During DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes, writer-director James Gunn introduced fans to the cast of his 2021 film The Suicide Squad. In the process, we finally learned which DC characters will appear in the film…and it's a helluva deep dive into the DC Universe's underworld. Even if you’re a seasoned comics fan, there are probably a few names on the roster that you didn’t recognize. You’re going to want to know these guys, even if there’s a pretty good chance that most of them won’t make it to the final reel. So, to help get you ready for next summer’s most explosive movie, here's a handy guide to the new members of Gunn's Task Force X...
Bloodsport
Real Name: Robert DuBois
Portrayed By: Idris Elba
First Appearance: 1987’s Superman #4
Biography: Robert DuBois is a former soldier who never left the war behind him. He perceives everything around him as a battlefield and suited up as Bloodsport to indulge his militaristic mindset.
Special Talent: He’s a fearless fighter and has been known to pack a Kryptonite bullet or two in his arsenal.
Recommended Media: Bloodsport can be seen in the Justice League Unlimited episode “The Cat and the Canary.”
Odds of Survival: 50 to 1. He’s crazy enough to accidentally blow himself up.
King Shark
Real Name: Nanaue
Portrayed By: King Shark is a shark (but really, he’s played by Steve Agee)
First Appearance: 1994’s Superboy #0 (cameo), 1994’s Superboy #9 (full appearance)
Biography: Nanuae is the son of Kamo, the Shark God. Part human, but with the ferocious nature of a shark, King Shark has made a name for himself with his brutal strength and sharp jaws.
Special Talent: He’s a f**king shark!
Recommended Media: If you still haven’t seen the Harley Quinn animated series—in which King Shark is a regular—don’t waste another second!
Odds of Survival: 4 to 1, as long as he doesn’t run into Roy Scheider.
Weasel
Real Name: John Monroe
Portrayed By: Sean Gunn
First Appearance: 1985’s Firestorm #38
Biography: John Monroe was a student who took his nickname "Weasel" to heart. He became a costumed killer and fought Firestorm several times. Eventually, he mutated into a weasel-like creature.
Special Talent: He’s pretty agile, and possibly feral.
Recommended Media: There’s a criminal named Weasel in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Night of the Huntress.” It’s probably not the same character, but you should watch the show anyway because it’s good.
Odds of Survival: 50 to 1
Peacemaker
Real Name: Christopher Smith
Portrayed By: John Cena
First Appearance: Charlton Comics' The Fightin’ 5 #40
Biography: Christopher Smith is a pacifist, although you’d never know it by looking at his body count. He believes in peace at all cost and will kill anybody to make that happen.
Special Talent: No, he’s not invisible. That’s a John Cena wrestling bit and it has nothing to do with the Peacemaker character. That being said, Christopher Smith is very good with firearms.
Recommended Media: Until his new HBO Max spinoff series debuts, we suggest checking out the 1987 Peacemaker limited series to see his pacifism in action.
Odds of Survival: He’s John Cena, it’s not even a question. We can’t see him dying in this…then again, we can’t see him at all.
Sol Soria
Real Name: Sol Soria
Portrayed By: Alice Braga
First Appearance: A character named Juan Soria first appeared in 2018’s Suicide Squad #33. It’s possible that Sol is either a relative or a gender-swapped version of Juan, though it’s probably more likely that she’s a new character created for the film.
Biography: If she is a take on Juan Soria, he was a superhero fanboy who had dreams of joining the Justice League. A nanite infection gave Juan the power to manipulate locks, but that wasn’t good enough for his Justice League audition. Dejected, Juan turned to a life of crime.
Special Talent: Juan Soria can pick any lock thanks to the nanites infecting his hand.
Recommended Reading: Check out 2018’s Suicide Squad #33-34 to see Soria’s short-lived tenure in the Squad.
Odds of Survival: 5,000 to 1. We don’t even know who this person is, and their possible comic book counterpart survived for less than two issues.
The Thinker
Real Name: Clifford DeVoe
Portrayed By: Peter Capaldi
First Appearance: All-Flash #12
Biography: Clifford DeVoe is a master tactician who uses his keen mind to commit crimes. Although he possesses no super-strength, he wears a helmet to increase his intelligence and his enhanced brain has proven to be more than a match for the Justice League and the Justice Society.
Special Talent: He’s smart as s**t, and he won’t shut up about it. It’s kind of insufferable.
Recommended Media: The Thinker battles Batman and the Atom in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Sword of the Atom.” He was also the Season 4 big bad on The CW’s The Flash.
Odds of Survival: Pretty much guaranteed thanks to Peter Capaldi. His characters don’t die, they just regenerate into someone new.
