Spoilers for The Suicide Squad on HBO Max follow. The Suicide Squad, the latest DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie from Warner Bros., has arrived on HBO Max, and there's quite a bit to unpack from James Gunn's R-rated superhero movie (or was he to be a supervillain? ). Now that the credits have rolled, we imagine you're wondering who lived and died, and what happened in the post-credits scene of the movie. Now, we're going to explain how The Suicide Squad ends, as well as how its final scenes will affect at least one DCEU project. It's obvious to say, but we're about to dive into major spoiler territory for The Suicide Squad, so turn back now if you haven't seen it in its entirety.
Suicide Squad ending explained: who died during the Corto Maltese mission?
(Image credit: Warner Bros.) It would be easier to count those who actually survived. Prior to the film's release, director James Gunn continually asserted that there would be significant losses among the film's main fan base, and he was not kidding. Most of the film's fandom didn't get over the Saving Private Ryan-inspired beach attack in the first act. Of these, the disappearance of Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) was the most surprising, since he featured prominently in the 2 film adaptation of Suicide Squad. Of those that entered the heart of Corto Maltese, however, the journeys of 5 characters would not advance much further. Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is killed by the Peacemaker (John Cena) after they fight over vitals. The item in question, a hard drive, contained evidence of the US government's involvement in funding trials surrounding Starro, with Flag and Peacemaker split on what to do with it. Feeling betrayed by the very people he led these missions for, Flag wishes to upload the player to the internet and find out the US government's secret to the planet. As a fanatical patriot, however, Peacemaker has other ideas. He wants to give the proof to Task Force X chief Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to make sure the footage never sees the light of day. Today's best HBO Max deals After a brutal melee, Peacemaker wins. As Flag attempts to drown him with a lead pipe, Peacemaker holds a piece of broken pottery nearby and stabs Flag through the heart, killing him. Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) is the other essential victim in the third act of the film. Helping his fellow villains stop Starro's rampage on the island, he is overwhelmed by one of the 6 starfish kaiju, but not before heroically shouting, "At last I'm a superhero!" For doing something right with his life. It's a semi-venerable death and one that he, ironically, he had called for earlier in the film. So who survived to the end? Of the fifteen supervillains that made up this version of Task Force X, only 2 survived to tell the story. Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Harley Quinn (Margo Robbie), Ratcatcher Two (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (Steve Agee/Sylvester Stallone), Weasel (Sean Gunn) and, surprisingly, Peacemaker are the sextet to make it out alive. However, it is the last XNUMX of this set that have the biggest questions about them, and that is where the scenes after the credits of The Suicide Squad come in.
Suicide Squad ending explained: is there an ending credits scene?
(Image credit: Warner Bros.) Yes. In truth, there are two: one right after The Suicide Squad title card appears and another once the credits roll.
The first concerns Weasel. Presumed dead after supposedly drowning before the attack on the beach, the Weasel spits out seawater and wakes up to find himself alone on the shore. Ignoring the events that have just transpired and with no way to get off the island, Weasel heads into the nearby jungle, presumably to live out his days as a Corto Maltese urban myth.
If the first ending credits scene of The Suicide Squad is meant to be somewhat humorous, the second could create an intriguing future for a DCEU production.
John Economos (Steve Agee) and Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), two of Waller's assistants, arrive at an unknown health center and a doctor leads them to the room of a particular patient. The camera pans to show who is in the hospital bed in the room, and it is none other than Peacemaker.
It's a surprise to see Peacemaker alive. After killing Flag, Peacemaker realizes that Ratcatcher Two saw him kill his former teammate in cold blood. Meanwhile, the hard drive fell to the ground in the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, and Ratcatcher Two now has it in his possession.
A prosecution ensues as Peacemaker tries to recover the patent and ends up cornering his prey. Despite his pleas not to shoot, Peacemaker draws his gun to kill Ratcatcher Two, but Bloodsport shows up in time.
The duo exchange fire, but it's Bloodsport who lands a tell-tale long-range blow, supposedly killing Peacemaker. Fast-forwarding to the post-credits scene, however, Peacemaker is clearly not dead.
So how does this influence the future of the DCEU? For one, The Suicide Squad's post-credits scene is likely hosting events for the upcoming Peacemaker TV show, set to launch on HBO Max in January XNUMX.
Billed as a series that will "explore the origins" of Peacemaker, many fans had been led to believe that the series would be a prequel to The Suicide Squad. While that may still be the case, we may get flashbacks to how Cena's character transforms into Peacekeeper in the first place, as well as possibly the series taking place after The Suicide Squad.
Since Agee's Economos and Harcourt from Holland are going to be supporting the characters in the series, The Suicide Squad's post-credits scene is clearly a setup for the TV show Peacemaker.
The 8-part series was also written and directed by Gunn, so it's going to be closely related to The Suicide Squad, whether it's a prequel, sequel, or a combination of the two.
If Peacemaker survives his next test, we may well see him appear in future DCEU movies, especially ones that may feature Bloodsport. After all, he will want revenge and might even stage events for a Suicide Squad sequel.