The DCCU will launch in earnest with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on March 25, 2016, but then take a sharp, left turn with the next film in the series, Suicide Squad, which features villains instead of heroes. But supervillains are typically defined by their superheroes, so where’s Batman (Ben Affleck) in a movie full of his rogues?
According to Latino Review’s El Mayimbe, the Bat is a “boogeyman” and hated by the government to the point where Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) wants to meet the Joker (Jared Leto), who is “the only one to really ever meet him or know him.”:
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Details about THE GOD DAMN #BATMAN in #SUICIDESQUAD! #SPOILER #WARNING According to sources, in the film Batman is some sort of big boogeyman that the government REALLY hates. Get this, prior to the events in #BatmanvSuperman, THE JOKER is the only one to really ever meet him or know him and that's why he's so important to Amanda Waller. They have footage of Batman in action which they watch. There is a bit of dialogue where they say Batman is the key to tracking down all "the supers." Very cool stuff.
Assuming Mayimbe’s information is correct, Suicide Squad is still vital in building up to Justice League (which opens November 17, 2017) by gearing up to get to all of the other superheroes (although calling them “the Supers” sounds like they all manage buildings). However, we still don’t know if this is the central thrust of the plot, or just the connective tissue to the larger DCCU.
We previously reported that Waller meets Joker in jail, and if that’s the case, this could all be side story with Waller and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) working as a conduit between the Joker/Batman with the rest of the Suicide Squad off on an independent mission.
Will there be any connection from Batman v Superman to Suicide Squad other than two characters watching some footage? There’s been a rumor of Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) showing up, but we’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out. In the meantime, footage may not be the most cinematic way to bring in Batman, but it may be the most cost-effective route if you don’t want to pay Ben Affleck to show up for a brief role.
Suicide Squad opens August 5, 2016.
