The Suicide Squad’s deadly mission in Corto Maltese is a subtle connection to Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989. Directed by James Gunn, the latest DCEU film to feature Task Force X is considered a soft reboot of the franchise that started with David Ayer in 2016. The film is mostly a standalone story, lacking many wider connections to the connected universe, but a few intriguing references to previous DC films are still present.
2016’s Suicide Squad failed to impress critics, but it still featured plenty of fun characters. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and Boomerang (Jai Courtney) all return for another covert mission. Only James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad boasts an even larger ensemble of more eccentric criminals than before, including Peacemaker (John Cena) and King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone).
Waller sends Task Force X to the South American island of Corto Maltese during its revolution. General viewers may not realize that The Suicide Squad isn’t the first time the fictional nation has been used in a DC film. Although not a major plot point, the war-torn Corto Maltese was featured as part of Vicki Vale’s (Kim Basinger) backstory in Batman but also has an even earlier history in one of the most famous Batman graphic novels.
In Batman, photojournalist Vicki Vale arrives in Gotham to study the mysterious Dark Knight, played by Michael Keaton. Her previous assignment involved documenting the aftermath of the Corto Maltese revolution, with one of her photos appearing on the cover of TIME Magazine. It’s not long before Vale inadvertently captures the attention of the Joker (Jack Nicholson), who develops a twisted infatuation with her before planning to torture Vale and transform her into one of his macabre “artworks”. After luring her to the Gotham Museum of Art, the Joker flips through Vale’s work portfolio, only showing interest in her photos of corpses from Corto Maltese. Fascinated by the grisly images, he remarks, “I don’t know if it’s art, but I like it.” Using this nation and its coup as the backdrop for The Suicide Squad is likely just a fun nod to an earlier film and probably won’t connect to Batman in the current DCEU. However, with Keaton returning as Batman in The Flash, there’s always the possibility for some minor form of recognition of the island, especially if Keaton is to replace Affleck in the DCEU.
Although, those familiar with Batman’s comic history may remember that Corto Maltese first appeared in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns in 1986. The island was used for a subplot akin to the Cuban Missile Crisis, with Superman sent by the US government to tackle a Soviet threat. This graphic novel was one inspiration for Burton’s interpretation of the Dark Knight and is widely known to have heavily impacted Zack Snyder’s work. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice featured several elements from the graphic novel, particularly Ben Affleck’s Batsuits. Although Corto Maltese was never mentioned in Snyder’s films, and he has no active involvement in The Suicide Squad, it’s befitting that the nation has been incorporated into the connected DCEU universe Snyder began with Man of Steel.
Corto Maltese’s history in DC comics made its theatrical depiction all but a matter of time, and The Suicide Squad provides a great opportunity for the nation’s violent debut. Of course, some would have undoubtedly preferred stronger connections to the wider DCEU, especially when it remains unclear what plan, if any, Warner Bros. has for this universe. Yet, small throwbacks like the Batman connection still provide entertaining references without detracting from the main story.
