DC's Suicide Squad seems like less of a gamble than Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, but will it be as successful? The teaser trailer, which premiered at Comic-Con, hints that it will be, as it garners more views than the one released for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While the Suicide Squad title itself may be lesser known than some of its DC comic book counterparts like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, it has one of the most popular villains of all time, in any medium, in The Joker. It is also bringing a fan favorite character to the big screen for the first time with Harley Quinn. This, along with a ragtag group of villainous misfits played by some of Hollywood's top talent. Still, there is that lingering feeling that DC and Warner Bros. don't quite have the proper footing in launching an epic superhero cinematic universe in line with the MCU just yet. Will it falter? Will it rise to the occasion? Or will it prove to be so weird, it garners a healthy, hardcore fan base while turning away general audiences? All of those things seem likely when looking at what we know about the movie so far. This is going to be one wild ride, and it will surely be one of the more interesting projects to come out of the DC canon.

When DC and Warner Bros. unveiled their upcoming slate through the year 2020, Suicide Squad was easily the most surprising, and somewhat shocking, inclusion. For the first time in comic book movie history, a film will be solely devoted to the super villains of a particular comic book's long-standing legacy. A movie headlined by The Joker, Harley Quinn and Deadshot seems like an impossibility just a few short years ago. But here it is, standing next to a stellar line-up that includes standalone adventures for nearly all of DC Comics most iconic characters. These include Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, Shazam!, Cyborg and the ensemble adventures Justice League Part 1 and Justice League Part 2. Maybe even more surprising was the fact that DC and Warner Bros. is using Suicide Squad as one of the flag ship titles to launch their shared universe of comic book characters. While Man of Steel is included in this line-up, it was conceived and made under a different mindset. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be the true foundation upon which everything else rests. With Suicide Squad the first to experiment outside of the box.

Suicide Squad will work in showing a very different side of this universe. While the other movies are devoted to the heroes of the Justice League, this one revolves around its own core group of thugs tasked with the impossible. These super villains accept a secret government mission that will likely result in their deaths. But if they survive, they will be pardoned. While it is entirely it's own thing, it promises to tie into the other Justice League films in unique and interesting ways. And it will show us sides to these characters that we haven't seen outside of the comic books. It certainly promises to be one Hell of a trip for all involved, all the way down to one unsuspecting rat named Venustiano!

13 The Legacy

Original Suicide Squad

One reason the Suicide Squad announcement came as a surprise is that this team was already flourishing on the small screen in The CW's Arrow. Though, with a slightly different line-up that doesn't include the Joker. It was the first indication that the DC movie and TV worlds would be separate entities. The second came when The Flash was announced. It has no ties to The CW series, but will follow the same main character Barry Allen. This Suicide Squad will paint a very different picture than what we've seen before. But its legacy is one of the most far reaching in the DC comic book universe. And it has certainly gone through some changes over the course of the past 6 decades. Task Force X was first introduced in the 1959 comic book The Brave and the Bold #25 , and was decidedly different from the version we know today. Though, Rick Flag was a member of this original group and will be a part of the movie. They began their journey as a WWII military outfit that slowly morphed over time, becoming what we see before us today. As it stands, the modern Task Force X is a squadron of antiheroes who go on high-risk black ops missions as deniable assets for the US government. They operate out of Belle Reve Penitentiary under the watchful eye of the villainous Amanda Waller. The existence of the Suicide Squad helps explain why so many of Gotham and Metropolis most dangerous convicts are roaming free, without the various heroes trying to track them down. The movie will stick to this core esthetic in establishing its team of bad guys.

12 Other TV Shows and Movies

Suicide Squad Arrow

Arrow isn't the first or only TV show to use the Suicide Squad before they got their own standalone movie. They made one appearance in the Justice League Unlimited animated series where they are only ever referred to as Task Force X. And they made their first live action appearance in the tenth and final season of Smallville. The movie, however, will introduce quite a few iconic characters that have never been seen on the big or small screen before. And because of that, there will be a heightened sense of reality that was all but abandoned by director Christopher Nolan's more realistic and grounded approach with the Dark Knight trilogy. This version will see King Shark and Killer Croc walking around, out in the open, in all their comic book glory. That's something that makes this particular DC Comics movie stand apart from what we've seen in recent years, with the exception of some of the crazy aliens witnessed in the 2011 bomb Green Lantern.