TDK
Real Name: Floyd Belkin
Portrayed By: Nathan Fillion
First Appearance: Secret Origins #46
Biography: Floyd Belkin was a 30th Century man who was rejected by the Legion of Super-Heroes. Using his self-dismemberment powers, he struck back using the name Arm-Fall-Off-Boy. Yes, it’s weird.
Special Talent: He can detach his own arm and use it as a weapon, which I guess is pretty metal. The problem is that they also tend to fall off at inopportune times.
Recommended Reading: Check out TDK’s failed Legion audition in 1993’s Legionnaires #2.
Odds of Survival: 7,000 to 1. We love Nathan Fillion, but we still wouldn’t put too much faith in the survival of a character named for self-dismemberment.
The Javelin
Real Name: Like Cher or Madonna, he has no other name. He’s just “The Javelin.”
Portrayed By: Flula Borg
First Appearance: 1984’s Green Lantern #173
Biography: Javelin was an Olympic athlete who one day said, “Throwing things is fun, but you know what else is fun? Crime. Maybe I can combine those two hobbies...” Low and behold, the world’s first javelin-themed super-villain was created!
Special Talent: He can throw things, which could come in handy on a mission. But then again, it means he’s just as talented as my 5-year-old nephew.
Recommended Media: The Javelin can be seen in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Scorn of the Star Sapphire.”
Odds of Survival: 30 to 1. Say what you will, but he was able to give Green Lantern a run for his money.
Savant
Real Name: Brian Durlin
Portrayed By: Mary Poppins—I mean, Michael Rooker
First Appearance: 2003’s Birds of Prey #56
Biography: Savant was a rich man who wanted to use his resources as a vigilante. After Batman discouraged his efforts, Savant decided to become a computer blackmailer instead.
Special Talent: Durlin is great with computers, and even greater in hand-to-hand combat.
Recommended Reading: Check out Savant’s tenure with Task Force X in 2011’s Suicide Squad #1-8.
Odds of Survival: 2 to 1. It’s Michael Rooker, folks. Besides, he's already died in a James Gunn film.
Blackguard
Real Name: Richard Hertz
Portrayed By: Pete Davidson
First Appearance: 1986’s Booster Gold #1
Biography: Richard Hertz is a thug who was given powerful upgrades by the 1000 criminal organization.
Special Talent: Hertz can manipulate the energy around him to create a mace and shield.
Recommended Reading: See Blackguard in action in the 2007 Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag limited series.
Odds of Survival: 50 to 1
Ratcatcher 2
Real Name: While Ratcatcher’s cinematic name is unknown, her comic counterpart was named Otis Flannegan.
Portrayed By: Daniela Melchior
First Appearance: Detective Comics #585
Biography: Otis Flannegan was an exterminator who learned how to command rodents. Using an army of rats, he embarked on a crime spree as the villainous Ratcatcher.
Special Talent: Ratcatcher can summon rats, which will bring down the value of any building. If Ratcatcher 2 has the same powers, this means she can control the global economy, making her the most powerful villain of all.
Recommended Media: For a disturbing take on Ratcatcher, check out the Harley Quinn episode “There’s No Place to Go But Down.”
Odds of Survival: 200 to 1. The fact that she’s called Ratcatcher 2 implies that one has already died. This doesn’t exactly bode well.
Polka-Dot Man
Real Name: Abner Krill
Portrayed By: David Dastmalchian
First Appearance: Detective Comics #300
Biography: Abner Krill wears a suit covered in colorful dots, so in a city like Gotham, it’s amazing he could leave the house without getting beat up. During his crime sprees, he threw those dots at Batman and law enforcement officers and each of them served as a different kind of tool or weapon.
Special Talent: He can throw polka-dots at his enemies. Heroes, beware!
Recommended Media: Keep your eyes peeled during the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “A Bat Divided” and you just might spot the Polka-Dot Man!
Odds of Survival: 6,700 to 1. There’s a reason nobody uses polka-dots in warfare.
Mongal
Real Name: Mongal
Portrayed By: Mayling Ng
First Appearance: Showcase ’95 #8
Biography: Mongal is the daughter of the alien warlord Mongul, and like her father, she has an appetite for tyranny and violence.
Special Talent: She’s STRONG, and we’re not talking about “help you move a couch” strong. She’s “throw a bus without breaking a sweat” strong.
Recommended Media: Mongal creates some chaos in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Duel of the Double Crossers.”
Odds of Survival: 3 to 1. The future is female!
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DCComics.com and DCUniverse.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.
