History Film / SuicideSquad2016

To me... ♫]]''

Nothing really matters to me ♫]]''

->''[[Music/{{Queen}} ♫ Nothing really matters,\\
Anyone can see,\\
Nothing really matters,\\
Nothing really matters to me...♫]]''

->''"[[Music/{{Queen}} ♫ Nothing really matters,\\

Nothing really matters to me...♫]]"''

Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,

->''"[[Music/{{Queen}} ♫Nothing really matters,\\

->''"[[Music/{{Queen}} ♫ Nothing really matters to me... ♫]]"''

->''"[[Music/{{Queen}} Nothing really matters to me...]]"''

** Poor Harley Quinn gets a rare vagina-shot from The Enchantress during the final fight at the climax while the Squad is trying to put a stop to the witch's plans. It briefly puts Harley briefly out of the fight.

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: When [[MsFanservice Harley Quinn]] switches from her prison uniform to her signature clothes in the middle of a military base, ''everyone'' stops to ogle her, including at least one prominently presented female soldier.

* TokenEvilTeammate: Among the crew of criminals, only two are treated with little to no noble qualities, Captain Boomerang and Slipknot. [[spoiler:Slipknot is killed early on to prove the bomb is real, preventing any further development of his character]]. In contrast every other member of the team seemed to find some inner peace after dealing with the main threat.

* GroinAttack: The Enchantress delivers one to Harley during the final fight while the Squad is trying to put a stop to the witch's plans.

[[folder:A-F]]

** Similar to her depiction in ''Film/GreenLantern2011'', Creator/ViolaDavis is far more slender and attractive than the original comics version of Amanda Waller, who is heavy set and weathered with age. Although, compared to the [[FanservicePack younger, taller, and more slender version]] seen in ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, she is closer to the former than the latter.
** Metal teeth, lack of eyebrows, and tattoos aside, the Joker's still being played by the very attractive real life PrettyBoy Creator/JaredLeto and taking the [[Film/Batman1989 last]] [[Film/TheDarkKnight two]] Joker incarnations into account. [[spoiler: There is also a glimpse of what the Joker would look like as a normal person, which is basically Jared Leto without any of the make-up or teeth. Because of what we are accustomed to, [[UncannyValley it's disturbing]].]]

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Evident in how the characters function as conventional protagonists for the genre despite being villains. Most apparent with Deadshot and Boomerang, the former being much less sociopathic and [[spoiler: even sparing Harley when killing her would have led to custody of his daughter,]] and the latter having his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendencies severely downplayed. In addition, the Joker's love for Harley seems genuine rather than simply pragmatic use, [[spoiler: even going far as rescuing her twice.]]
* AdaptationalSkimpiness: Enchantress wore full-length dresses in the comics while the film has her in something of a ChainmailBikini. However, the fact she looks like she is rotting away skews it more towards FanDisservice. [[spoiler: Downplayed when she is given power by Incubus to sustain her until she regains her heart in the third act. In these scenes, she wears a dress that still shows skin but is most definitely not just a ChainmailBikini.]]

** While Amanda Waller is morally questionable at best, [[spoiler: shooting her interns and assistants because they didn't have a high enough clearance]] is a new low. Waller's also shown to be dramatically more of a coward than in the comics, notably prioritizing her own survival over stopping the BigBad. In the comics, she has insisted upon her own ExplosiveLeash as a contingency to avoid her ever compromising a mission.

** The team is made up of characters from both the original 80's series and the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' era reboot. The designs of some of the costumes (specifically, Deadshot's, Katana's, and Harley's) seem to be inspired by the latter.

* AnAesop: Nobody, no matter what they've done, ever thinks of themselves as being "the bad guy." Everyone is the hero of their own story.

* TheAtoner: Diablo initially refused to use his powers, out of remorse [[spoiler: for killing his family using them]].

* BadassInANiceSuit: Joker is wearing a tuxedo when [[spoiler: rescuing Harley from the Squad]].

* BadassNormal

** The Special Forces troops that accompany the Suicide Squad on the mission. While they mostly serve as {{Red Shirt}}s through the course of the movie, a handful of them survive to the final confrontation. [[spoiler: the last one dies helping take down Incubus with a bomb.]]

** Amanda Waller treats the Squad as expendable cannon fodder. [[spoiler: She also has no qualms about straight up murdering all the staff in her control room because they knew too much.]]
** Waller also emotionally compromises Flag to keep him under her control. [[spoiler: This is a dramatic failure, as Flag allows Enchantress the time to operate unhindered because he's worried how Waller would react.]]

* BattleStrip: Killer Croc pulls off his shirt before one fight. [[spoiler: Justified, as the fight is going to be underwater.]]

-->'''Flag:''' ''[Telling the Suicide Squad they have nano-bombs implanted in their necks]'' You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You otherwise irritate or vex me, guess what... you die.\\

''[Harley gives a faux naughty-child look and pouts.]''
* BittersweetEnding: The Suicide Squad saved the world...[[spoiler:but Diablo is dead]] and despite their work, all of them have to go back to jail. Waller faces no comeuppance [[spoiler:for her crimes]], but she gives the team what they asked for (i.e. Deadshot getting to visit his daughter, etc). Also, in the end, Joker breaks Harley (and maybe Deadshot, Croc and Boomerang for kicks) out.

