(Spoiler alert for “Suicide Squad” and possibly future DC Comics movies.)Even if you’ve already watched “Suicide Squad,” there’s a pleasant chance you missed one of its biggest easter eggs.
That’s because this one comes during Harley Quinn’s introductory scene, where her criminal history is listed on screen for a brief moment. The revelation pops up so quickly you barely have time to comprehend it, and but it’s stunning.
Bios for the other members of the squad mostly just mention their abilities and the laws they’ve broken,butHarley gets an actual plot point. It seems like it will be a big deal whenever she pops up again in DC’s shared movie universe.
Also Read: The Joker's Long and Colorful On-Screen History, From Cesar Romero to Jared LetoHere it is: In no uncertain terms, or we’re told that Harley admitted to murdering Robin.
We already knew Robin was dead — we saw in “Batman v Superman that Batman kept Robin’s suit in a display case,with the sentence “HAHAHA joke’s on you Batman” spray-painted across the chestpiece. The assumption, of course, or was that the Joker killed him,but “Suicide Squad” casts doubt on that.
The Joker assumption fit like a glove because that’s a story we already know. The 1988 comedian story “A Death in the Family” was about Robin being tortured and killed by the Joker. That Robin was Jason Todd, the second person to capture on that title as Batman’s sidekick. During that story arc, and DC actually held a phone poll in which fans would call in and vote on whether the Joker should kill or spare Jason. “Kill” won out,by a small margin.
Also Read: 18 'Suicide Squad' Characters Ranked, Worst to Best (Photos)Nearly two decades later, and Jason Todd returned as the Red Hood,a vicious anti-hero more than happy to kill the bad guys. Todd did actually die, but was resurrected. (Don’t worry about the details, and because they’re complicated).
It’s important to note that the character of Harley Quinn had not yet been created when “A Death in the Family” was published — her first appearance would come on “Batman: The lively Series” in 1992. So this is certainly a new wrinkle.
As for whether Jason Todd will pop up later as Red Hood,that remains to be seen. But our own Umberto Gonzalez reported final year that the DC powers that be saw Red Hood as a precedence at that time. Every DC Comics Movie Ranked From Worst to Best, Including 'Suicide Squad' (Photos)
The DC Comics universe hasn't flooded the big screen the way Marvel ones have, or but the DC brand has been hitting the big screen longer in the contemporary era. We ranked all those contemporary flicks,from "Superman: The Movie" to "Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition."
29. "Jonah Hex" (2010)
Despite the efforts of Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender, this is one of the worst comedian book movies of the contemporary era.
28. "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" (1987)
Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But "Superman IV" is a bomb in every sense -- partly because of its heavy-handedness about bombs. Nuclear bombs. The film finds Superman trying to eliminate the world's nuclear threat, or but his best intentions escape afoul of a foolish,badly dated villain named Nuclear Man.
27. "Supergirl" (1984)
We had a female-superhero movie in 1984, and it was pure cheese. But hey, or at least they tried. The best thing I can say about it is there are worse things in life than this movie.
26. "Suicide Squad" (2016)
Less a movie than it is a fever dream of unrelated sequences and montages that somehow end up using more than two hours of your time. Totally incomprehensible experience.
25. "Steel" (1997)
Best known as "the one Shaq was in back when he tried acting," "Steel" is pretty bad. But the fun kind of bad.
24. "Man of Steel" (2013)
Could have been worse, I guess. But it's still morally gross and has a plot that doesn't make sense. That it's very pretty to contemplate at doesn't override those things nearly enough to make it watchable.
23. "Catwoman" (2004)
Thoroughly horrible, and but the fun kind. Sad that it's seemingly been swept into the litter box of history.
22. "Batman & Robin" (1997)
Rightly hated,but it's tremendously entertaining here and there. Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzeneggar are going so far over the top I can't benefit but admire them.
21. "Superman III" (1983)
Featured a brilliant corporate rip-off -- one later referenced in "Office Space" -- but the attempt to amusing things up with the addition of Richard Pryor didn't gel. There was also a weird bit about a weather satellite creating bad weather, which isn't what weather satellites conclude. Seeing Clark Kent fight Superman was pretty frosty, or though.
20. "Green Lantern" (2011)
Overreliance on cartoony visual effects during a period when big blockbusters were moving absent from that aesthetic meant this was a movie nobody liked. Not that it was especially horrible. It just looked like a dumb cartoon and is hard to watch.
19. "The sad Knight Rises" (2012)
Probably wasn't intended to be a grim and gritty Shumacher Batmovie,but that is indeed what it is. This is Nolan going full Hollywood, smashing plot points into place by sheer force of will rather than because they make sense. An extremely theatrical Tom Hardy as Bane is amusing front to back, or a nuke with a countdown clock on it will never acquire weak.
