Suicide Squad: 10 Unpopular Opinions About The Comic Books, According To Reddit
With The Suicide Squad film a critical hit with audiences, unpopular opinions about the comics have since appeared on Reddit.
Debates about comics book characters can be found just about anywhere. With The Suicide Squad being a hit with fans this summer, opinions about the comics are sure to come up. Some less-than-popular opinions could be just the thing to throw in for the next debate. And there's nowhere better to look for dissenting perspectives than Reddit.
Redditors in various comic book subreddits say whatever they're thinking about pretty much any comic character, Suicide Squad included. Whether it be about who should be on the team, or even about Amanda Waller's questionable methods, there are plenty of unpopular opinions to find about DC's team of antiheroes.
10 Solomon Grundy Can't Be On The Squad
In the "DC Comics" subreddit, comic fans proposed some potential candidates to join the Squad. After ArtsyTLF suggested Solomon Grundy, an anonymous user said, "How would Grundy work on the squad? He takes orders fine, but he can't die. They'd blow his head off and he'd just grow it back."
ArtsyTLF points out, "Perhaps he just wants a redemption, and a team to do it with." But the unpopularity of the opinion is obvious. Yes, Grundy can't die, but as the user points out, "He takes order(s) fine." When it comes down to it, that is the primary thing Amanda Waller is looking for in her Squad. Not being able to die doesn't matter when the villain will follow Waller's number one rule: don't question her authority.
9 The Rogues Should Make Up The Whole Squad
Most of the Flash's coolest villains ever belong to a group called the Rogues. In "DC Comics," LuigiEatsPopcorn says, "If they made a Suicide Squad book composed entirely of the Rogues, written by Brian Buccellato, [it] would be the absolute best book..."
The flaw here is that the Rogues have a specific code for what crimes they'll commit. Therefore, they work better just as the Rogues. Doing missions where they'd have to kill or be killed would take away from what makes them who they are. Having Captain Boomerang in the Squad works well, but that should be it. To add every Rogue would alter the formula of their team, and then a Suicide Squad of Rogues wouldn't mean much anyway.
8 Squad Members Don't Actually Earn Their Freedom
In "Ask Science Fiction," Rocketbot99 asks if any members of the Squad actually earned reduced sentences or get released. In response, an anonymous user argues "No, that's not what the Suicide Squad is. It's in the name. The offering of freedom is just the carrot to the stick that is [the] bombs in their brains. Just another one of Waller's manipulations to get what she wants."
Plenty of users jump in to disprove this. Some of them refer to characters such as Deadshot who have been released, and another mentions the fact that Batman investigates Belle Reve to figure out why villains are being let out of prison. Notably, Droppedelbow says, "The previous response is wrong. There have been people released. I don't think they've read all of the comics and are just guessing."
7 Amanda Waller Wants The Betterment Of Mankind
An anonymous user claims that "[Waller would] rather have a group working for the government that is controlled and focused for the betterment of mankind, even if that means making unpopular decisions." Well, that's half right.
Waller does prefer villains she can control, but she proves time and time again that her work isn't for the betterment of mankind; instead, it's for the U.S. government. Waller is willing to risk more than villains' lives to get what she wants, and sometimes what she wants is to cover up something the U.S. did.
6 Morally Grey Characters Should Replace The Villains
In "DC Comics," NomadicJaguar64t says that the Squad shouldn't be "made out of unrepentant villains, but rather morally grey characters who seek redemption and they feel one way to do it is to risk their lives on the most dangerous missions."
The entire point of Suicide Squad is to use villains on the team, so it would lose its defining trait to lose the villains. And DC can still use villains and have a few of them who seek redemption. For instance, Harley Quinn has become one of DC's most wholesome characters who does good deeds instead of remaining the Joker's murderous sidekick. Boomerang is a member of the Rogues, who have a specific moral code despite being criminals. The Squad can still have redemptive stories with an all-villain lineup.
5 Amanda Waller Has Too Many "Secrets"
In "DC Comics," Remkai says, "[Waller] doesn't need to be in charge of every 'secret' team and covert mission out there." Hunter_frzr responds, "That's another thing [I don't like]! Everything secret is hers." The point of Amanda Waller doing whatever cruel thing she deems necessary is that she's the ultimate covert government figure. She's supposed to know everything and be one step ahead of everyone else. Saying she has too many secrets is like saying Batman has too many fighting skills. She wouldn't be Amanda Waller without them.
4 Ratcatcher Is "Bottom Of The Barrel"
Here's a case of an opinion not aging well. In "DC Comics," Neonrideraryeh lists Ratcatcher among their ideal members of the Squad. Daxdaxdax says, "You really scraped the bottom of the barrel for that roster." Neonrider responds, "Waller will be blowing their heads clean off in no time!"
Little did these two know that their comments would be proved wrong by James Gunn's 2021 film. While they were obviously referring to the original Ratcatcher, Otis Flannegan, Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher 2 was the one of best characters in The Suicide Squad. Not only that, she was one of just four characters still standing at the end (not counting Peacemaker). Gunn proved these Redditors wrong in a big way.
3 Only The Original John Ostrander Comics Are Good
ChaseMagnett in "Comic Books" says, "Read the original Suicide Squad that ran from 1987-1992 and nothing else. There have been some decent issues in more modern runs... but most of it is pretty terrible and I'm being generous." Quite a bold opinion for a comic team that's remained popular for three decades.
Other Redditors agree Ostrander's original Suicide Squad comics are the best with Gunn himself stating to Comic Book that the writer's run influenced The Suicide Squad. Yet while Ostrander's seminal work is great, there are other good Suicide Squad stories fans should check out. Rob Williams and Jim Lee's The Black Vault storyline is a great modern take on the team while Tom Taylor's recent run on the series radically redefined the concept and direction of the team as it currently exists in the DC Universe.
2 Not Enough Characters Die For It To Be Called "Suicide Squad"
The villains being used could die while doing their mission, or they could have their heads blown off if they don't do it. But Sierra_Romeo says in "DC Comics," "My biggest problem is that for a group called 'SUICIDE SQUAD,' hardly anyone ever dies. Even if they do, it's a new member who's clearly a redshirt. I know they're now A or B list characters, but give me a new roster of D-listers that die and get replaced on a regular basis."
In response, TheSenateRises points to a 2018 Suicide Squad Annual issue with a D-list roster, and (spoiler alert) 6 of the 7 characters die. Others mention that in John Ostrander's books, he developed characters before they died, but it wouldn't be too regular because then the team would be quickly depleted. "Redshirts" need to die to raise the stakes, but part of the draw of comics is to come back and read stories with classic characters in them.
1 Amanda Waller Should Be Killed Off
It's no secret that Amanda Waller is a cruel person who will stop at nothing to get the job done. But in "DC Comics," another opinion from NomadicJaguar64t reveals "If I were in control of the book, I would kill off Waller. I would build it up, showcase how what she is doing is horrific and immoral, and have a member of the Squad turn on her."
While some sort of comeuppance for Waller would make sense, it's an overstep to kill her. Without her, there is no Suicide Squad. The user recommends Rick Flag or Deadshot taking her place, but it seems likely those characters would disband the Squad rather than continue it. Plus, DC would be killing off a really interesting character.