* BlatantLies
** The government's cover story for what prompted the evacuation of Midway City is that terrorists with machine guns and chemical weapons attacked it...all the while a massive swirling vortex of mystic energy and flying debris around a PillarOfLight can be seen hovering over the downtown. This is lampshaded by Deadshot, who tells Flag that he's an awful liar.

* BlingBlingBang: Joker wields a gold-plated Type 56-1 when he [[spoiler: arrives to pick up Harley in Midway City]].
* BodyguardCrush: Flag was assigned to guard and watch Doctor Moone (who is possessed by Enchantress), and inevitably they fall for each other. [[spoiler: [[InvokedTrope Which is how Waller planned to control Flag.]]]]
* BodyHorror: Enchantress, [[spoiler: Incubus]] and their army of meat puppets. The meat puppets, who are named in the behind-the-scenes extras as the "Eyes of the Adversary," so named because their heads are covered with entirely black eyes. At least Enchantress and Incubus have the proper number of facial body parts.
* BookEnds:
** The movie starts with various members of TheTeam in their cells with a rocking soundtrack, specifically Deadshot using his mattress as a makeshift punching bag and Harley doing rope gymnastics in her cell. The end of the movie has the group back in their cells, but subverted for [[spoiler: Harley who gets broken out by Joker]].
** The movie starts with Amanda Waller having dinner to discuss the creation of group of supervillains, and ends with her having dinner with Bruce Wayne while discussing the creation of a group of superheroes.

* BrokenMasquerade: Depicts another stage of the masquerade being broken that began in ''Film/ManOfSteel'' with the Kryptonian invasion and Superman's arrival. Other superpowered individuals and the existence of magic is still not public knowledge even to high ranking government officials, and the events of the film start pushing the envelope open even further.

--->'''Boomerang''': Aah, you think you're the fire bloke, eh? Well looky 'ere (''opens his lighter''). ''FIRE''. Ooooh!

** The Flash is seen--very briefly--stopping a robbery carried out by Captain Boomerang, leading to his arrest and eventual sentence to Belle Reve. The telltale sign of Flash's presence is the lightning that erupts in front of him.

'''Harley Quinn:''' *rolls eyes* We're bad guys. It's what we do!
* CassandraTruth: Diablo early on refers to his powers as "he" and says "That man is dead". Flag ignores it, but he and Amanda Waller clearly are slightly confused on why he does that and clearly think he's lying to get out of the squad. Turns out, [[spoiler: he does have some sort of a separate entity inside him like Enchantress. It's a little unclear though how much of this is a persona he uses to keep things separate now or if he does have some sort of an Aztec fire god inside of him.]]

-->'''Diablo''': I've lost one family already; I won't lose one I have now.

-->'''Joker''': Oh, I'm not gonna kill ya… I'm just going hurt ya really, ''really'' bad.

* CombatStilettos: Harley wears spike heels both before and after becoming superpowered - but she only fights in them after her transformation. Actress Margot Robbie noted that this made the movie [[HighHeelHurt very painful to film]], but it doesn't slow Harley herself down at all.

** It's zigzagged with the actual team name. The term "suicide squad" is used only once. The rest of the time, the group is referred to as "Taskforce X." (Which in the comics is the name of the agency overseeing Suicide Squad.)
* CompanionCube: Boomerang keeps a fluffy pink unicorn in his coat. He seems unusually attached to it, and calls it "Pinkie."
* ConcealmentEqualsCover: The Squad end up getting ambushed by [[spoiler: The Joker in a helicopter laying down a stream of minigun fire, and most of them manage to take cover behind rooftop HVAC units, which the minigun would have shredded through in short order in real life.]] [[note]]Unless, of course, [[CrazyPrepared Waller had them reinforced against just that sort of contingency]], or Joker was using underpowered rounds so he'd be slightly less likely to accidentally shoot Harley.[[/note]]

-->'''Amanda Waller:''' ''"[[BrokenMasquerade The world changed when Superman flew above us]]."''\\
(Sidewalk vendor shows her [[TheCape a Superman T-shirt]])\\
'''Waller:''' ''"[[GameChanger It changed again when he stopped]]."''\\
(Vendor turns the shirt over [[OurHeroIsDead showing "Remember" on the back]])

* CeilingSmash: In a flashback, Killer Croc takes on a SWAT team in the sewers and at one point, slams an officer into the ceiling of the tunnel.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler: Enchantress and her brother Incubus are extra-dimensional entities worshiped as gods in the distant past, and are the BigBadDuumvirate of the film. The Suicide Squad manage to kill Incubus via Diablo tapping into a "[[LetsGetDangerous fire god]]" mode and directing him over a powerful demolition charge. Enchantress herself has an AchillesHeel, her heart, and can be used as either a torture device or, as happens in the film, crushed to kill her. Of course, being extra-dimensional entities it is unclear if they were killed or they no longer had a foothold on this dimension]].

