The Superhero Showdown James Gunn Wanted In The Suicide Squad
James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" gave us one of the most bizarre villains we've ever seen in a superhero film. Starro the Conqueror is a very unique bad guy who has an utterly terrifying power. The giant pink and blue starfish releases thousands of mini minions that attach themselves to the faces of its victims and puts them under mind control. Starro might have looked absolutely ridiculous in the movie, but Gunn made sure he looked as true to his comic book form as possible, and he hit the nail right on the head.
Starro is only present in the film's third act, and we aren't privy to what's being held in Jotunheim until Peacemaker (John Cena), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Ratchcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) make their way to the basement. As exciting as the reveal of Starro was, there was almost an entirely different version of the film where the big bad Starfish didn't exist. Gunn initially wanted another villain for the film, and it's someone you'd probably never expected.
James Gunn wanted a fan-favorite as The Suicide Squad's villain
In a new interview with Al Horner on the "Script Apart" podcast, James Gunn revealed Superman was almost the villain in "The Suicide Squad." It was one of the director's first thoughts when it came to who the big bad should be, and Gunn thought the Man of Steel himself would have been perfect for the part. "I thought that was a very interesting story," Gunn revealed on the podcast. He eventually scrapped the idea and the writer/director pivoted to Starro the Conqueror. "He's a character I love from the comics. I think he's a perfect comic book character because he's absolutely ludicrous but also very scary in his own way. What he does is scary," Gunn added.
Gunn also admitted that the uncertainty of Superman's future in the DCEU also had a role in him deciding to scrap the idea. "At the time, there were a lot of questions like, 'Who is Superman in the DCEU? Is this movie outside the DCEU?', and I just didn't want to deal with it all that much," he continued. Superman's future — specifically Henry Cavill's — in the DCEU is still very much in the air despite the constant fight from fans to keep the actor in the role. Gunn's decision to pivot to Starro was the right call, but we're sure either script would have played out just fine.