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The 'Suicide Squad' Villain Has A Name — And It's Not The Joker

With a movie like Suicide Squad, talking about the main villain is like shooting in the dark.

By Jashan BoparaiPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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Last summer, reporters were invited to the set of Suicide Squad to do what they do best — report. Lots of information came out during this visit, and with the embargo now lifted, the general public is getting a taste of the behind the scenes atmosphere of Squad.

With a movie like Suicide Squad, talking about the main villain is like shooting in the dark. Initially, it was widely theorized that Joker was the primary antagonist. Fast forward to the first official trailer, we saw the Squad members fighting weird alien-looking creatures covered in goo.

Check out the Suicide Squad trailer here:

That's when everyone seemed to agree it was Enchantress, who had been pretty disconnected from the core cast in all the footage that we'd seen. Well, the answer seems to be somewhere right down the middle. Joker is something of a secondary villain aiming to get Harley back — as I predicted — and Enchantress is mixed up with the villain (more on that later), and the actual villain has been revealed.

The Adversary

Squad goals.

So there it is: The big bad is the Adversary. Correction, the big bad is called the Adversary. The difference is that by calling the antagonist by a different title keeps their identity under wraps. And you can bet that they have a very real, possibly familiar identity, at least if what producer Richard Suckle said to ComicBook.com is believable:

Oh, you will find out who the Adversary is. That is for sure. You will find out not only who the Adversary is but why they exist, who is part and parcel and who is behind them. You definitely find that out in this movie for sure.

The fact that we will "find out" who the Adversary teases a lot of mystery. We already don't know who the main antagonist is, but referring to the character under a different moniker clouds our thoughts even more. As any thesaurus will tell you, adversary is just another word for enemy. And according to Andy Horwitz there'll be a lot of them:

There's multiple adversaries that the Squad has to contend with over the course of the movie of which the Joker is one of them.

What's made clear is that there is a huge difference between being an adversary to the Squad and being the Adversary to the Squad. Either you're a side villain or you're the villain — there's no in between. Side villains are pretty easy to come by, so let's try figuring out the identity of the main baddie:

Cary Richards (The Adversary)

The Adversary in the DC Universe.

I've really only included this character here out of obligation. There is almost no chance that this WrestleMania reject will be the villain in Suicide Squad. But despite his silly costume and limited comic book appearances, he shares the same name as who the producers referred to when discussing the villain. There's not much to mine from three appearances in the comics and one Justice League: Unlimited episode, but the character has some — admittedly distant — ties to a member of the Suicide Squad.

In the comics, the Adversary was given powers by the reality-warping demon Satanus and fought Superman. Though the Adversary doesn't seem like he would fit well in Suicide Squad, Satanus would. Being a demon, the character could have some strong ties to the Switcheroo-Witcheroo herself, Enchantress.

Bottom Line: The Adversary is too minor of a character to be the villain in Suicide Squad, even if his name matches up.

The Joker

Jared Leto as the Clown Prince of Crime.

Joker's role in the movie has been clearing up as of late. We know he's going to be in flashbacks as well as present day, he's going to be a thorn in the Squad's side trying to get to Harley, and he's going to have a generally heavy presence, on screen and off. With such a clear plan, it doesn't make sense for Joker to be the main villain. If he's after Harley, he doesn't need to tear up Midway City to get to her. Not that he can tear up Midway City to begin with, because Joker is, above all, still human. He would have to team up with somebody to do that, like Tattooed Man.

Of course, Suckle also said that someone is "behind" the Adversary. Knowing the Clown Prince of Crime, he's not one to be controlled. He uses others as pawns, not the other way around. It would be hard to take him as a credible threat if the Suicide Squad could defeat him when he's backed up by someone else, because that means he's much weaker alone — and therefore much easier to beat.

Bottom Line: Joker will be an adversary in the movie, but he won't be the Adversary.

Monster T

Tattooed Man, Joker, and Harley Quinn.

Monster T (or Tattooed Man, who he's probably playing) has been flying under the radar ever since Common joined the movie last year. No one really thought about his character until there was an inexplicable occurrence in one of the trailers: the subway monster. That definitely wasn't a Squad member, Joker, or Enchantress, so everyone just assumed it was Monster T letting his tattoos breathe a little. With his unique power set and malleable personality, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if Common's mysterious character turned out to be the main villain.

At the same time, we have yet to explicitly see Common in any footage. Really, the only places we've seen him are official photos and leaked set pictures. You may argue this is part of an elaborate attempt to prevent spoiling plot points, but they would at least show the main villain so that you don't walk into a movie without a clue who the antagonist is. This isn't 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Bottom Line: Monster T's complete lack of exposure makes it hard to believe he could be the Adversary, despite some evidence to support the theory.

Enchantress

Enchantress is creepy.

Let's be real here, Enchantress is definitely the main villain. Since January, it's been clear that Cara Delevingne's barely clothed witch has been the one wreaking havoc across Midway City. We've seen just enough of her in the trailer for it to make sense, but she's also slightly independent, lending credence to her blatant villainy. ComicBook.com paraphrased what they were told about Enchantress, saying:

The Squad will also go up against Enchantress, at least for a portion of time, as they revealed that due to her existing magical abilities, she's able to get close to the Adversary — close enough to then be possessed or controlled by him in some way.

It's not much of a surprise that they're fighting her, but she's definitely not just a side villain. She's the real deal. Quick theory: She starts off as a member of the team. In her attempt to stop whatever the Squad is sent to combat, she uses her magical powers against the creature — the force behind the Adversary we've been hearing about. Now you're probably saying, "If she's fighting the Adversary, how can she be the adversary?". Well, I think she gets absorbed by it. Her Enchantress alter ego flares up, and she becomes the thing she was meant to fight.

Bottom Line: The new details surrounding the villain all but cement Enchantress as the Adversary, or the Adversary 2.0.

The Eyes Of The Adversary

Image Credit: Warner Bros

Remember last month when producer Charles Roven mentioned the name of weird creatures seen in the trailers? Well, the "Eyes of the Adversary" are pretty straightforward. The Adversary uses them as his henchmen to gain a sense of omnipotence. Theory time again: The Adversary is trapped in Hell and uses his minions to see what the world above looks like. His attacks are him attempting to break out, and when June Moone enters the fray, he uses her as a vessel to escape. This creates an amalgamation of the Enchantress persona with the Adversary. And who knows, maybe when/if Enchantress becomes the Adversary, they become her henchmen!

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About the Creator

Jashan Boparai

Articles from August 2014 - Present!

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