The Suicide Squad having Starro as its primary antagonist is a decision that is both perfect for the DCEU film but also could prove problematic for any further sequels. The cosmic villain allows for a chance to redeem the series from the sins of unpopular predecessor, Enchantress, of course, but in terms of escalating matters for Amanda Waller's Task Force X in the future, it might be an issue.

Starro first entered DC in the comics in 1960 with the release of "The Brave and The Bold #28", and has remained a permanent staple of major DC villains ever since. As a race of alien starfish with mind control powers, Starro is one of the roster's more unusual figures, but also one that has undeniably lasted the test of time. It has already - albeit unwittingly - confirmed that James Gunn's The Suicide Squad will see Starro come to Earth in an invasion that prompts Amanda Waller to bring together a new, even larger version of the titular Squad, though this Suicide Squad will be split up into two separate groups.

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With how unimpressively the original Suicide Squad was received, this sequel is the franchise's make or break moment, and as such needs an antagonist to fit the billing - especially now that the Joker won't be appearing in Suicide Squad's sequel. Though Starro may not be the first villain that would enter anyone's head when it comes to a sequel to the Suicide Squad, this unexpected pick could actually be exactly what is needed. Starro is both a figure with enough history behind it to get comic fans excited and serve as a legitimate threat, while also having enough personality and potential that the mistakes make with Enchantress in the first film could be avoided and fixed. Unfortunately, though, no matter how successful Gunn's sequel is, it might unfortunately but a potential follow-up on the back-foot.

Starro Can Fix The Problem With Enchantress In Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad spoilers - Enchantress

When thinking of The Suicide Squad, it's always important to keep what the first film means for any future developments in mind. Suicide Squad received a lot of bad reviews when it was released, and it's not hard to see why. Though it had its moments, much of the plot felt like it had been created for obligatory purposes, and instead of meshing with the fun action scenes and actually entertaining portions of the movie, it instead simply served to get in the way of them. This is seen nowhere better than in the use of Enchantress as the film's antagonist. She had a lot of potential thanks to the grounding offered in the comics, but it was all ultimately wasted. Instead of matching this lively original character - who struggles deeply with her own internal turmoil, and who notably has a romantic relationship with Killer Croc in the comics - she is a figure who screams villain of the week, doing little else but monologuing and summoning various creatures for the heroes to fight.

Now admittedly, in the wrong hands, Starro could repeat the problems Suicide Squad had with Enchantress, and serve as merely an alien assembly line that creates monsters for the Squad to destroy. However - especially when you look at later versions of the figure, who have significantly more engaging personalities - Starro defies the expectation that he should, by all means, be another bland enemy from space. Not only is there lore behind the character, but also genuine stakes. This is an enemy that has faced some of DC's most powerful heroes over the years, and so it's not an empty threat; he can genuinely do some damage, and kill countless members of the Suicide Squad in order to prove it.

This said, Starro is also a unique villain in that Waller wouldn't want to send incredibly powerful individuals at it, as doing so would risk them falling into Starro's control. It could be asked why a team like the Justice League wouldn't take down Starro, and it's clear; because a group of losers needs to be responsible for doing so. Wonderfully, this both lets the team prove themselves by taking on a massive threat with their collective force, while also serving as a reminder that they are all ultimately regarded as expendable.

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The Different Potential Versions of Starro

Starro fighting the Justice League in DC Comics

When Starro was initially introduced into the world of DC comics, the creatures were a relatively mindless race of mind-conquering and world-conquering beasts who also went by the name of the Star Conquerors. Years later, it would be revealed this alien race had a leader who went by the alias of Starro the Conqueror - although his real name was Cobi, and he was not the same species as the Starro, but rather a formerly enslaved individual who had managed to break free of their control and gain power over them.

Since both versions of Starro have the same powers the film could use either of these interpretations of Starro, dependant on which matches what would suit best against the team; either an army of creatures who solely want to possess minds, or a force led by a leader who has more specific goals. Either way, the idea of this collective hivemind is perfect in that it's the exact opposite of what can be expected from the Suicide Squad's force, which is sure to both be disjointed and often not unified in objective. As such, the choice of villain actually serves a narrative purpose, much like Gunn's use of Ego in the second Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, who embodied a superiority complex at odds with the make-up and ideology of the Guardians team.

Though it's more likely that The Suicide Squad will simply see Starro as an out and out villain, it could be a suitable plot twist to have the creature be convinced to come over to the side of good, especially as there is a precedent set for this happening in the world of DC comics. Given the first Suicide Squad sees someone initially scouted for the team turn into a villain, it might be a perfect balance to have the sequel have a villain turn into an unlikely member of the crew. That would also fix the issue with Enchantress feeling so disposable.

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The Problem With Using Starro in Suicide Squad 2

With all these potential ways to use both Starro the collective and the individual character of Starro, one key problem arises: what villain to use afterward. Fundamentally, now that Task Force X has faced a powerful cosmic entity who the Justice League struggled with and has come out on top, the idea of escalation becomes all the more challenging. Amping things up further for a potential sequel is going to require either an even bigger villain or for a serious nerfing of whatever of the team remains afterward. Or at the very least a removal of some of the key characters like Harley Quinn, whose presence makes the need for an escalation more important.

Naturally, if Harley Quinn does die in The Suicide Squad, this may not prove an issue, as this change-up would allow some more supposedly "lesser" villains to come to the floor in a follow-up film. However, this seems decidedly unlikely given that future DCEU films (even if the initially planned Birds of Prey sequels don't make it) will still want to include Quinn, thanks to her brand power. That means that using Starro could still prove a strong decision in the short term that ultimately still comes back to bite the DCEU in whatever third film follows The Suicide Squad.

Next: The Suicide Squad Theory: The Real Heroes Fight Task Force X

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