David Ayer's Suicide Squad proved to be about as divisive as a comic book movie can possibly be. Don't get me wrong, over $500 million at the global box office is nothing to scoff at, but the latest DCEU adventure doesn't even come close to the critical and commercial acclaim of some of the other major superhero blockbusters we've seen. We're not calling Suicide Squad a definitive failure, but something about the offbeat supervillain romp just didn't feel quite right.
With that in mind, we may have figured out how DC can turn Task Force X around and bring audiences a perfect Suicide Squad story: adapt it to the small screen. Suicide Squad undoubtedly made for a fun cinematic outing, but so many aspects of Amanda Waller's ragtag group of misfits feel tailor-made for the booming world of comic book television. We've compiled a list of the five main reasons why Suicide Squad should scale down for the small screen. Take a look at our points and let us know what you think! Now let's get started with one of Suicide Squad's most defining characteristics...
Suicide Squad Doesn't Require Well-Known Characters
Sure, Suicide Squad features some striking appearances by Batman and The Joker, but its core ensemble generally felt populated by far less mainstream DC characters. Badasses like Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Katana, and El Diablo carried the emotional weight David Ayer's recent silver screen outing, and that's kind of the point. Much like Iron Man did for Marvel, Suicide Squad proved that B and C-list characters can often have the richest and most compelling stories to tell. A Suicide Squad TV series wouldn't need to fork over money for DC's heavy-hitters because that's not why people like Suicide Squad to begin with. This allows a series to dig deep into the comic book source material and fill the show out with innumerable obscure (read: cheap) heroes and villains. There exists an entire roster of unknown DC characters out there just waiting to have their stories told, and we want to see them.
It's Designed For A Rotating Cast
Be honest with yourself; when you see a big name like Will Smith or Margot Robbie in a movie you can pretty much feel confident knowing that they will survive. It ruins the drama. If The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones proved one thing, it's that audiences enjoy high-stakes television where nobody can be considered safe. Arguably no other comic book property epitomizes that awesome idea more than Suicide Squad. The entire premise of Task Force X hinges on the idea that Amanda Waller can replace any of these DC villains and anti-heroes if they go down on a given mission, meaning that every episode presents audiences with the distinct possibility that their favorite bad guy may finally bite the dust. Most superhero-based TV shows retain relatively consistent lineups, but a Suicide Squad series could feature an unprecedented body count, and that's what we want.
Suicide Squad Doesn't Need Large-Scale Action To Work
One area where David Ayer's Suicide Squad faltered was in the sheer scope of the world-ending threat posed by Enchantress and Incubus. It completely missed the point; Task Force X primarily goes on covert missions. We don't need to see them facing off against apocalyptic threats, because that's not even the appeal of this group. An episode of Justice League Unlimited from 2005 epitomized this when the team infiltrated the Justice League's Watchtower -- they felt terrified to encounter the heroes of the League. Even the members of the Suicide Squad that do have powers typically don't have abilities that could level cities, and TV is the perfect medium to showcase these subtle, more contained adventures. Bring us more gritty, street-level action, and less wide-spread destruction.
DC Television Already Isn't Afraid To Go Dark
Regardless of what you may or may not think about the current state of The CW's Arrow, there's no denying that its first two seasons (the first in particular) proved that the show had the stones to take the DC mythos to a very dark place for broadcast television. DC continued to double down on that promise by giving us Gotham in 2014, and even allowing more lighthearted romps like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow to take a break from the chuckles every once in a while. Detective Comics has a proven track record of gripping and gritty storytelling in the world of television, and a Suicide Squad TV series could even allow them to compete with the likes of Daredevil and Jessica Jones. After all, suicide missions are about as dark as comic book stories get.
Task Force X Already Exists In The Arrow-Verse
This might represent the most obvious reason as to why a Suicide Squad TV series could actually work: Task Force X already exists within the Arrow-verse. The Emerald Archer's solo series has featured the Suicide Squad on numerous occasions, and these episodes almost always became season highlights. Actress Willa Holland recently came out and lamented the fact that Warner Bros. prevented more Task Force X adventures on TV because of the Suicide Squad movie, but it's not too late for DC to walk back on that. Amanda Waller's team of supervillains has already proven that it can work well in a beloved superhero television universe; it only makes sense to expand on that.
