31 "The Suicide Squad" Details That Are Small, Brilliant, And Make The Movie Even Better

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🚨Warning: There are some MASSIVE spoilers ahead for The Suicide Squad!🚨

1.First, the doctor who inserts the bomb into Savant's head is played by writer John Ostrander, who created the Suicide Squad comic books and notably the character of Amanda Waller.

A close-up of John Ostrander behind Savant

While Suicide Squad existed before John, he's considered the main creator after he relaunched them in 1987 and created many of the storylines and characters we associate with Suicide Squad today.

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2.And John Ostrander's character's name is Dr. Fitzgibbon, which is a name that James Gunn uses in all of his movies as a tribute to his lifelong friend, Larry Fitzgibbon.

3.The numbers on the armored trucks outside the prison all relate to original Suicide Squad comics that John Ostrander wrote, namely Suicide Squad Issue #5 and Issue #12.

A close-up of the numbers "5" and "12" on trucks
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4.In 2016's Suicide Squad, Harley wore a jacket that said "Property of the Joker," and now her jacket reads, "Live Fast Die Clown," which just shows Harley's character arc and her getting over the Joker.

Harley's jacket in The Suicide Squad vs. in 2016
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5.When Amanda Waller's team is looking through the Task Force X files, you can spot that Savant was also imprisoned in Iron Heights, an iconic DC comics prison, which is notably seen in The Flash TV series.

A close-up of Savant's file reading "Iron Heights Penitentiary"
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6.When Bloodsport is cleaning the bathrooms at Belle Reve, he pulls out a clump of Savant's hair from a shower drain.

Bloodsport holding up some long white hair
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7.Amanda Waller mentions that Bloodsport is in prison because he shot Superman with a Kryptonite bullet, which is a storyline pulled directly from DuBois's DC comic debut. In Superman Vol. 2 Issue #4, Lex Luthor enlists DuBois to help him take down Superman by shooting him.

Amanda saying, "He's in prison for putting Superman in the ICU with a Kryptonite bullet"
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8.The moment when King Shark is reading in his cell in Belle Reve is taken directly from the 2013 comic Suicide Squad Issue #12, where King Shark is reading The Essential Rumi.

King Shark reading a book upside down

Here, King Shark is trying to read The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.

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9.In Ratcatcher 2's cell, you can see that she has drawings of rats on the walls, but also a photo with her father.

A close-up of Ratcatcher 2's wall that has a picture of her and her dad
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10.While a dozen rats were used to portray Sebastian, one of the rats was named "Crisp Ratt," a play on Chris Pratt's name. Of course, Chris starred in Guardians of the Galaxy, which was also written and directed by James Gunn.

Ratcatcher 2 saying, "This is Sebastian. Say hello, Sebastian" and the rat waving

James texted Chris telling him about the rat's name, and he found it "hilarious."

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11.While they don't have a lot of screen time, several big DC comics villains make appearances at Belle Reve, including Kaleidoscope, Calendar Man, and Double Down.

Kaleidoscope, Calendar Man, and Double Down in orange prison outfits

Kaleidoscope only appeared in two DC comics, while Calendar Man often goes head-to-head with Batman, and Double Down has fought Green Arrow and Black Canary.

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12.Of course, the Suicide Squad is tasked with going to Corto Maltese, which is a place that is well-known in DC comics and was first mentioned in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comic books.

Amanda Waller standing in front of a map of Corto Maltese
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13.The Suicide Squad's mission to infiltrate Jotunheim is a plotline taken from Suicide Squad Issue #1, aka John Ostrander's first Suicide Squad comic.

Amanda saying, "Your mission is to infiltrate Jotunheim and destroy every trace of Project Starfish"
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14.A lot of Harley's tattoos have changed since the 2016 Suicide Squad. For one, she no longer has the "rotten" tattoo on her face.

Harley without the "rotten" tattoo vs. her with it

Margot Robbie didn't like the tattoo, so it was removed.

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15.Also, the tattoo on Harley's back now says, "Property of No One," whereas in 2016's Suicide Squad it said, "Property of Joker."

Close-ups of Harley's back tattoo in The Suicide Squad vs Suicide Squad
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16.Also, while Harley's had this tattoo in every movie, I just love pointing out that the tattoo on her forearm is a nod to Harley's iconic red, white, and black outfit from the comic books.

