The Suicide Squad post-credits scene: Which of the cast makes it out?
Spoilers incoming! Who survives the 2021 Suicide Squad's mission, and how does the mid-credits scene tie into the DCEU's future?
Warning: Spoilers ahead! Spoilers ahead!
The Suicide Squad lives up to its name with most of the cast being killed off in a gleefully gory mission. But one member of the DC comics cast gets a second chance in the post-credits scene (or technically, mid-credits scene) of the new movie.
This new 2021 Suicide Squad sequel/reboot is a scabrous, side-splitting and surprisingly smart supervillain romp, as I note in my CNET review. It's in theaters now (even if it isn't making a ton of money) and is available to stream on
HBO Max
HBO Max until September 5.
When the smoke clears, let's see how the movie's climactic scene sets up the forthcoming Peacemaker TV series, which the film's director James Gunn and star John Cena are bringing to streaming service HBO Max in 2022.
Technically, two characters unexpectedly survive the carnage of the film. After the last survivors of Task Force X complete their mission, CG critter Weasel comes round on the blood-soaked beach and scampers away into the jungle. But technically that's just the end of the movie, not a post-credits scene. Once the titles roll, there's a mid-credits scene explaining how Cena's character Peacemaker survived Bloodsport's "smaller bullet."
The last time we saw the jingoistic Peacemaker, he'd just killed Rick Flagg with a chunk of toilet and faced Idris Elba's Bloodsport in a shootout. Bloodsport came out the victor, but Peacemaker ended up in the hospital rather than the morgue. That sets up a continued adventure for the character in a series written and (partly) directed by Gunn, which will premiere on HBO Max in January 2022.
Outside his hospital room, two members of the Task Force X back room staff turn up to visit. John Economos is unhappy at what he sees as punishment for rebelling against their coldblooded boss Amanda Waller, but his colleague Emilia Harcourt is more keen. She sees an opportunity to "save the fucking world…"
Which brings us to the Peacemaker TV series. John and Emilia, played by Steve Agee and Jennifer Holland, will be among the cast in the series. Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Freddie Stroma and Chukwudi Iwuji will also star alongside Cena. Stroma is set to portray the DC comics character Vigilante, aka Adrian Chase.
The plot is unclear at this point, but the mid-credits scene opens it up. If Peacemaker had died, the show would have had to be a prequel. Instead, Peacemaker's story can continue as he wrestles with the doubts and torment that may arise after killing Flag.
