Since it revolves around a ragtag band of antiheroes who reluctantly team up to save the world, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was instantly compared to his previous comic book movie franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy.
Now that Gunn’s first contribution to the DCEU has been released, it’s clear that it’s a very different beast than his beloved Marvel movies. Thanks to its R-rating, The Suicide Squad indulges in much coarser language and gorier violence. But there are interesting parallels between a few key characters featured in both movies.
Bloodsport - Star-Lord
Fittingly played by Idris Elba, Bloodsport is introduced as DCEU royalty when Amanda Waller says he was imprisoned for the impressive feat of putting Superman in intensive care with a Kryptonite bullet.
As the reluctant leader who keeps everyone together, Bloodsport is very much the Star-Lord of Task Force X. Like Peter Quill, it’s not so much that Bloodsport is particularly qualified to lead the Suicide Squad; it’s just that he’s the only leader they’ve got.
Rick Flag - Gamora
Joel Kinnaman was introduced as Task Force X’s official leader Rick Flag in the first Suicide Squad movie, but he was initially one-dimensional as the script limited him to exposition-filled monologues like explaining Katana’s powers. In The Suicide Squad, James Gunn made him the voice of reason who acts as a deadpan foil to his zany teammates, a role that Kinnaman filled perfectly.
As the most sensible one in the group — and one of the team’s most cunning and seasoned warriors — Rick Flag is the Gamora of Task Force X.
Peacemaker - Drax
Peacemaker is introduced in The Suicide Squad as an even more jingoistic version of Captain America who claims that his nonstop violent rampage is in the name of peace. In his own words, “I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women, and children I have to kill to get it.”
Much like Guardians of the Galaxy’s Drax the Destroyer, Peacemaker is hilariously narrow-minded. Plus, they’re both played by a wrestler: Peacemaker by John Cena and Drax by Dave Bautista.
Harley Quinn - Nebula
Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is far less objectified in The Suicide Squad than she was in the first movie. The 2021 sequel’s version of Harley is much more in line with her empowered characterization from Birds of Prey (and the comics).
Like Nebula from the Guardians series, Harley is the most morally ambiguous antihero on Task Force X. Both characters are the wildcard of their team. In Nebula’s case, she occasionally double-crosses the team if it’ll help her get what she wants. In Harley’s case, it’s whatever she feels like doing at a particular time. In the second act of The Suicide Squad, she runs off to fall in love with a dictator.
Polka-Dot Man - Rocket
Polka-Dot Man was one of the most ridiculous characters in the DC universe, but with his mother issues and deep insecurities about his condition, James Gunn and David Dastmalchian turned him into a tragic, sympathetic figure whom the audience cares about and roots for.
He’s a lot like Rocket from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Rocket and Polka-Dot Man are the self-conscious outcasts of their team, and both have a harrowing backstory in which they were experimented on.
Amanda Waller - Nova Prime
Viola Davis reprises her role as Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad. In both the new movie and the 2016 original, Waller is the Nick Fury figure who assembles Task Force X, implants the explosive devices in their heads, and sends them on their black ops missions.
As the no-nonsense bureaucrat in charge of the team, Waller is a lot like Nova Prime. Played by Glenn Close, Nova Prime was the leader of the Nova Corps who recruited Star-Lord and his band of misfits to save Xandar from Ronan in the first Guardians movie.
Ratcatcher 2 - Mantis
In many ways, Ratcatcher is the heart of The Suicide Squad. She’s the friendliest member of the team and the one who inspires the others to do the right thing. She’s also responsible for the symbolism of rats representing mercenaries that people judge before getting to know them.
Played perfectly by Daniela Melchior, Ratcatcher is the moral center of the Suicide Squad, much like Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Ratcatcher may not have superhuman empathy, but she is the most empathetic member of Task Force X. She’s particularly empathetic to King Shark when he tells her he has no real friends and she offers to be the first one.
Starro - Ego
At the turn of The Suicide Squad’s final act, the mysterious “Project Starfish” is revealed to be decades of experiments on a giant alien starfish named Starro the Conqueror. When Starro escapes from the lab and starts smashing skyscrapers, one of Waller’s co-workers yells out, “We’ve got a freaking kaiju up in this sh*t!”
As a gigantic villain that requires a team effort to defeat, Starro is comparable to Ego. The main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego is described as a “living planet.” In his largest form, he’s literally a planet with a face.
King Shark - Groot
Sylvester Stallone brought his unmistakable voice to the computer-generated humanoid great white King Shark in The Suicide Squad. He’s a bloodthirsty carnivore, but he ultimately just wants to make some friends.
King Shark is The Suicide Squad’s answer to Groot. Just like Groot, King Shark is the team’s big, adorable CG oaf whom viewers can’t help but fall in love with. King Shark’s “dad bod” sets him apart from Groot physically, but it doesn’t make him any less lovable.