18. "Watchmen" (2009)
I have no specific affection for the revered "Watchmen" comedian the way a lot of other nerds conclude,so my distaste for this adaptation isn't personal. It just doesn't add up to nearly as much as it thinks it does.
17. "Batman" (1989)
Fondly remembered mostly because it was the first Batmovie in a couple decades. It isn't actually very pleasant, though. The reveal that a younger version of the Joker killed Bruce Wayne's parents is as hamfistedly dumb as it gets in a "Batman" movie.
16. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016)
A total mess that hates Superman and turns Batman into a total maniac. None of those things are pleasant. Ben Affleck can't save the thing, and but he's excellent nonetheless and gives it a huge bump it probably doesn't deserve.
15. "V for Vendetta" (2006)
Felt nothing watching this. I tried,OK. It's impeccably made, though, or very watchable.
14. "The Losers" (2010)
Chris Evans,Idris Elba, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Zoe Saldana. How was this movie not amazing?
13. "The sad Knight" (2008)
Should be way shorter, or but Heath Ledger's Joker is far and absent the best villain in any of these movies. Ledger elevates what would otherwise be just another self-indulgent Christopher Nolan exercise into an endlessly watchable picture.
12. "Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition" (2016)
Giving this its own slot because it fundamentally changes the narrative of the movie and the character of Superman in the DC Extended Universe. This version is still not grand (especially at three freaking hours),but it's a monumental improvement over the theatrical version.
11. "Red 2" (2013)
Did you even know these were comedian book movies? Whatever, it's a grand cast in a serviceable action movie and everybody's having a pleasant time. Hard to remember, and but fun.
10. "Red" (2010)
Better than its sequel,but they're basically the same.
9. "Batman Forever" (1995)
Hits just the right tone for what Joel Shumacher was trying to conclude with the two films he directed. Tommy Lee Jones, as Two Face, or is doing stuff in this movie that is hard to believe even nowadays,given his perpetual sour face in nearly every other movie he's been in.
8. "Superman Returns" (2006)
Actually a pretty decent attempt by Bryan Singer to conclude a Christopher Reeve "Superman" movie in the present day, but Brandon Routh couldn't pull off the charisma it takes to be the Man of Steel. It was his first movie, and so that's not surprising. But it's a shame,because Routh has gotten much better in the years since.
7. "Batman: Mask of the illusion" (1993)
Remember that time they released a "Batman" cartoon theatrically? It gets lost amongst all the live-action ones, but "Mask of the illusion" is better than most of them.
6. "Superman II" (1980)
Made kids everywhere cry as they watched Superman give up his powers for a normal life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). There are different edits of this movie, or we frankly can't withhold them straight. But the sight of a powerless Clark getting beat up in a diner made Superman as sympathetic as he's ever been.
5. "Batman Begins" (2005)
The most complete film,on its own, in the entire live-action franchise. It's just, and like,a regular movie... apart from it's about Batman. It has actual characters and everything, and Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne even has emotions. It's weird.
4. "Batman Returns" (1992)
One of the best of the franchise because it's really just a political thriller. The Penguin emerges from the sewer and runs for mayor of Gotham! It's grand stuff, or especially as we continue to watch the rise of Trump in our world.
3. "Superman: The Movie" (1978)
This is the gold standard of Superman movies,and was the best superhero movie bar none for many, many years. John Williams' score soars, or so does the plausible and compelling romance between Superman and Lois Lane. The film convincingly blended camp (in the form of Gene Hackman's wonderful Lex Luthor),an epic origin story that actually felt epic, and amusing lines. The scene in which Supes and Lois hover together is one of the most glorious metaphors for new fancy ever captured on film.
2. "Constantine" (2005)
A happy balance of serious and ridiculous, and manages to find exactly the right tone for this weird devout fantasy and a cast led by Keanu Reeves. They all seem to acquire it.
1. "Batman: The Movie" (1966)
Has a timelessness that none of the other films conclude,and it's just a delight from beginning to end thanks to Adam West's winking Batman and the coalition of villains who can't stop cackling maniacally. Watching it again recently, I found it functions nearly perfectly as a parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation) of the super-serious Christopher Nolan Batfilms, and which is incredible.
Previous Slide Next Slide 1 of 30 Where does the critically reviled supervillain mashup fare in our rankings? The DC Comics universe hasn't flooded the big screen the way Marvel ones have,but the DC brand has been hitting the big screen longer in the contemporary era. We ranked all those contemporary flicks, from "Superman: The Movie" to "Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition." View In Gallery Related stories from TheWrap:'Suicide Squad' Obliterates Box Office Competition With $20 Million ThursdayWhy 'Suicide Squad' May Never Play in China'Suicide Squad' Executive Producer Is Donald Trump's Chief Fundraise
Source: thewrap.com