--->'''Harley''': What was that? I should kill everyone and escape? Sorry... it's [[HearingVoices the voices]]. [{{Beat}}] Hahaha, I'm kidding! [[FalseReassurance That's not what they really said.]]

---> '''Boomerang:''' I'm not a thief. I'm an asset relocation specialist.

** Waller insinuates that Harley is even worse than Joker in some respects, saying she is crazier and more fearless. [[spoiler: The tattooed man at Joker's place appears to have been killed after having been caught between these two. He REALLY didn't want to incur Joker's wrath by making out with his woman, despite apparently having his blessing, but he also didn't want to disrespect Harley by insinuating she's not worth the effort to make out with.]]
** Waller herself. [[spoiler: She may be blackmailing Batman.]]

** Enchantress and Incubus are extra-dimensional entities that possess humans and used to be worshipped as gods, although their precise nature and origin are explained only in the vaguest of terms.
** This also appears to be the origin of [[spoiler: El Diablo's powers.]] This too is never really illuminated, and in fact it comes right out of left field.

-->'''Amanda Waller''': Maybe Superman was some kind of beacon for them to creep back from the shadows.

** Unlike [[MadLove most interpretations of their relationship]], the Joker actually seems to love Harley equally as much as she loves him. He's still an abusive asshole, but the abuse seems much more psychological and it obviously comes from a history of pain. (Not that that justifies it, of course).
** El Diablo is wracked with guilt over [[spoiler: killing his family when he let his temper get out of control.]]
** Enchantress [[spoiler: and her brother Incubus seem to genuinely love one another. Incubus has no problem sharing power with her until she gets her heart back, Enchantress is clearly horrified when Incubus is killed, and after her defeat she begs the Squad to finish her off and rejoin her with her brother.]]

** Deadshot seems downright disgusted when [[spoiler: Waller kills her staff for knowing too much.]] Despite being a professional assassin, he has a rule against killing women or children.
** The squad is clearly horrified/disgusted when they learn [[spoiler:El Diablo accidentally killed his wife and children]] with Harley yelling at him to own up to it. In her case, as an extra layer, her anger towards him could also mean self-hatred and jealousy, given [[spoiler: her dream of having a family.]]

---> '''Harley:''' I'm not much of a joiner... but maybe we should [[spoiler: join Enchantress.]]\\

* FanServicePack: The Enchantress [[spoiler: being empowered by her brother]] not only alters her costume, it also inexplicably makes her breasts bigger. This is implied to be her true form.

* FictionalCounterpart: Various behind the scenes photo's show various fictionalised versions of newspapers reporting "demonic killings" in what looks like a New York City set:

--> '''Deadshot:''' [referring to his mask] Every time I put this on, somebody dies.\\

* {{Foreshadowing}}: At one point Boomerang harasses El Diablo over him staying out of the fighting. El Diablo says you don't want him to cut loose, showing a brief wall of fire from his hand. [[spoiler: Inside the fire is a glimpse of his Fire God form]].
** When Griggs is held at gunpoint by Lawton, he instructs Aimes to be prepared to shoot Lawton and then clear his browser history. It sounds like a funny reference to his porn preferences [[spoiler: but it's likely to cover his tracks with his gambling debt and ties to the Joker]].

[[folder:G-L]]

** Likewise El Diablo, awakening his full power [[spoiler: turns himself into a colossal flaming skeleton wearing an Aztec feathered headdress.]]

* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: [[spoiler:The Squad and Flag heroically come and save the world from the Enchantress, despite having no incentive to do so, with El Diablo performing a HeroicSacrifice. Yet at the end of it they go right back where they started with Waller putting them back in their cells, and even getting her own incompetence and abuses covered up by Bruce Wayne. No one knows that they saved the world]].

* HearingVoices: Harley claims she has voices in her head telling her to do… [[NothingIsScarier something]].
-->'''Harley''': What was that? "I should kill everyone and escape?" Sorry… it's the voices. [{{Beat}}] Hahaha, I'm kidding! [[FalseReassurance That's not what they really said.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Diablo holds Incubus in place long enough for a bomb to go off, killing them both.]] Also the RedShirt military guy who detonated the bomb.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The whole problem in the movie is a result of [[spoiler: Waller's arrogance in thinking she had complete control over Enchantress, not evacuating when Incubus appeared, and ''still'' not evacuating when Enchantress openly changed sides and it was clear stabbing her heart wasn't stopping her.]]

