Summary
Having been in the business since the 1930s, it’s only natural that DC has built up quite the cast of characters. But while superheroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman tend to hog the DC limelight, a hero wouldn’t be much without its rogue’s gallery, and DC features some of the best villains in comic book history. From theJoker to Scarecrow to Darkseid to Lex Luthor, the DC villain roster has no shortage of iconic characters, some of which make a mighty appearance inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
As the name implies,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguesees players attempt to take down the world’s greatest heroes, a task that requires the strongest villains in DC history. Unfortunately, the strongest DC supervillains aren’t available to help out, which leaves Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark to save the day. But while these four characters get plenty of time to shine throughoutSuicide Squad’s story, it’s the Support Squad that ends up being one of the game’s biggest highlights, giving some much lesser-known DC characters their time in the spotlight, something thatSuicide Squad’s post-launch content hopefully continues.
Ever since the Suicide Squad’s first debut back in the 1960s, a staple of the team has been its collection of lesser-known DC villains. Whilethe Legion of Doom and the Secret Society of Super Villainsare made up of some of DC’s greatest adversaries, the Suicide Squad usually contains just one or two well-known villains, and a handful of lesser-known D-listers. For instance, the Suicide Squad’s first major appearance in the 1980sLegendscomic series saw Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and Enchantress team up - now all fairly well-known names - but it also saw Bronze Tiger and Blockbuster join the team.
This defining feature has run through just about every iteration of the Suicide Squad, from comics, to TV shows, to animated movies, to live-action. One of the biggest highlights ofJames Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadwas its willingness to lean into this defining trait, bringing characters like Peacemaker, Bloodsport, Ratcatcher 2, and Polka-Dot Man to the forefront of the movie.
Though it’s always a risk putting lesser-known villains front and center of a team-up, as it can easily cause disinterest in fans, it does allow for a level of creative freedom that just isn’t allowed with bigger villains.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis a good example of this, with its main cast playing things pretty safe, but its Support Squad getting a little weirder. Though Toyman has been around since the 1940s, Gizmo has been in the comics since the 1980s, and Hack made her debut in 2016, all three are pretty obscure characters in the grand scheme ofthe DC universe, at least for casual DC fans, and it’s great to see them receive the spotlight inSuicide Squad.
ThoughSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s live-service structuremay be one of its main sources of controversy and criticism, there is a lot of potential there, just as long as Rocksteady can deliver on its promises. And while Rocksteady might already be biting off more than it can chew with its seasonal promises of new playable characters, new maps, new mission types, and new boss fights, it would be great to see upcomingSuicide Squadseasons also bring in some new, lesser-known DC villains to help out in the Support Squad.
There are already 80 years' worth of comics to draw inspiration from when it comes to finding some lesser-known DC villains forSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s post-launch seasons, butSuicide Squad’s Elseworlds premiseexpands on that source material exponentially. Drawing from the multiverse for its future seasons,Suicide Squadcould theoretically add brand-new versions of already-obscure DC characters, giving both newcomers and DC veterans something new to enjoy together.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as the Suicide Squad to take down the World’s Greatest DC Super Heroes, The Justice League. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, is a genre-defying, action-adventure third-person shooter from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series.
