# The Suicide Squad (film)
**The Suicide Squad** is a 2021 American superhero film written and directed by [James Gunn](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-gunn), based on the [DC Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-comics) team of incarcerated villains sent on deniable government missions. Released by [Warner Bros. Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-pictures) on August 6, 2021, it is a standalone sequel to David Ayer's *Suicide Squad* (2016), returning Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, and Viola Davis's Amanda Waller while introducing new characters including Idris Elba's Bloodsport and John Cena's Peacemaker.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6334354/) • [2](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/84348/1/2023McDonaldMPhil%28R%29.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | August 6, 2021 (United States), Warner Bros.; earliest release May 8, 2021 (Italy)[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6334354/) |
| Director/writer | James Gunn, from his own screenplay, based on DC characters[3](https://www.dc.com/movies/the-suicide-squad-2021) |
| Running time / rating | 132 minutes; rated R for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suicide-Squad-The-%282021%29?mobile-app=true&theme=wiki) |
| Box office | $168,717,425 worldwide ($55,817,425 domestic, $112,900,000 international) against a $185,000,000 production budget[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6334354/) |
| Critical reception | 90% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (386 reviews), Metacritic 72/100, CinemaScore B+[5](https://movie.guru/the-suicide-squad-movie-review) |
| Spin-off | Spawned the HBO Max series *Peacemaker*, which Gunn developed during the pandemic break[6](https://time.com/6083354/suicide-squad-dc-movies-future/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and cast
The film follows Task Force X, a black ops team of incarcerated supervillains led by [Amanda Waller](https://www.edgepedia.org/amanda-waller), who are dropped on the remote, enemy-infused island of [Corto Maltese](https://www.edgepedia.org/corto-maltese) on a search-and-destroy mission, with Colonel Rick Flag on the ground and Waller's government techies tracking their every movement; one wrong move and they are killed, whether by opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suicide-Squad-The-%282021%29?mobile-app=true&theme=wiki) The assembled cons include Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin, and [Harley Quinn](https://www.edgepedia.org/harley-quinn).[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suicide-Squad-The-%282021%29?mobile-app=true&theme=wiki)
The cast includes [Margot Robbie](https://www.edgepedia.org/margot-robbie), Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Storm Reid, Nathan Fillion, Sylvester Stallone (voicing [King Shark](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-shark)), and [Viola Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/viola-davis).[3](https://www.dc.com/movies/the-suicide-squad-2021) Gunn directs from his own screenplay, with Charles Roven and Peter Safran producing and music by John Murphy.[3](https://www.dc.com/movies/the-suicide-squad-2021)
## Relationship to the 2016 film
The film occupies an unusual position as a soft reboot made only five years after its predecessor, which was critically panned (a 26% Tomatometer on 301 reviews) yet commercially successful.[2](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/84348/1/2023McDonaldMPhil%28R%29.pdf) • [7](https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/bitstream/10443/5648/1/Crosby%20J%202022.pdf) Gunn's film keeps the elements of the franchise that were well received, particularly Robbie's Harley Quinn, while scrapping the rest; it is set in the same continuity but does not build its returning characters up as nostalgic returns, introducing all three carryovers within the first twenty-five seconds of its Red Band trailer.[2](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/84348/1/2023McDonaldMPhil%28R%29.pdf) Producer Charles Roven, who produced the 2016 film and had worked with Gunn since the *Scooby-Doo* films, described the result as neither exactly a sequel nor exactly a reboot, but Gunn's own vision, bringing in both prominent canon characters and lesser-known ones.[8](https://www.slashfilm.com/582188/the-suicide-squad-charles-roven-interview/) Gunn himself said the film should not be considered a sequel and is not really a full reboot either, and the film never says whether the events of Ayer's film even happened.[9](https://nerdist.com/article/how-the-suicide-squad-is-standalone-film-interview-james-gunn-set-visit-dc-comics/) It does reference Harley Quinn's breakup with the Joker and her return to prison.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/how-the-suicide-squad-ties-into-the-rest-of-the-dceu/)
## Production and release
Warner Bros. commissioned the reboot after the 2016 film's poor reviews, and Gunn, best known for Marvel's *Guardians of the Galaxy* films, was attached as writer-director.[11](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/everything-we-know-about-the-suicide-squad/) Producer Peter Safran said revisiting the property was driven by Gunn's availability and what he could bring to "a disparate group of outsiders on a mission."[12](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/why-the-suicide-squad-is-being-revisited-dc-movies/) The film had completed production before much of Hollywood shut down in the COVID-19 pandemic.[13](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/james-gunns-suicide-squad-everything-we-know-about-the-dc-reboot/2900-3481/)
It opened simultaneously in theaters and on the then-new [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) streaming service on August 6, 2021, in 4,002 domestic theaters.[9](https://nerdist.com/article/how-the-suicide-squad-is-standalone-film-interview-james-gunn-set-visit-dc-comics/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suicide-Squad-The-%282021%29?mobile-app=true&theme=wiki) The R rating was never an issue with the studio, according to Roven.[8](https://www.slashfilm.com/582188/the-suicide-squad-charles-roven-interview/)
## Reception and box office
The film received positive reviews but underperformed commercially. Its $26,205,415 domestic opening weekend represented 46.9% of its total domestic gross, with legs of 2.13, and the $168.7 million worldwide total was only 0.9 times the $185 million production budget.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suicide-Squad-The-%282021%29?mobile-app=true&theme=wiki) For comparison, the 2016 *Suicide Squad* grossed $749,200,054 worldwide on a $175,000,000 budget.[14](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/showdown/sd2419783172/) One rule-of-thumb estimate puts the film's loss at about $193.1 million after accounting for the studio's share of grosses, the budget, and marketing.[5](https://movie.guru/the-suicide-squad-movie-review)
