablo sticks around the DCEU for quite some time.
8. Harley Quinn
Harley’s bringing a baseball bat to the Skwad's gun fight, and it seems to be working out pretty well for her. Touted as a true wildcard, Quinn (Margot Robbie) is an absolutely blistering ray of sunshine. She’s got an electric smile and a distracting wardrobe but shouldn’t be underestimated; drop your guard around Harley and you’ll find yourself in lots and lots of pain.
As vicious as she is unpredictable, Quinn once ruled the streets with her lover, the Clown Prince of Crime. Ayer wanted to bring a version of Harley to the big screen that was just as ruthless and unhinged as she was funny and attractive, a believable set of traits if the Joker (Leto) truly considers her an equal. We’re thinking that the Ace of Knaves is looking to reunite with Harley so the pair can return to their glory days, a testament to just how dangerous this ‘damsel’ really is.
7. Killer Croc
Killer Croc (Waylon Jones) is 50% human, 50% scales, and 1000% cannibal. Driven to villainy after a tortured childhood, Jones possesses superhuman strength and durability thanks to his peculiar mutation. He’s leveraged his terrifying appearance and animalistic strength to dominate the criminal underworld, though according to portrayer Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, the big KC secretly craves love and acceptance.
Adewale’s big-screen version of Killer Croc won’t appear nearly as reptilian as some of his comic incarnations, though he will undoubtedly retain his vastly superior physical attributes and nearly-impenetrable skin. Jones is an expert tracker and can heal from most wounds, but his (alleged) craving for human flesh makes him unpredictable at best. We’re not sure if habitually eating opponents after beating them senseless falls into the Pro or Con column, but the heart wants what it wants. Would you be the one to tell Croc not to chow down mid-brawl?
6. Deadshot
Who needs superpowers when you’re the human equivalent of James Bond’s Golden Gun? Boasting sci-fi’s coolest cybernetic eye and a 99.8% hit rate, Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) is DC’s most accurate assassin and (kinda) the de facto leader of Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad. While the team itself has changed over the years, often introducing and eliminating countless new members, Deadshot has stuck around to keep the Squad in check. His origins are dark and tragic; although the upcoming film will likely blur the lines of continuity to create a more seamless film experience, we still expect to see Will Smith’s version of Deadshot lugging around some heavy personal baggage. And guns. Lots and lots of guns.
It will be interesting to learn exactly how Lawton winds up as part of Waller’s motley crew. In one of his earliest arcs, Lawton is actually a celebrated vigilante in Gotham City, tackling crime while Batman and Robin are on holiday. He never misses a shot during his stint as a quasi-hero, though he never shoots to kill. Since it’s rumored that every member of the movie Squad has beef with Batfleck, it’s entirely possible that Smith will bring some of that kinda-good, kinda-bad arc to the big screen, along with a heaping dose of ill-will towards The Bat.
Oh! And he’s also got a rather unhealthy obsession with his own demise. Lawton has perished multiple times in the New 52 arc, only to be revived (against his will) by Amanda Waller after each incident. Poor guy can't even die on his own terms.
5. Katana
Speaking of immortal, Katana's blade literally takes the souls of fallen opponents. Like, it hugs them or swallows them or tucks them into its purse or whatever, but those souls belong to the sword now. As if her wicked weapon wasn’t intimidating enough on its own, Katana is a master samurai who has spent years fighting crime fought alongside bigger names like Batman and the Birds of Prey in some comic arcs. (Are you seeing Justice League tie-ins here, guys?!)
Tatsu Yamashiro will be tasked with protecting Rick Flag from the feisty Squad members in her big-screen debut. Katana’s reputation as a prolific warrior must have caught Amanda Waller’s eye, since she’s acting as both bodyguard and last-resort executioner. A hero through and through, she’s fiercely dedicated to serving justice regardless of the consequences. Keep your eyes on Katana and her Soultaker, as they may prove to be one of the deadliest pairs in the DCEU come August 5th.
There’s a 50/50 chance that Katana is actually immortal, thanks to her legendary sword. It’s canonically rumored, but it would make for an interesting aspect of Ayer’s baddest blade-wielder.