11 Director David Ayer

David Ayer

David Ayer is one crazy MF'r, and one of the most unique and interesting directors working the Hollywood scene today. You can't deny his talent for pulling intense performances out of his cast, and he knows how to orchestrate and choreography brutal, realistic violence that will punch a hole through your gut. This is not a Marvel director. His aesthetic doesn't fit in with the MCU and its colorful cartoon-like action and violence. The fact that he was chosen to lead the Suicide Squad is a great indicator that DC and Warner Bros. are striving for something very different than their biggest comic book movie competitor. While we're not sure what type of movie Suicide Squad will end up being when the smoke and dust clears, it will be unique into and of itself. That much has been revealed in all of the set photos and video that has leaked thus far. The vibe seems more upbeat and colorful than it's predecessor Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though it has also been driven home that this will go very dark, and deep into the psyche of a mad man. A few of them, actually. David Ayer is a former Navy submariner, and has come face to face with war violence in its most extreme and ugliest of forms. He has also spent a lot of time with cops on the streets of South Central Los Angeles. His first success came with the Academy Award-winning drama Training Day, which he wrote. He's also directed some hard-hitting action dramas that are unique to the genre, including last year's WWII Tank thriller Fury and the gritty Arnold Schwarzenegger revenge flick Sabotage. He makes his actors perform their own stunts, and is putting his Suicide Squad cast through a grueling workout of a movie experience. Will his blood-stained real world take on mayhem translate in a world where a man with green hair drives around in a purple douche mobile? Even if the movie fails to connect with audiences, it will be something truly exceptional. If it doesn't make it as a hollywood blockbuster that tears apart the box office, rest assured, it will stand as a cult classic.

10 The Joker

The Joker

The only thing scarier than Jared Leto as The Joker is the legacy he has to live up to in resurrecting this extremely popular villain for the big screen. But it sounds like he is giving it his all. After many different actors have brought their own unique spin to this iconic DC comics bad guy, Heath Ledger's take on the clown prince stands in everyone's mind as the definitive, Oscar-winning, go to version. But the character needs to live on, and it sounds like Jared Leto is up to the task. We've all heard the actor tease his deep, menacing voice. And we've all seen the pictures, which depict this version of The Joker as a pale, green haired hooligan painted in Hot Topic tattoos. An image that has rankled some fanboys, while pleasing others less tied into the Nolan-Verse. One thing is for certain, Jared Leto is taking this role very seriously. A known method actor who goes out of his way to inhabit those he plays on stage and screen, fellow actors have claimed that Jared Leto has been swallowed up by The Joker. He remains in character on and off set. He is fully inhabiting this insane murderer, and will not emerge until the lights come up in the theater. He even went as far as to send his co-stars creepy Joker-inspired gifts, giving his Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie, a live rat, which now lives with director Guillermo del Toro, and Deadshot Will Smith some bullets and a dead hog. Will all this hard work pay off? Jared Leto did win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor after fully diving into the life of a trans woman with HIV. As for the Joker character itself, this version is said to be based on Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns Joker, but his appearance doesn't quite fit with that description. We do know that The Joker spends most of the movie locked in a jail cell. Rumor has it that he only really gets to come out and play during the big third act climax and fight. Other actors have done nothing but back up those claims in recent interviews, often describing a Joker who 'isn't there'.However you want to frame it, this version of the Joker is said to go 'all out' and may even surpass Heath Ledger. According to the teaser trailer from Comic-Con, we will even get to see how he transforms Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, Psy.D, into the tour de force known as Harley Quinn. Though, the first footage from the movie doesn't show us too much Joker, saving him for a few scenes at the end. We do know that he will lead a raid at some point in the movie. But how it ties into the story is anyone's guess at this point.