Critically the film fared far better than its predecessor: 90% on the Tomatometer from 386 reviews, a Metacritic score of 72, and a B+ CinemaScore from opening-night audiences.[5](https://movie.guru/the-suicide-squad-movie-review) It received a Saturn Award nomination in 2022.[15](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6334354/awards/)
## Censorship classifications
The film's violence drew attention from classification boards. The [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) classified it 15 for strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief drug misuse, noting stabbings, shootings, beheadings, impalements, and bodies torn apart in visceral detail, including by King Shark, a large humanoid shark; the board judged that the darkly comic tone and fantastical context reduced the impact, so an 18 was not required.[16](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studies/the-suicide-squad-2021) In Australia, the Classification Board initially rated it R 18+ with the consumer advice "High impact violence," but on June 15, 2021 the Classification Review Board unanimously reclassified it MA 15+ with the advice "Strong fantasy violence, blood and gore, and frequent coarse language," finding the violence strong in impact but mitigated by fantasy context and comedic tone.[17](https://www.classification.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/classification-review-board-reasons-for-decision-the-suicide-squad_1.pdf)
## Legacy in the DC Universe
The film spawned *Peacemaker*, a television series Gunn wrote and directed for HBO Max, whose first season followed [John Cena](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cena)'s Christopher Smith; Gunn developed the backstory during the pandemic break.[6](https://time.com/6083354/suicide-squad-dc-movies-future/) At the time of release, no sequel to *The Suicide Squad* had been greenlit.[18](https://time.com/6083307/the-suicide-squad-end-credits-scene/)
After Gunn and [Peter Safran](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-safran) took over [DC Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-studios) and launched the rebooted [DC Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-universe) (DCU), Gunn has said that anything referred to from the DCEU in the new films and shows, such as the events of *The Suicide Squad* or *Peacemaker* season 1, is canon, though it may be slightly tweaked to fit the new universe.[19](https://www.gamesradar.com/dcu-timeline-movies-tv-shows-order/) *Peacemaker* season 2, which is canon in the DCU, revolves around Rick Flag Sr.'s quest for revenge against Peacemaker for killing his son in *The Suicide Squad*.[20](https://www.gamesradar.com/dc-james-gunn-movies-shows-dcu-chapter-one-gods-and-monsters/) Separately, that season confirmed with a line of dialogue that David Ayer's 2016 *Suicide Squad* is also canon in the DCU, a film previously believed to sit independently of Gunn's.[21](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/peacemaker-season-2-just-confirmed-david-ayers-suicide-squad-movie-is-canon-in-the-dcu-with-a-simple-line-of-dialog)
## References
1. [The Suicide Squad (2021), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6334354/)
2. [McDonald, MPhil thesis on soft reboots, University of Glasgow (2023)](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/84348/1/2023McDonaldMPhil%28R%29.pdf)
3. [The Suicide Squad (2021), DC.com](https://www.dc.com/movies/the-suicide-squad-2021)
4. [The Suicide Squad (2021), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suicide-Squad-The-%282021%29?mobile-app=true&theme=wiki)
5. [The Suicide Squad (2021), movie.guru](https://movie.guru/the-suicide-squad-movie-review)
6. [Here Are All the Upcoming DCEU Movies and TV Shows After The Suicide Squad, Time](https://time.com/6083354/suicide-squad-dc-movies-future/)
7. [Crosby, J. (2022), PhD thesis, Newcastle University](https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/bitstream/10443/5648/1/Crosby%20J%202022.pdf)
8. ['The Suicide Squad' Producer Charles Roven Interview, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/582188/the-suicide-squad-charles-roven-interview/)
9. [How James Gunn's THE SUICIDE SQUAD Is a Standalone Film, Nerdist](https://nerdist.com/article/how-the-suicide-squad-is-standalone-film-interview-james-gunn-set-visit-dc-comics/)
10. [How 'The Suicide Squad' Ties Into the Rest of the DCEU, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/how-the-suicide-squad-ties-into-the-rest-of-the-dceu/)
11. [Everything We Know About The Suicide Squad, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/everything-we-know-about-the-suicide-squad/)
12. [Why The Suicide Squad Is Getting Revisited Revealed By Producer, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/why-the-suicide-squad-is-being-revisited-dc-movies/)
13. [James Gunn's Suicide Squad: Everything We Know About The DC Reboot, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/james-gunns-suicide-squad-everything-we-know-about-the-dc-reboot/2900-3481/)
14. ['Suicide Squad' Showdown, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/showdown/sd2419783172/)
15. [The Suicide Squad (2021) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6334354/awards/)
16. [The Suicide Squad (2021), BBFC case study](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studies/the-suicide-squad-2021)
17. [Classification Review Board decision, The Suicide Squad (15 June 2021)](https://www.classification.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/classification-review-board-reasons-for-decision-the-suicide-squad_1.pdf)
18. [How The Suicide Squad End-Credits Scene Sets Up the Future of the DCEU, Time](https://time.com/6083307/the-suicide-squad-end-credits-scene/)
19. [DCU timeline: all DC movies and TV shows in chronological order, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/dcu-timeline-movies-tv-shows-order/)
20. [DCU Chapter One: Every movie and show in the new DC cinematic universe, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/dc-james-gunn-movies-shows-dcu-chapter-one-gods-and-monsters/)
21. [Peacemaker season 2 just confirmed David Ayer's Suicide Squad movie is canon in the DCU, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/peacemaker-season-2-just-confirmed-david-ayers-suicide-squad-movie-is-canon-in-the-dcu-with-a-simple-line-of-dialog)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Superhero and comic-franchise film entries › Comic films of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license