An arrow pointing out Harley's red and black tattoo

She also still has the "Daddy's lil monster" tattoo on her chest.

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17.Rick Flag wearing a yellow shirt is a nod to Rick's signature comic book look, which included a bright yellow shirt.

Rick Flag in a yellow t-shirt with a cartoon holding a sign on it
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18.Polka Dot Man mentions how his mom worked at S.T.A.R. Labs and experimented on him. Of course, S.T.A.R. Labs is an important lab in DC comics. It's where Victor became Cyborg in Justice League, and it's the main setting in The Flash TV show.

Polka Dot Man saying his mom worked at STAR labs and experimented on him and now he has to "expel the dots twice a day"
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19.Amanda Waller practices golf in her office and mentions she's going to play with Senator Cray. In the comics, Senator Cray is a corrupt politician whose son eventually takes over the mantle of The Atom. Also, Cray was on Oliver's list in Arrow.

Amanda saying, "Damn. Supposed to play golf with Senator Cray this weekend. I'm gonna look a fool"

This could also hint at Amanda being corrupt in the DC cinematic universe.

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20.Not so much a hidden detail, but the movie features cameos from several actors in Guardians of the Galaxy, one of James Gunn's most notable franchises.

Pom Klementieff, Michael Rooker, and Sean Gunn in The Suicide Squad

Pom Klementieff, Michael Rooker, and Sean Gunn all make appearances in The Suicide Squad, and they respectively starred as Mantis, Yondu, and Kraglin/Rocket in the Guardians movies.

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21.Lloyd Kaufman, the cofounder of Troma Studios and the director of The Toxic Avenger, can be seen dancing during the club scene. Lloyd notably gave James Gunn his start in film, so he's had cameos in his movies.

A close-up of Lloyd Kaufman dancing behind Peacemaker
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22.Rick Flag gives Ratcatcher 2 the nickname "Ratatouille" while they are trying to rescue Harley Quinn, which is, of course, a reference to the Pixar movie Ratatouille and Remy.

Rick saying, "Ratatouille, what do you got?"
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23.Harley mentions her hatred for personalized license plates, which is a perfect nod to the Joker's license plate — which read "HAHAHA" — in 2016's Suicide Squad.

Harley saying, "If we find out you have personalized license plates, you die"
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24.The Thinker eventually reveals that the monster is named "Starro the Conqueror," which is another thing that was taken from the comics. The monster first appeared in The Brave and the Bold Issue #25, which also marked the first appearance of Rick Flag and the Suicide Squad.

Thinker saying, "I call it Starro the Conqueror! That's meant to be derisive. Sorry, old chum. These two are here to kill you"
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25.Similar to the movie, Rick Flag dies at Jotunheim in Suicide Squad Issue #26, which was written by John Ostrander. In the comics, Rick dies in an explosion instead of being killed by Peacemaker.

Rick saying, "Peacemaker...what a joke..."

In a later comic run, we find out Rick actually survived, but his movie death seems far more final.

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26.Bloodsport shooting Peacemaker with a smaller bullet that goes inside Peacemaker's is a nod to what Peacemaker said earlier in the movie.

Peacemaker saying, "I use smaller bullets. They go inside your bullet holes without even touching the side"
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27.John refers to Starro as a "kaiju," which is a Japanese genre of films and TV that features giant monsters, like Godzilla.

John saying, "Oh my God, Miss Waller! We've got a freaking kaiju up in this shit"
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28.At the end of the film, Bloodsport stops Ratcatcher 2 from getting crushed, and then Ratcatcher returns the favor. This is a nod to the promises they made to each other earlier in the movie.

Bloodsport telling Ratcatcher 2 he'll get her out of here alive and her saying the same thing to him
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29.Tyla finds out about her dad saving Corto Maltese while watching GBS, aka Galaxy Broadcasting System. In the comics, Galaxy Broadcasting Network is a station often run by villain Morgan Edge.

Tyla watching a TV and a close-up of a GBS logo on screen

Morgan Edge is currently appearing on Superman and Lois.

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30.In the credits, the first person listed in "The Filmmakers Would Like to Thank" section is David Ayer, who directed 2016's Suicide Squad.

David Ayer's name in the credits
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31.And finally, Peacemaker being in the post-credits scene is huge and will likely set up the upcoming Peacemaker TV series on HBO Max, starring John Cena and created by James Gunn.

Peacemaker lying in a hospital bed
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