** Harley is a psychiatrist, which means she completed both medical school (8 years of undergraduate and medical studies) and a residency in psychiatry (another 4 years). Not only that, she was competent and experienced enough to be allowed to treat high-risk criminals like the Joker, hinting at a reputation that she must have worked to build for some time. Plus she's been a part of the Joker's gang for at least ''ten'' years, since she was mentioned as an accomplice in Robin's death, which took place that long ago -- and yet she's ''twenty-six''. This is possibly {{justified|trope}}. Joker doesn't appear to have aged much either since they met, and Harley regularly displays abilities that few normal humans, let alone ones with no training, which may imply that the acid they fell into changed their physiology.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Deadshot, as per tradition. In contrast to the comics, where he is just a really good sniper, the film makes it very clear that he never misses and has perfect aim that is practically superhuman. In a scene showing him performing a contract, he is bugging his client into paying him in advance, as his window of opportunity was closing fast. When he finally gets paid, he casually performs a ricochet shot on a target three kilometers away via his wrist-mounted gun rather than his, more appropriate for the situation, sniper rifle. In a demonstration of his skills to Waller for Task Force X, he uses a variety of different handguns and assault rifles and makes only one hole in each metal target and consistently hits that same hole every time.

** As soon as Rick Flag explains what is driving their mission, Deadshot takes advantage of being right in front of a bar ("You can go ahead and kill me now, but I'm gonna have a drink"). The rest of the Squad and even ''Katana'' follow him, leaving Flag and his soldiers in the rain.

* ISurrenderSuckers: In the climax, Enchantress promises to spare the life of and grant the wishes of anyone who kneels and pledges their loyalty. Harley Quinn appears to do so and kneels...[[spoiler:to pick up Katana's dropped sword and slash out her heart.]]

* {{Joisey}}: As shown in the dossiers such as Deadshot, Gotham City is a municipality located in New Jersey. Which makes [[{{Franchise/Batman}} Bruce Wayne]] a Jersey boy.
* JokerImmunity: As to be expected from the TropeNamer, [[spoiler: he goes down with his hijacked helicopter when it crashes and explodes, yet somehow survives it to reappear in the movie's final scene to bust Harley out of Belle Reve (in the theatrical cut at least, there are evidences of {{Deleted Scene}}s showing his survival much earlier than Harley's prison break scene).]]

* KarmaHoudini

** [[spoiler: Captain Griggs counts as well. Despite being [[KickTheDog pointlessly cruel to the inmates in multiple scenes]], such as beating the crap out of Deadshot with a bat and force-feeding a screaming Harley Quinn while [[RefugeInAudacity taking a selfie with her,]] as well as ending up being in cahoots with the Joker, the only bad thing that happens to him is having Deadshot point a gun is his face (only to for him to end up not even shooting Griggs.)]]
* KickTheDog: In the comics, Joker manipulated Harley Quinn into falling in love with him. In this, he also ''physically'' tortures her into forming a kind of StockholmSyndrome relationship. The extended cut shows a flashback where he tried to leave Harley behind only for her to catch up on motorcycle and try to convince him at gunpoint to accept her love.

** Joker gives one to Harley after [[spoiler:jumping into the acid vat to save her at the ACE Chemical plant]]. They gleefully share a kiss afterwards.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: It's a minor element, but [[spoiler: Superman's death is brought up during Waller's dinner.]]

** The relationship between Harley and the Joker surprised a number of people for how passionate and mutual it was. In the comics it's usually more one sided with Joker viewing her as more of a henchman to manipulate, rarely showing any affection and often being outright abusive to her. In the movie Joker spends considerable effort to find her and they are seen as an inseparable pair. However, when you dig deeper, you'll find that this is actually an averted trope, in that the abuse is much more psychological and the scenes of physical abuse, while shot and in the original script, never made it out of the editing room. So, while the abuse is still definitely there, the relationship is seen as a co-dependent addiction. There is zero percent romance involved.
* LipstickAndLoadMontage: The Squad undergoes a LockAndLoadMontage as they gear up before entering Midway City. Harley Quinn's doubles as a LipstickAndLoadMontage as she strips and chooses her outfit and applies makeup as well as selecting weaponry.

* LovecraftLite: A small group of criminals, most of who are BadassNormal, manage to save the world from Enchantress and Incubus, ancient [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] once worshipped as gods.

[[folder:M-R]]

* MarqueeAlterEgo: While Deadshot is rarely without his mask in the comics or on TV[[note]] [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E4TaskForceX Task Force X is notable exception]][[/note]], here he almost never wears his mask, lest [[Creator/WillSmith Will Smith’s]] face be hidden.
* MauveShirt: Lieutenant Edwards, Flag's right hand man among Task Force X's tier one escorts. He survives to the final showdown [[spoiler:where he triggers the one second timer on the explosive charge, killing Incubus, Diablo, and himself in the process]]
* TheMole: While in transit out of Belle Reve, a guard[[spoiler:, namely Captain Griggs,]] slips Harley a cell phone. [[spoiler: This could also be how Joker knows just where to attack to break Harley out at the end.]]

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: You really don't want to be recruited into a "''Suicide'' Squad". For specific members, "Deadshot", "El Diablo" and "Killer Croc" ain't exactly welcoming either.