9 Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn

You might think that Margot Robbie is the first person to ever play Harley Quinn in the flesh, but you'd be wrong. Mia Sara, whom you may know as Ferris' girlfriend Sloan in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, holds that distinction, playing the character in the short-lived 2002 live-action television series Birds of Prey. But Mia Sara played something that was closer to the original incarnation, created for the Batman animated series back in 1992. Yes, that's right. Harley Quinn wasn't created for the comic books. But she did get a hefty reboot in the New 52 line of comics, which Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is clearly based on in appearance. Though, it isn't know how closely her backstory will follow what is in the comics. Fans had an equally similar reaction to seeing the actress in her full get-up for the first time as they did with The Joker, with her high heeled Adidas and her Daddy's Little Monster jersey causing quite a ruckus. We know that Harley will be a quite ordinary, though extraordinarily beautiful blonde haired psychiatrist named Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzell, M.D. when we first meet her. Though it's unclear if she will have been a former member of the Arkham Asylum staff. We know from the teaser trailer that The Joker is involved with her villainous transformation, torturing her with electrodes and turning her a bit crazy in the process. In the movie, Harley is said to be on a mission to break the Joker out of jail when she is forcibly recruited by Amanda Waller for Task Force X. Her team's objective has not yet been revealed. And just how her transformation into Harley Quinn happens is something that will be shown in the movie, not revealed here. It is possible that she will feature into a flashback scene in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which arrives in theaters a few months prior to Suicide Squad. The most important aspect to know about Harley Quinn is that she will keep her thick Brooklyn accent.

8 Deadshot

Deadshot

The big change here is that Deadshot in the comic books is White. But most fans didn't seem to care that he is getting race-swapped in this big screen version. Perhaps that's because one of the biggest actors on the planet, Will Smith, is playing him. It also seems that those who would rally and complain about such a thing used up all their energy screaming about Michael B. Jordan taking over the role of used-to-be-white Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four reboot. Deadshot's race doesn't play a big factor into the character's backstory in the comic books, but that might change with the movie. We know that he has a young daughter. And that he is the defacto team leader. He has a special relationship with Harley Quinn in the movie that may deviate from the comic books. She is the one responsible for giving him his facial scar. Margot Robbie and Will Smith have already established a strong chemistry together after appearing in the romantic con thriller Focus, and some of that same energy has been on display in the set photo and video leaks. With the movie based primarily on the New 52 comics, it is believed Deadshot's history and motivation will be pulled from those storyl lines. His daughter will be used as collateral and control, keeping him locked down with the team. The costume, which was revealed early on in the process, has made some changes, but remains true to the spirit of the character. Even so, fans have been just as vocal about Deadshot as they have been about The Joker and Harley Quinn. Can Will Smith deliver something unique to the comic book genre while pleasing longtime fans of the character? That has yet to be seen.

7 The Ensemble Cast

Suicide Squad Cast

With its conceit to play as the anti-Justice League, you can believe that this movie version of Suicide Squad is not going to pale in comparison. Director David Ayer has made sure to pull in a great number of DC comic book characters both very popular and obscure. As noted, Jared Leto's Joker, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Will Smith's Deadshot lead the crew. They are joined by Adam Beach as Slipknot, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc and Jay Hernandez as El Diablo. We were introduced to these expendable players earlier on with an official photo from DC and Warner Bros. But wait, these aren't the only crew members, or big names in the cast. If nothing else, Suicide Squad is going to win the award for best ensemble in any superhero movie, ever. Scott Eastwood is rumored to be playing the very popular character Deathstroke, but that has never been confirmed. And Common was spotted on set with a large dragon tattoo covering his head, leading many to believe he is playing (duh) The Tattooed Man. Ike Barinholtz is playing Hugo Strange. And Jim Parrack is locked in as Jonny Frost. Perhaps coolest of all is that we'll get to see Ray Olubowale as King Shark, live and in the flesh. Whoever thought that would happen? He's clearly DC's answer to Marvel's Rocket Raccoon. A character so outragoues we never thought we'd see them on the silver screen. Oh, and we almost forgot the most important player of them all. The lovely Viola Davis will be playing the one and only Amanda Waller, insuring that we get a badass in this incarnation of the character.

