Batman is expected to cast a long shadow over the events of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, and not just because he’s probably responsible for most – if not all – of the characters featured in the super-villain team up being in jail. As details of Ayer’s Suicide Squad come to light, we are learning how the Caped Crusader could be used on screen, and how his involvement clears up other details about the rest of the developing DC Cinematic Universe.
The latest rumor swirling around the pre-production of Suicide Squad comes from the reliable Umberto Gonzalez of Latino-Review, who posts juicy information regarding the Batman on his Instagram page. According to his sources, the Batman (which, we assume, means the Ben Affleck version from Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) is "some sort of big boogeyman" who is despised and feared by the government. The report says that prior to the events of Snyder’s movie, the only person who has had any real contact with the Dark Knight is The Joker (played, in Squad, by Jared Leto). And this is a key reason why the character of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is desperate to work with the Joker. She needs to know more about the Batman.
It doesn’t stop there. Gonzalez notes that the government has footage of the Batman in action, which they watch. In turn, they believe that Batman is "the key to tracking down all ‘the supers,’" which is a term we have heard referenced often when it comes to the plot of Suicide Squad.
This raises a ton of questions. We have been hearing for a while that Ben Affleck’s version of Batman will be older, grizzled, and heavily experienced. We were led to believe that this meant that he has been front and center in Gotham for a very long time. Yet nobody knows him? Sure, Batman is a hero who prides himself on occupying the shadows. And yes, we had heard that Commissioner Jim Gordon – a usual colleague of the Dark Knight – would not be part of this universe. But to have Batman be such a mystery is an unusual approach.
Also keep in mind that David Ayer has been rewriting the Suicide Squad screenplay as of late, and this possibly is in response to several key details being leaked out of the production and on to the web. Casting rumors are one thing. But when important details about the possible use of a character like Batman surface online, I begin to wonder if these storylines are accurate… or if they might possibly be changed between now and the start of filming.
Suicide Squad unites a band of villains on a series of deadly missions through the DC Cinematic Universe. It’s expected in theaters on August 5, 2016.
