Fans are expecting a massive amount of character deaths in The Suicide Squad, and a recently released trailer is already teasing one. Oddly enough, the new trailer for director James Gunn’s upcoming film came out Tuesday as a YouTube advertisement. The unconventional trailer release underlines how the new Suicide Squad isn’t an average comic book movie. For instance, Gunn, known for films such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, has already teased that Warner Bros. gave him the go ahead to kill off any Suicide Squad character he wants. So while most main characters are safe in blockbuster comic book films, that apparently won’t be the case here.
The new trailer includes a ton of additional footage and extended shots. First and foremost, the trailer shows more of the backstory for Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, as Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller offers him a deal he can’t refuse. There’s also a new bit where the criminals of Waller’s Task Force X make Pete Davidson’s Blackguard think that Sean Gunn’s Weasel is a werewolf. A number of ominous lines peppered throughout the trailer hint that no one is safe. At one point, Bloodsport and Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher 2 even have an exchange promising to get each other out of the mission alive. However, more footage of villain Starro, a giant extraterrestrial starfish, suggests the cast's longevity will for many be short-lived.
While the deaths have been kept under wraps so far, the new trailer may be teasing a major one already. The trailer features a close-up shot of Javelin wielding an ornate spear-like weapon. He's also featured with the weapon sitting beside him in the scenes showing Task Force X messing with Blackguard. Throughout the rest of the trailer, the spear appears to be held by Harley Quinn, and Javelin is nowhere to be seen. The multiple shots of the spear seem to indicate that it's the same weapon. While this isn't confirmation that Quinn takes it after Javelin's death, it's also hard to ignore.
Javelin’s potential death shouldn’t be all that surprising. The character isn’t exactly a household name among DC comics villains, so he’s obviously more expendable than someone like Bloodsport or Harley Quinn, who may even kill Starro. Additionally, Flula Borg, who plays Javelin, is listed towards the bottom of the credits on the first Red Band trailer (via YouTube), indicating the actor may not have a huge role despite being featured in the marketing. Other than some prominent early scenes, the character doesn't show up much throughout the new trailer, which isn't a good sign.
With the trailers thus far featuring the phrase, “They’re dying to save the world,” fans should expect a high body count from the movie. Gunn has even teased (via Twitter) that a lot of cast members “don’t make it to the end.” Still, it is a comic book movie, and death isn’t always permanent. Javelin himself has been killed in DC comics only to appear again later with little explanation about what happened. While it remains to be seen if he’ll make a similar resurrection in The Suicide Squad, it’s almost certain that that's the only way he’ll make it to the end.