6 The Story So Far

Suicide Squad story

While we know that Suicide Squad revolves around a group of expendable super villains pulled out of prison to complete an almost impossible mission in return for their freedom, do we really know what the story is about? The set photos have given us a huge clue. An airliner has crashed in the streets of Midway City, and the Suicide Squad is sent to retrieve whatever hides inside. And it must be something gargantuan and not very nice, as it takes the entire team to corral and control the situation, even after odd alien type creatures and the military have already given it their best try. We also know that there will be an epic car chase between Batman and The Joker (more on that later, though). Other than that, we have to rely on speculation and hearsay. The story has been described as The Dirty Dozen with super villains. And their mission, what ever it is, will be beyond risky. It has long been believed that the movie will open with Deadshot attempting to assassinate a bigger villain being transported to Arkham. At the same time, Harley is trying to break Joker out. They are all captured and moved to Amanda Waller's compound. The team is formed, and they are tasked with stopping Lex Luthor from purchasing bio-weaponary from a gang of human traffickers. Enchantress is included as part of the deal, which Task Force X will stop, instead retrieving Enchantress for their own use. These details come from an early version of the script, and it isn't known if any of these plot points are still in play. The bio-weaponary in question may be what was on the plane seen in the leaked set videos. The third act of the movie is said to revolve around a giant prison break, which frees The Joker, who has been locked up for most of the Squad's first mission. Most reports seem to indicate that there is some truth to this. However it goes, there will be wall-to-wall action throughout most of the film, and you can expect that some of the characters will not get a chance to truly shine within such a huge ensemble.

5 The New 52 Comic Books

New 52 Comic Books

Let's start with the fact that the official Suicide Squad movie logo comes directly from the New 52 comic books. Right down to the placement of the bullet holes. Then there's the fact that one of the first things director David Ayer did after securing the job was tweet out a stack of New 52 Suicide Squad comic books. While the main push of the story hasn't been fully revealed, the majority of what we'll be seeing on screen is firmly rooted in the rebranding of this title that happened in the DC Comic Books way back in 2011. This version has Amanda Waller running the group from behind the scenes, a definite component that will be seen in the movie. Deadshot, Harley Quinn and King Shark are all featured prominently in this run. And while all three will have roles in the movie, the outlandish King Shark is getting slighted on his screen time. The title was revived in 2014 with an all-new line-up, one that isn't represented here. Deadshot and Harley Quinn team up with Deathstroke, rumored to be in the movie but never confirmed, along with Black Manta, and Joker's Daughter. For a while, some fans speculated that Common was playing Black Manta, but set photos proved that notion false. And there has been absolutely no mention of Joker's daughter having any part in the movie. The New 52 comics served as a showpiece for Harley, and it seems that she'll be getting plenty of screen time in this movie. What's still up for question is her backstory and her relationship with The Joker, which we suspect will be altered or tweaked slightly from what is on the page.

4 The Location

Hawkman

Where does Suicide Squad take place? Oddly enough, one of the film's biggest action scenes takes place in Midway City. This is otherwise known as home to DC Comics favorite Hawkman. As of yet, there has been no mention of Hawkman joining the cinematic Justice League, and we haven't heard that he'll be showing up in Suicide Squad either. Another location that 'may' be featured in the movie is Batman's stomping grounds, Gotham City. Set video confirms that a chase between The Joker and Batman takes place here. But this could be footage for a flashback being used in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. More on that later. If Suicide Squad is sticking as close to the New 52 content as expected, the team will be working from their headquarters at Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary. This is located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. Despite the wonderful tax breaks given to movies shooting in that area of the United States, we haven't heard that the film will move away from its Toronto stomping grounds, where the film continues to shoot. As of now, we haven't heard that the story will spill into Lex Luthor's home turf of Metropolis, where Superman also resides.