** The trailers made out the Joker's role to be much bigger than it really is. You've actually seen almost all of his scenes just in the ads. Jared Leto claims he filmed more scenes but most of them were deleted. No mention is made that [[spoiler: Enchantress, not The Joker or anyone else, is the film's BigBad]].

** In addition to that, the trailer makes it seem like the movie offers a significant alternative to the usual superhero movies. [[RuleAbidingRebel The fact that the]] [[VillainProtagonist protagonists are villains]] [[InformedFlaw was glossed over through exposition]] and has little relevance to most of the story. The squad actually behaved much [[AntiHero more like antiheroes,]] which is quite a common trope.

* NoSell: Diablo quickly throws off the Enchantress's illusion due to having completely accepted responsibility for what he did to his family and that he can't undo it.

** We never see how Joker manages to [[spoiler: seize control of a heavily armed helicopter from special forces military personnel.]]

--->'''Griggs''': You're gonna tell him I took care of you, right?\\
'''Harley''': You're screwed!

** Later on in the final battle, [[spoiler: Harley whacks Enchantress upside the head with her baseball bat. It has no effect whatsoever, save to piss off an already enraged Enchantress even further. Harley's face when she realises this and the fact she'd now got the full attention of an extremely angry witch with a sword in each hand who's been holding off the entire squad with ease is this trope]].
** Incubus gets one when Diablo transforms into his ''Fire God'' form and proceeds to roast the crap out of Incubus.

%%%
%%% What is the significance?
%%%%* OneHeadTaller: With the exception of Diablo, all the men in the Squad are one head or more taller than Harley and Katana.
%%%

* OutlawCouple: While traditionally abusive in the comics, the Joker and Harley Quinn take on more of this role in the film. Probably due to the Joker returning [[StalkerWithACrush Harley's]] feelings for him, where more traditionally he sees her as an annoying but occasionally useful henchmen.

** Harley Quinn is positively tiny compared to the rest of the team (even in stiletto heels most of them tower over her), but she is one of the most effective in hand to hand combat and during her incarceration she routinely injures men twice her size with her bare hands.

* PetTheDog: For all her KickTheDog moments in the film, Amanda Waller really does honor her deal of [[spoiler: reducing the Suicide Squad's prison time down ten years upon them completing their mission. Not that it makes that much difference since all members got life sentences on them anyways, but still, a deal's a deal. If it's any consolation, though, she allows Deadshot a chance to visit his daughter, installs a big widescreen TV inside Killer Croc's cell as per his wish, and gives Harley her requested espresso machine, so maybe it's not that bad.]]

* PlotHole: One that resulted from ExecutiveMeddling. [[WordOfGod According to David Ayer]], Joker got his metal teeth and “Damaged” tattoo after Batman gave him a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown in response to Robin’s death. According to the movie itself, Harley was an accomplice in Robin’s murder, yet Joker clearly has the tattoo and metal teeth during the flashback to their patient interview. Ayer said that he intended for Harley to meet Joker after Robin’s death, but the studio had the editors slip in the (written) line about Harley helping kill Robin during post-production.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: pretty much every character in the movie has no qualms about seeing ''someone'' as lesser beings. Part of their CharacterDevelopment by the end of the film is how they manage to form a true squad despite their differences.

** Deadshot, normally having a "no women, no children" rule, gets to accept that in his universe any gender and age may be a facade for a dangerous entity, metahuman or not.

-->'''Harley:''' What? I saw it move? ''(kicks body)'' There, see, it twitched. I think.

* RareGuns: Harley Quinn's revolver is a ornately painted Chiappa Rhino 60DS. Since it first went into production in 2009, only a handful of films have featured the Chiappa Rhino, and Suicide Squad was the first movie to feature the model 60DS.
* RealIsBrown: While the introductions and flashbacks use vibrant, neon colors from Harley's perspective, the majority of the film's real-life scenes have a very dull and very gritty color scheme much like [[Film/ManOfSteel its]] [[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice predecessors]], due to most of the colorful material being added or changed in post-production in response to ''Batman V Superman''.

* ReCut: Like ''Batman v Superman'', the home video came with an extended cut adding another 12 minutes of footage. Unlike BVS, most of the additions are superficial, adding small character pieces rather than changing the overall story. The most notable are a few more exchanges between Deadshot and Flag, an additional flashback with Harley chasing down Joker in his Lamborghini and an extended bar scene.
* RedHerring: Cara Delevingne posted some hints (including fan art) on Instagram that she'd been cast as Harley Quinn, likely to hide the fact that she was actually playing the Enchantress. However, there was a time when she was in the running to play Harley, so she might have been jumping the gun a bit.

** The first look trailer is underscored by a very, ''very'' dark cover of "I Started a Joke" by Music/TheBeeGees—which mirrors Harley Quinn's history as the discarded henchman of a MonsterClown, and the Suicide Squad as a whole being criminals who thought they could take advantage of the system, only for the system to take advantage of them in turn.
--->''"I started a joke\\

That the joke was on me..."''

