Suicide Squad Comic Book Influences (Spoilers obviously)

[BatmAngelus]

Since I'm more familiar with Batman comics than Suicide Squad comics, I'm mainly going to comment on the Batman related characters.

Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Joker comic seems to be the biggest influence. Ironically, while the character design was similar to what Nolan and Ledger did with The Dark Knight, the Suicide Squad Joker seems to be closer to that version than the Dark Knight was. That comic featured:
- Jonny Frost, a henchman who carried over into the film
- Harley dancing at a strip club
- Killer Croc, who was more overtly portrayed as a cannibal
- Overall, a more melancholy gangster version of Joker

The film also clearly attempts to recreate the famous Alex Ross image of Joker and Harley, with Joker in the black and white tuxedo and Harley in the jester outfit (which was a big surprise to me).

Zoe Lawton is a relatively new addition to the DC universe, created in 2005. Much like in the comics, the movie uses Zoe as a way to get her father, Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot, to search for redemption.

Lastly, the tatooed Joker may have been inspired by the All Star Batman and Robin Joker, who had a dragon tattoo on his back. While Joker merchandise featured this tattoo, I don't believe we ever saw it in the film.

[BatmAngelus]

Slipknot's death is reminiscent of the loss of his arm when Captain Boomerang convinced him that the explosive wasn't real and he tried to escape, only for his arm to get blown off, though the comic makes it clear that Boomerang was manipulating him as an experiment to see if they were real.

Harley envisioning a future where she's married with Joker and has two kids is similar to Mad Love, though in this version, they no longer have their permawhite skin.

Harley's dip in the vat of chemicals is similar to her origin in the New 52.

El Diablo is based on the New 52 version of the character. The comic, however, makes it clear that he's possessed by a demon which caused him to turn into the creature at the end.

[The Joker]

The film also clearly attempts to recreate the famous Alex Ross image of Joker and Harley, with Joker in the black and white tuxedo and Harley in the jester outfit (which was a big surprise to me).

That was indeed great fan service, and yeah, I had a big f*cking grin seeing Margot and Leto bringing that to life.

[johnnygobbs]

That was indeed great fan service, and yeah, I had a big f*cking grin seeing Margot and Leto bringing that to life.

That's amazing!

Surely that's worth another five per cent on RT alone.

[The Joker]

It's what brought it up to B+, rather than B-, over on CinemaScore. 

[Silver Nemesis]

Here are a few notes on Deadshot.

Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, first appeared in the comics back in 'The Man Who Replaced Batman!' (Batman Vol 1 #59, June 1950). The character was reintroduced with a new look many years later in 'The Deadshot Ricochet' (Detective Comics Vol 1 #474, December 1977), and it was this story which really defined Deadshot for the Bronze and Modern Age canons.

Deadshot sported facial hair and a hat in his very first story. The facial hair is the one aspect of his original appearance that was retained after the Golden Age. He also sports facial hair and a hat in the movie. His civilian fashion in the film, consisting of a red coat and hat, may have been inspired by Lawton's clothing in the animated film Batman: Gotham Knight (2008).

In the comics Floyd hails from a wealthy family. No reference is made to this in the movie.

One of his core motivations in the comics is his desire to compete with Batman. The movie portrays his desire to kill Batman as his greatest ambition.

When Floyd has Batman in his sights in the movie he chooses not to kill him. This is most likely because his daughter is present, but it could also be a reference to Deadshot's inability to shoot Batman in the comics. It has been suggested that Floyd may intentionally miss when firing at Batman due to some subconscious desire to spare him. His decision not to kill him in the film might reflect a similar impulse.

In both the comics and the movie, Floyd is recruited to Task Force X by Flag while serving time behind bars. The following panels are from 'Die But Once' (Deadshot Vol 1 #1, November 1988).

Floyd's costume retains the red colour scheme from the comics. He sports his traditional white mask, though the red lens is over his left eye instead of his right.

He has his signature wrist-mounted guns from the comics.

In the film he has a daughter named Zoe. Zoe first appeared in the comics in 'Urban Renewal, Part One: String' (Deadshot Vol 2 #1, February 2005). The plot point about Floyd securing a scholarship for Zoe is also taken from this storyline, though in the comic the money came from a charitable foundation established by Floyd's late parents. The following panel is from 'Urban Renewal, Part Five: Lawton's Last Stand' (Deadshot Vol 2 #5, June 2005).

Supposedly there are deleted scenes hinting at romantic tensions between Floyd and Harley. These could reveal further parallels between the movie and the comics, but since those scenes ended up on the cutting room we can't really compare them.