3 Batman and Lex Luthor

Suicide Squad Batman

Fact: Ben Affleck was spotted as Bruce Wayne in Toronto shooting scenes with some of the Suicide Squad cast. Fact: Batman does engage in a high speed pursuit of The Joker and his gaudy purple sports car. Not fact: Batman is in Suicide Squad! How can this be? Well, before Batman ever showed up on the set of Suicide Squad, it was heavily rumored that The Joker will have a flashback scene in Batman v Superman. The villain is said to have killed Jason Todd, aka Robin, and he is the only known living soul to have ever come face-to-face with this version of Batman. This is hinted at in the latest Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, where we see Robin's suit covered in Joker graffiti. The Dark Knight likes to hide in the shadows. It is strongly believed the Batman car chase was filmed for use in Batman v Superman, with Bruce Wayne getting a small cameo in Suicide Squad, though some of that footage did show up in the Suicide Squad teaser. There is some more cross pollination here, as well. It is said that in Batman v Superman, Bruce Wayne breaks into Amanda Waller's private compound and discovers video of both Aquaman and The Flash. Where ever they show up, one or the other is appearing in both movies. Be it the Joker in Batman v Superman or Batman in Suicide Squad. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor on the other hand, is a different story. Very early on in the production process, he was said to be showing up in Suicide Squad, but we haven't heard anything more about that, and Jesse Eisenberg has not yet been spotted on set. He could be saved for the end-credit scene, but its possible DC won't do one of those to distance itself from the Marvel trademark (even though credit cookies have been around way before Ferris Bueller}. With the Suicide Squad story taking place before the events in Batman v Superman, it might just not make sense for Lex to show up at all, and that's why we've never heard any more about it. Only time will tell.

2 Disturbing Set Behavior

Disturbing Behavior

At the forefront, Suicide Squad looks like a fun, colorful movie. But it will apparently fly off the rails and dive off the deep end. It is taking a very realistic look at the lives of these sometimes outlandish DC Comics characters, most of which are fully rooted in pulp lore. That means the actors are being asked to go to the dark side in their performances. And as we've already stated, Jared Leto is taking that to the extreme. But the other team players aren't resting on their good looks and toned bodies to deliver your average, every day anti-hero. David Ayer is aggressively pushing these men and woman to the extreme. This is a superhero bootcamp unlike any that has ever been brought to the screen, and that means we'll be getting some quite intense performances. So intense, the director had to bring in an on set Therapist to deal with the anxiety and tortured feelings that come with inhabiting some of the nastiest villains on earth. The purpose of the therapist is to keep the actors grounded in reality once they step away from the camera. No one wants Adam Beach spiraling out of control, running away mid-scene, and going on a murder spree. But according to the actor, the film is pushing its cast to that razor sharp edge. And it will hopefully translate on screen offering one of the scariest superhero rides ever imagined.

1 Ties to the DC Cinematic Universe

DC Cinematic Universe

We know how the standalone DC superhero movies all tie into Justice League Part 1 and Justice League Part 2, but how does this super villain movie crossover into that world? In some fun and interesting ways, as it turns out. The timeline for Suicide Squad places it between the events of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And the story has already proven it's ties to Batman, whether the Joker shows up in his movie, or vice versa. And Lex Luthor is also said to make an appearance. The movie goes one step further, connecting itself to the Aquaman legacy. Amanda Waller reportedly keeps the King of Atlantis' trident in a glass case, and the underwater superhero himself in a glass containment cell. He was reportedly caught after an epic fight with King Shark, who is making a cameo appearance. Will we actually get to see that fight take place? It's doubtful, as that would deviate from the core story at hand. But it will certainly be hinted at. Which is pretty neat for hardcore DC Comics fans. The film will then reach into the Green Lantern (Reboot) mythos with Common's character, said to be Abel Tarrant, a career criminal with the ability to make his tattoos come to life, who was first introduced in the Green Lantern comic books. Just as Hal Jordan and John Stewart have the power to conjure weapons with their lantern, Abel has the power to make his tattoos come to life. That giant snake on his forehead will definitely be getting some action.

That's everything we know about Suicide Squad. The movie is continuing to shoot as we speak in Toronto, Canada. Be sure to check back often, as we will keep you updated with all the latest news and reveals as they happen. And let us know what you think about the movie. Is director David Ayer on the right path? Or is this movie simply going to be too weird and scary for Mom and Pop's weekly trip to the cineplex?