* RomanticizedAbuse: Harley and Joker's relationship is presented from her warped perspective and Joker has AdaptationalNiceGuy (relatively speaking) which means that their entire relationship is shown as an authentic OutlawCouple with mutual affection and unexpected tenderness and a MasochismTango. Even when [[spoiler:Joker appears to torture Harley electrically in their first flashback, Harlene appears to consent to the torture, and later she willingly dives into a vat of acid, with Joker hesitating briefly before diving in after her]].

[[folder:S-Z]]

* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler: Slipknot is introduced late in the first act for seemingly no reason, then bumped off a few minutes later just to prove to the audience that the Squad handler's threats are not idle.]]

--> '''Deadshot''': So that's it, huh? We're the patsies.

* ShadesOfConflict: Director David Ayer described the conflict in the movie as being [[EvilVersusEvil "bad" versus "evil"]] – [[ALighterShadeOfBlack with comparatively redeeming qualities on the "bad" side]].

* ShootTheDog: At the end, when [[spoiler:Enchantress refuses to release June Moone]], Rick Flag is forced to crush her heart. Fortunately, [[spoiler: June]] survives.
* ShortLivedAerialEscape: On three separate occasions, although the first time is arguably a Short Lived Aerial Insertion, with a helo getting shot down while trying to get into the area. Amusingly enough, helicopters in this film only seem to get shot down when named characters are aboard.
* ShoutOut

** [[spoiler: When Rick Flag breaks his phone (thereby preventing him from detonating their nanite bombs) and tells the squad they're free to go, Captain Boomerang immediately bolts, but comes back shortly after, ''like a boomerang''.]]

* StepfordSmiler: Harley at least attempts this [[spoiler: after Joker's hijacked chopper gets shot down]], and while no one buys it, they have the decency not to rub her face in it.
* TheStinger: A mid-credits version. [[spoiler: Waller talks with Bruce Wayne and gives him classified files on Enchantress, Barry Allen and Arthur Curry, with him saying he is looking to make friends. She implies she knows he is Batman and he tells her to shut down her metahuman program, or [[Characters/DCEUJusticeLeague he and his]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}} friends]] will do it for her.]] So far, ''Suicide Squad'' is the only DCEU film to have a post-credits scene.
* StoryBreakerPower: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Katana, Slipknot, Rick Flag, and even the Joker's gang are more or less mere {{Badass Normal}}s. Then you have Killer Croc who has SuperToughness and SuperStrength, El Diablo can [[PlayingWithFire generate and control fire]], and the Enchantress ''can cast FunctionalMagic''; so Diablo is TheAtoner turned pacifist who refuses to use his powers for most of the movie, and the Enchantress [[spoiler: turns into the BigBad very quickly, providing magical super-tough {{Mooks}} for Croc to beat up.]]
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: June Moon, who is possessed by the spirit of an extra dimensional witch, gets messy black tendrils of long hair running down her head when the spirit takes over. [[spoiler: She cleans up much more nicely once Enchantress gets her heart back.]]

-->'''Rick Flag''': This is the deal: you're going somewhere very bad, to do something that'll get you killed.

* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: In a general sense averted in that the main events of the film take place in Midway City, home to [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Hawkman and Hawkgirl]] in the DC comics but who are not shown to exist in the DCEU at this point. In fact, the Squad is formed because Superman is dead. However, Batman, Flash and Wonder Woman are established heroes with Batman and Flash even showing up at different points in the story, and it's quite a news-worthy event but no one besides the squad is shown trying to approach the situation themselves. It depends on how far away the aforementioned superheroes were from the city and how long the event lasted before Task Force X solved the problem. While others may be trying to work on the same problem they are the ones who actually solve it. TheStinger shows that the Justice League is not operational yet.

** [[spoiler: Smacking a nigh-omnipotent sorceress upside the head will do little more than annoy her and draw her attention towards ''you.'']] Points for trying though, Harley.
** Captain Boomerang's disdain for the offered rewards is perfectly understandable--after all, ten years off three life sentences doesn't mean shit.
** Waller believing that she could control the Enchantress with her heart and Moone's relationship with Flag was destined for failure- after all, Enchantress and Moone are two different beings, so the former has no reason to care about the latter's SO, and while Waller could theoretically destroy her heart if Enchantress went rogue, her being able to teleport means she could easily get up to all manner of things that Waller couldn't know about- [[spoiler: such as releasing her brother. Not to mention, when Waller does try to destroy the heart, she stabs it, which gives Enchantress time to beg her brother for help, instead of crushing it, which actually kills her.]]

* TailorMadePrison: Some members of the squad have unique confinements. El Diablo was kept in a sealed metal water tank, neutralizing any usefulness of his powers (it's shown that in another prison he incinerated an entire courtyard of inmates). Harley was kept in two layers of cages, with the inner layer being electrified just in case (she's later shown stabbing a guard with a pen when they tried to get her out, and it's said she's done similar things before). Killer Croc is shown in more of a dungeon or enclosed sewer than a regular cell, he has a small pool and fed through a manhole cover (there is another gate, but guards avoid it because Croc enjoys waiting in the water and snagging anyone who comes close).
* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: Harley tried escaping from Waller on a commandeered helicopter but leaving the others behind, so Waller ordered it shot down with Harley on it. Then Waller tried escaping on another copter, also without taking along anyone else, and then that one is taken down with Waller on it.

