Suicide Squad (2016 film)

Suicide Squad is a 2016 American superhero film from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), its fourth installment. It centers on the DC Comics anti-hero team of the same name. David Ayer wrote and directed the movie, which boasts an ensemble cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, and Cara Delevingne. The plot follows Amanda Waller, head of a secret government agency, who recruits imprisoned supervillains for dangerous black ops missions. In exchange for reduced sentences, they must save the world from a powerful threat.

Warner Bros. had been developing a Suicide Squad film since February 2009. David Ayer signed on to write and direct in September 2014, and casting began the following month. Principal photography started in Toronto on April 13, 2015, with additional filming in Chicago, wrapping up in August of that year. The film premiered in New York City on August 1, 2016, and was released in the United States on August 5 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was a box office success, earning $749 million worldwide against a $175 million budget, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2016. However, it received mostly negative reviews from critics. Ayer later disowned the film, claiming extensive studio interference ruined his vision. It won an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 89th Academy Awards, the only DCEU film to win an Oscar, and received numerous other accolades. A spin-off, *Birds of Prey*, followed in 2020, and a sequel, *The Suicide Squad*, came out in 2021.

**Plot**

After Superman’s death, intelligence officer Amanda Waller convinces the U.S. government to approve Task Force X, a team of criminals and supervillains. They are meant to combat metahuman threats, controlled by Waller via nanite bombs implanted in their necks that can be detonated remotely if they rebel or escape. Success means reduced sentences. Dr. June Moone, an archaeologist, becomes possessed by a witch named Enchantress. Waller controls Enchantress by holding her magical heart, which wounds her if struck. Waller’s subordinate, Colonel Rick Flag Jr., loves Moone and becomes a lead member of Task Force X. Enchantress betrays Waller, conquering Midway City, turning humans into monsters, and summoning her brother Incubus to destroy humanity.