4. Joker
He’s not gonna kill you. He’s just gonna hurt you really, really bad. The scariest part of Jared Leto’s Joker is that we believe it, too: sporting a full set of metal teeth and some gnarly tats, this is one completely unhinged individual with a penchant for pain. Joker won’t actually be a part of Task Force X in Ayer’s Suicide Squad film. Instead, he’ll be interfering (as per usual) to retrieve his long-lost lover and co-pilot, Harley Quinn. With a massive arsenal at his disposal and no sense of right or wrong, the Joker exists in a world of his own making, one that he controls with maniacal and ruthless efficiency.
And it has to be said: Heath Ledger’s Joker will live on, forever and always, in the hearts of the masses. The role is hallowed ground, but that doesn’t mean audiences shouldn’t be open to a brand new interpretation of the Crown Prince of Crime. Wait and see how the ink-blasted Leto spins the character for DC’s new universe before you write him off completely.
3. Enchantress
There are more questions than answers when it comes to Cara Delevingne’s June Moon, also known as the Enchantress. Is she a villain? Is she the villain? Will she wear a pointy green hat at any point during the film? Producer Richard Suckle hasn’t shied away from discussing the film’s mystical themes and concepts, though he’s done a fantastic job of never actually explaining who the true antagonist will be, or what kind of magic they’ll be wielding. Hero, anti-hero, goddess, or demon, it doesn’t matter; when Suicide Squad hits theaters, Enchantress might just steal the title of Most Powerful Being in DC’s Extended Universe.
How powerful is the possessed sorceress, you ask? Let’s look at her canonical stat sheet: teleportation, mind control, matter manipulation, elemental energy blasts, superhuman healing, phase-walking, and oh hey, almost forgot, flight. All those war-torn city streets and burning buildings spotted in recent trailers might be the byproducts of June Moon going all witchy-witch, or the mysterious Adversary could be to blame. Word to the wise: duck and take cover when you hear Delevingne whisper, “Enchantress.”
2. Batman
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice introduced the version of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) we never knew we wanted; angry, tired, and hyper-violent, Snyder’s Caped Crusader officially put down a total of 21 bad guys. He killed them rather casually, too, indicating that this is not a vigilante afraid of taking lives when necessary. As previously stated, insider info indicates that each member of the Suicide Squad (the villains, at least) was put in Belle Reve by Batman at some point or another. Let that sink in: the Bat has faced off against every single member of the team and come out on top. So yeah, he’s taking the penultimate spot on this list.
While Baman’s role in the Suicide Squad film may be limited, trailers have shown him facing off against the Joker and rescuing/kidnapping Harley Quinn. Whether these are flashback scenes or real-time sequences remains to be seen, but we’re still giving mad props to the World’s Greatest Detective in DC’s villain-packed barn burner.
1. The Adversary
What even are you, you destructive and goopy magic monster? Are you the Enchantress in full Super-Saiyan mode? Are you the Tattooed Man’s newest tentacle tattoos? Are you another ancient and evil deity, hell-bent on conquering the realm of mankind?
Wait, we don’t have any answers? Ayer hasn’t given us anything concrete to go on? OK f**k it then, we’ll do it live: The Adversary is a big, mysterious force that is wrecking lots of stuff. Cities, people, you name it, Adversary is annihilating it. It’s so big and mysterious that it doesn’t have a real name (yet). It does, however, have an army of bulletproof soldier things that speak an indecipherable language and are also pretty goopy. They’re called the Eyes of the Adversary, and according to David Ayer, they are a threat to every character in the Suicide Squad film. Waller fears this unknown enemy enough to activate a team of villains to stop it, so it must be a real big baddie.
Whoever the primary antagonist proves to be, one thing has been made clear: if the Squad hopes to win the day, they’ll have to work together and mount a collaborative, ridiculously sick attack. Super sick. We're talkin' siiiiiiiiiiiiick.
----------
Suicide Squad is arrives 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 and Batman solo movie are currently without release dates.