** The Joker sports multiple tattoos on his body, all themed to his persona (i.e. a skull wearing a harlequin hat, a deck of playing cards, the word "damaged" on his forehead, etc).

* TheTeetotaler: When the Squad have a drink, Diablo insists on drinking water. This is likely due to alcohol being highly flammable and the nature of his [[PlayingWithFire powers]].

-->'''Diablo''': That ain't me.
-->'''Waller''': That wasn't you?
-->'''Diablo''': Nah, they say it's me, but that ain't me. That guy's gone. He's dead.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Killer Croc is really good at swimming and fighting underwater. Unfortunately, almost all of the mission takes place on dry land. However, during the battle against the Enchantress's brother, the team needs an explosive device to be detonated in an underwater tunnel to blow up the brother. Killer Croc actually insists on participating in this task because he realizes how useful he will be during it.

-->"[[PreasskickingOneLiner It's on now, asshole!]]"

* TokenEvilTeammate: Among the crew of criminals, only two are treated with little to no noble qualities, Captain Boomerang and Slipknot. [[spoiler: Slipknot is killed early on to prove the bomb is real, preventing any further development of his character]]. In contrast every other member of the team seemed to find some inner peace after dealing with the main threat.

** Rick Flag, a government agent that's in the Suicide Squad to make sure the other members don't go out of control. [[spoiler: However, it turns out he's just as morally dubious as the criminals, since he condones Amanda Waller ''murdering her entire support staff to cover up her incompetent handling of the Enchantress crisis''.]]

** [[spoiler: Diablo]] also turns out to be one. A ReformedCriminal who's [[AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength afraid of his own power]] after he [[spoiler: accidentally killed his own family in rage, then voluntarily surrenders himself to the law and eventually performs a HeroicSacrifice to help stop Incubus.]]
* TruerToTheText: The previous version of the Joker was Creator/HeathLedger in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', where they made the character's appearance with white skin, red lips and green hair a deliberate choice with make-up and hair dye along with [[MultipleChoicePast contradictory stories]] of his GlasgowSmile in an effort to ground the film in reality instead of saying the traditional "fell into a tank of acid" did all those things. This film's Joker is suggested that his appearance is in part due to the tank of acid origin but only his white skin and hair, while his lips are a deliberate style choice. Harley ended up diving into a similar tank of acid and her skin and hair was also bleached.

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The subway station from which a PillarOfLight emerges, and where the BigBad plots their EvilPlan, something Deadshot even lampshades ("Let me guess, we're headed towards the swirling ring of trash in the sky?").

* VillainHasAPoint: While Flagg tries to deny Deadshot's notions that his Black Ops work makes him NotSoDifferent from himself, he is eventually forced to admit that Waller is as ruthless as any crime boss, and service to her ultimately no better than any of Deadshot's assassination contracts.

* VisualPun: While in prison, Harley Quinn is seen reading a Harlequin RomanceNovel. When being rounded up for the mission, Croc does a crocodile-like ambush when a guard comes close to his pool.
-->'''Griggs''' [[spoiler: ''Sigh'' Was that the new guy?]]
* WardensAreEvil: Captain Griggs, the closest thing Belle Reve has to a warden, is an asshole who enjoys abusing the prisoners [[spoiler: and has a massive gambling problem that makes him an easy target for blackmail by the Joker.]]
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:All of the Enchantress' mooks used to be regular people from Midway City]] that got transformed into [[HumanoidAbomination Humanoid Abominations]].

** Deadshot -- Wrist mounted pistols and a customized assault rifle.

--->'''[[spoiler:Waller]]''': You look tired. [[spoiler:You should stop working nights]].
** Not to be outdone, [[spoiler: Bruce]] comes back with one of his own, much more directly:
--->'''[[spoiler:Bruce]]''': Shut it down. Or my friends and I will shut it down ''for you''.
* WildCard: Joker is described as being one for the team, even though he isn't actually '''on''' the team.

* PsychoPsychologist: [[Characters/BatmanHarleyQuinn Dr. Harleen Quinzel]], a former Arkham Asylum psychiatrist-turned-psychotic criminal.

** Similar to her depiction in ''Film/GreenLantern'', Creator/ViolaDavis is far more slender and attractive than the original comics version of Amanda Waller, who is heavy set and weathered with age. Although, compared to the [[FanservicePack younger, taller, and more slender version]] seen in ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, she is closer to the former than the latter.

Harley Quinn's story is continued in 2020's ''Film/{{Birds of Prey|2020}}''. A follow-up to ''Suicide Squad'', titled ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'', is set for release in August 2021. [[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] [[https://youtu.be/EF_Sg5iBdKI a 1935 movie of the same name about firefighters]].

