The Three Suicide Squad Stars You Didn't Realize Starred In What If...?
Everybody loves a good Marvel and DC crossover. The Coke and Pepsi of the superhero world, the competing companies are so large that it's inevitable that some talent in one arena is bound to appear in the other as well. Even though in 99% of cases, the actors are playing entirely different characters, it's still fun to have their likenesses appear in both competing multiverses.
To that end, it certainly looks like fans are going to have a lot of fun hearing the various voice actors lending their talents to Marvel's animated Disney+ series, "What If...?" The forthcoming series follows the Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright), the all-seeing guide on this journey across all the various timelines and lost threads of fate pruned by the Marvel multiverse — a concept set up by the mind-melting series "Loki."
Here are a few of the voices you can expect to hear in both "What If...?" and DC Entertainment's "The Suicide Squad."
Michael Rooker plays both Guardians of the Galaxy's Yondu and The Suicide Squad's Savant
The occasionally intimidating but always charismatic Michael Rooker had his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014's blockbuster hit "Guardians of the Galaxy," in which he plays Yondu, the spacefaring, morally gray, blue-skinned father figure to protagonist Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). Rooker reprised the role in 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," and he returned to it yet again as a voice actor in an episode of "What If...?" — the one in which he abducts and adopts King T'Challa (voiced posthumously by Chadwick Boseman) instead of Quill.
Rooker also appears as the vigilante hacker Brian Durlin, also known simply as Savant. As the name suggests, the villain is a genius with computers, using his skills in pursuit of lucrative crime after being turned off from vigilante heroism by Batman himself. Unfortunately, he also struggles with his memory, at least in some iterations of the character. Whether or not he'll remember voicing Yondu is a question "The Suicide Squad" is unlikely to address.
Sean Gunn plays both Guardians of the Galaxy's Kraglin and The Suicide Squad's Weasel
Michael Rooker isn't the only actor appearing in both "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "The Suicide Squad," and that isn't as much of a coincidence as you might think. James Gunn is the director and writer on both films, and it would follow that Rooker's appearance in both might have something to do with the director's connection to the actor. We're even more certain the writer-director's connection to Sean Gunn played a role in the dual casting — they're brothers.
In "Guardians of the Galaxy," Sean Gunn plays Yondu's right-hand man, Kraglin. He also provides the motion capture for Rocket when filming on set, before Bradley Cooper voices the racoon and the unbelievably skilled animators bring him to life. He also reprises the role as Kraglin's voice actor in "What If...?"
In "The Suicide Squad," Sean Gunn plays Weasel, otherwise known as the Calendar Man, a "tormented college professor turned serial killer," according to our explainer on the character's origins.
David Dastmalchian plays both Ant-Man's Kurt and The Suicide Squad's Polka-Dot Man
"Guardians of the Galaxy" isn't the only Marvel property that shares cast members with "The Suicide Squad," though. David Dastmalchian has performances in both universes. His hilarious, understated delivery made his character Kurt in "Ant-Man" and its sequel, "Ant-Man and the Wasp," a fan favorite. Not a superhero or supervillain, Kurt is simply a buddy of Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, one whose hacking abilities may not quite match up to those of Savant, but still manage to get the gang into and out of plenty of trouble. Like all the other actors here, Dastmalchian is also providing a voice performance for the character in "What If...?"
In "The Suicide Squad," Dastmalchian plays the ridiculous Polka-Dot Man, who simply has to be seen to be believed. It's clear that this is not a movie that intends to take itself seriously, and that's one of the most exciting things about it.
"The Suicide Squad" lands on August 5 in theaters and on HBO Max. "What If...?" premieres exclusively on Disney+ on August 11, with new episodes streaming weekly on Wednesdays.