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The Suicide Squad is shaping up to be one of the most unique entries in the DC Extended Universe so far, and this can be attributed to some of the unexpected creative choices made by writer/director James Gunn. The filmmaker has assembled an eclectic cast of characters for his bloody, comic book tale, as he’s stepping into corners of the mythology that are a bit zany. One of the ways he’s done this is by including DC Comics’ Starro as “one of” the film’s villains. It was a nice surprise to see the character, and Gunn has now explained why he chose to include it.
James Gunn is a longtime comic book fan, having enjoyed adventures in the worlds of both DC and Marvel for decades. So he’s well aware of some of the weirder characters in both continuities, with Starro being a prime example of this. And based on Gunn’s recent comments, it sounds like he had very personal reasons for wanting to introduce the extraterrestrial in The Suicide Squad:
Starro is hilarious because he’s ridiculous. He’s a giant, cerulean blue starfish, but he’s also fucking terrifying. When I was a kid I thought that was the scariest thing of all time… and I think that exemplifies what this movie is: it is ridiculous and it’s also terrifying, and serious. So he works really well as the villain of the movie—as one of the villains, actually.
It’s honestly hard to argue with the sentiments James Gunn recently shared with Den of Geek. On the surface, the idea of a giant starfish-like creature does seem kind of ridiculous but, given more thought, such a being is pretty horrifying. Any hardcore kaiju fan would likely agree with Gunn as well, especially in light of what’s been seen in the MonsterVerse over the past several years.
Starro may still seem corny to some, but he’s definitely proven to be a worthy adversary in the pages of DC Comics. Since the character’s introduction in The Brave and the Bold in 1960, it’s faced off with numerous heroes in the DC Universe, having served as a major obstacle for even the Justice League on multiple occasions. Starro has become quite a staple within DC lore, even making his way to animated shows like Batman Beyond and Young Justice. Both of those shows can be streamed on HBO Max, which you can sign up for using this link.
It remains to be seen how Starro figures into James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, but one would imagine that the character’s not just being used for show. Gunn is likely to have big plans for the villain, and they probably won’t be good for Task Force X.
The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6, 2021.