* AdaptationalUgliness: The Enchantress looks ''much'' messier and creepier than her comic book counterpart.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Hits a lot of the characters hard. The best examples would be Deadshot and Boomerang, the former being much less sociopathic and [[spoiler: even sparing Harley when killing her would have led to custody of his daughter,]] and the latter having his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendencies severely downplayed. While calling the ComicBook/TheJoker a hero is a ''big stretch'', his love for Harley seems genuine rather than simply pragmatic use. [[spoiler: Even going far as rescuing her twice.]]

** Rick Flag is also hit surprisingly hard with this, considering his comic book counterpart is often the TokenGoodTeammate. Not only is he ''[[UnusuallyUninterestingSight perfectly fine]]'' with the above example after it happens, but he is also generally more antagonistic and conceited to both the Squad and his superiors (this is especially apparent due to the majority of the Squad's AdaptationalHeroism mentioned above).

* PlotArmor: While the original team is known for AnyoneCanDie, both Harley and Deadshot are most probably safe, as Harley has a movie in development and Creator/WillSmith is assigned to a planned sequel.

* PsychoPsychologist: [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 Dr. Harleen Quinzel]], a former Arkham Asylum psychiatrist-turned-psychotic criminal.

* RealityEnsues:
** The squad is made up of criminals who were given little to no choice in their inclusion, and who were outright told that the mission would likely get them killed. So naturally, as soon as they're assembled, they start coming up with escape plans.
** After being mistreated by Griggs, Harley has no reason or inclination whatsoever to speak kindly of him to the Joker.
** Two attempts are made at rescuing someone in the war zone by helicopter, and they both fail because the city is full of people with guns shooting anything that moves.
** As various members of the squad find out, backchatting and snarking at the people in command isn't going to be tolerated.
** [[spoiler: Smacking a nigh-omnipotent sorceress upside the head will do little more than annoy her and draw her attention towards ''you.'']] Points for trying though, Harley.
** Captain Boomerang's disdain for the offered rewards is perfectly understandable--after all, ten years off three life sentences doesn't mean shit.
** Waller believing that she could control the Enchantress with her heart and Moone's relationship with Flag was destined for failure- after all, Enchantress and Moone are two different beings, so the former has no reason to care about the latter's SO, and while Waller could theoretically destroy her heart if Enchantress went rogue, her being able to teleport means she could easily get up to all manner of things that Waller couldn't know about- [[spoiler: such as releasing her brother. Not to mention, when Waller does try to destroy the heart, she stabs it, which gives Enchantress time to beg her brother for help, instead of crushing it, which actually kills her.]]
** In the beginning, one of the reasons given for Task Force X's creation is the fact that if Superman had turned evil and done something like kidnapping the President, there wouldn't be anyone who could have stopped him.
** After successfully defeating the Enchantress, [[spoiler: the villains aren’t completely let off the hook. They all get 10 years deducted from their sentencing as promised. They return to jail to complete their sentences due to them still being a threat to society and because they broke the law prior to them forming an EnemyMine with the people in command]].
** Despite the mother of Deadshot's daughter being a deadbeat mother, Deadshot doesn't have custody of his daughter due to the simple fact that he is a paid assassin and his daughter's mother is considered the lesser of two evils.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Despite being in a film with four extremely dangerous female characters and also existing in the same world as Wonder Woman, and living in TheNewTens, Deadshot has a sexist policy of [[MenAreTheExpendableGender refusing to kill women]].

* TheSquad: Task Force X is this by design, and it's even in the team's nickname. Sure enough, there is a military leader trying to keep control (Flag), a bunch of red shirts who die to proof how serious the situation is (Flag's platoon), a sniper (Deadshot), explosion guy (El Diablo) etc.

Harley Quinn's story is continued in 2020's ''Film/{{Birds of Prey|2020}}''. A follow-up to ''Suicide Squad'', titled ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'', is set for release in August 2021.

* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: Harley tried escaping from Waller on a commandeered helicopter but leaving the others behind, so Waller ordered it shot down with Harley on it. Then Waller tried escaping the city on another copter but without taking along anyone else, and then that one is taken down with Waller on it.

* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: Harley tried escaping from Waller on a helicopter the Joker commandeered but leaving the others behind, so Waller ordered the copter shot down with Harley on it. Then Waller tried escaping the city on another copter but without taking along anyone else, and then that one is taken down with Waller aboard.

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Margo, who is Australian, fades in and out from a more standard American accent to a thick New York accent (Harley traditionally has something of a Brooklyn or Jersey accent, Robbie uses more of a Long Island accent reminiscent of her role of ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet''). It's at its thickest when she greets Katana, "Harley Quinn, nice ta meech'cha!" Given that Harley is crazy and as well as we see her at different stages of her life, it works.[[note]]This may also have something to do with the film's many reshoots to achieve a lighter tone and its troubled editing process, as Robbie's accent in ''Film/{{Birds of Prey|2020}}'' is sustained throughout and much more broad.[[/note]]