Part of what makes James Gunn's The Suicide Squad such a fun self-aware movie is that it understands how viewers treat the members of Task Force X. The main premise of the Suicide Squad comics and movies is that none of the anti-heroes are ever safe from a tragic fate. Unlike the Justice League, Task Force X always teams up against their will, and their main motivation isn't initially to save the world but to complete the mission so they can live another day.
Much is said about the mixed reception of 2016's Suicide Squad. However, the most evident flaw from the DCEU's first attempt at translating Task Force X to the big screen is that the main characters were never in any real danger. While it's logical that a huge star like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn won't be killed off due to their popularity, the fact that every anti-hero survived until the end credits clearly betrayed the whole premise of the movie. One of the many improvements James Gunn brings to The Suicide Squad is precisely that most of Task Force X dies in a fantastically gruesome fashion.
Not only that, but the first team of anti-heroes is viciously murdered in the opening sequence of The Suicide Squad. Watching Captain Boomerang and Savant die a brutal death really catches the attention of viewers, and seeing Rick Flag and Polka-Dot Man perish after they steal the spotlight only emphasizes how vulnerable every character is. But beyond this innovative sense of unpredictability, the ever-looming threat of death aligns with the expectations of viewers who know that "The Suicide Squad" should be an accurate title. Nowhere is this more evident than in the scene where Amanda Waller's ARGUS team exchanges the money won in internal bets over which member of Task Force X would die first, something many fans likely did before they saw the movie.
Whenever the lineup of a new Suicide Squad story is announced, fans can't help but wonder who will bite the bullet first, especially when James Gunn promised to craft a crazier movie than 2016's Suicide Squad. It was clear that eccentric characters like Javelin and TDK would fare considerably worse than the nearly invincible Bloodsport. What few people expected was how fast most of the characters would die, or how Ratcatcher 2 would survive until the end to be one of the most compelling characters in the film.
Whenever a Suicide Squad sequel arrives, the story will likely repeat itself. Fans of Task Force X will know that the entire team won't complete the mission, but who exactly will fall first will surely be a surprise. Betting on who makes it to the end is certainly part of the experience, and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad not only understood this, but fully embraced it.
