On the heels of the two new TV spots for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice comes another look at Suicide Squad, David Ayer’s take on the rag-tag team of super-villains who come together to defeat a threat far more villainous than their mischief combined. In addition to the new photo, Ayer and Ben Affleck tease Batman’s cameo in the upcoming film, while Zack Snyder, Affleck and Henry Cavill talk Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman and the future of the DCU.

Not to be outdone by the epic things Marvel is doing, Snyder’s plans for the DCU are equally as ambitious, if not more so given how untested some of these characters are on the big screen. Take the Suicide Squad, for instance, who have assembled in this new cast photo from Ayer’s rowdy upcoming film (via USA Today), which promises to be a sort of anti-Avengers:

 

Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
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Pictured are Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Deadshot (Will Smith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara). Also on board for the film is Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), with many speculating that she could be the powerful villain that inspires Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller to assemble this group of psychopaths in the first place.

And let’s not forget Jared Leto’s Joker, whom Ayer says is far beyond bad and evil, noting “He’s the king of Planet Joker.” As for what makes Suicide Squad more interesting than your average superhero film, Ayer explains the obvious to USA Today:

 

We all need good guys and everything — yay, good guys — but at the end of the day, they’re kinda boring. They’re always going to do the right thing. When you’re dealing with the baddies, it’s easy to get ahead of the audience and invert expectations.

 

And thanks to set photos and a quick glimpse of the Dark Knight in the trailer, we know Ben Affleck’s Batman is making a cameo in the film, of which Ayer says:

 

‘We made him fight,’ the director says with a laugh. ‘He’s awesome (as Batman). … You really sense that but for the grace of God he himself would be doing some really foul stuff out in the world.’

 

Speaking of Batman, Affleck talks about taking on the iconic role for the DCU, which won’t rehash his origin story (thankfully). The actor calls his Batman “burnt out” and in the midst of an “existential crisis,” and explains the difference between the caped crusader and his civilian alter ego:

 

Batman is covered up by a suit and sometimes a car and sometimes a lot of vehicles and weapons, whereas Bruce Wayne is much more naked — it’s just you and a suit of clothes.

You can’t really play Batman because Batman is different things to different people. We project our own things onto the mythology of what Batman is, and he has to be able to be projected upon. With Bruce Wayne, you have to bring something distinct and new and different.

 

For his part, Cavill seems to validate Bruce Wayne’s concerns about Superman with this fierce description of the superhero:

 

He can sure as hell take Batman out if he wants to, and Batman takes advantage of that.

 

Although the pair will come to blows in Batman v Superman, they’ll inevitably be forced to team up to combat a mutual enemy: Lex Luthor. And they won’t be alone, as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is set to make her DCU debut in the film. Gadot is currently filming the Wonder Woman solo film with director Patty Jenkins, and Snyder had something quite thoughtful to say about the importance of that film in the Justice League franchise:

 

She’s a powerful female superhero, which is a thing we haven’t had for a while. She’s a piece of IP that basically exists in pop culture in a way where every kid’s got a Wonder Woman T-shirt and they don’t really know why. I want to give the why back to that.

 

That may very well be the smartest thing Snyder has said about his DCU plans so far.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017 and Justice League: Part One on November 17, 2017.

 

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