One of the more intriguing chapters in the upcoming DC Comics cinematic universe is David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, which just recently finished on-location shooting in Toronto. In DC lore, the “Suicide Squad” (also known as “Task Force X”) is a team made up of supervillains recruited for top secret government missions. If they succeed, they’ll get time off from their prison sentences. If they fail or try to run off, the government sets off the bombs implanted in their necks. It’s a work-release program, essentially.
The concept of “super villains teaming up to be heroes” isn’t a new one for Marvel, either. In 1997, Marvel’s Thunderbolts series was launched during the Heroes Reborn “experiment.” A new team of heroes arrived to fill the vacuum left by the disappearance of Captain America and others, heroes that turned out to be the classic villains, The Masters of Evil, in disguise. The team we’ve seen most recently in the comics was a collection of anti-heroes led by the Red Hulk (also known as Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross), similar to his Code Red team.
So, with all the talk around the Suicide Squad movie, the MCU already has a property prepped and ready to go if they wanted to follow suit. That being said, who’d be tapped for a team like this? We came up with a list of current and potential future MCU characters that would be a good fit.
General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross
You can’t have a Task Force X without an Amanda Waller, someone running the show with their finger on the neck-bomb detonator. In this scenario, we imagine General “Thunderbolt” Ross, originally played by William Hurt in The Incredible Hulk. Sure, his reputation took a hit after he was partially responsible for the destruction of Harlem, but Task Force X doesn’t need a public face. It needs someone willing to do what’s necessary for the military to achieve its goals. Plus, he’s got experience in dealing with these… freaks, now doesn’t he? This is, of course, assuming he doesn’t turn into the Red Hulk before then.
Georges Batroc (Batroc the Leaper)
A French mercenary with a penchant for lethal jump kicks (appropriately played by UFC legend Georges St-Pierre in Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Georges Batroc has the perfect skills to help lead a Marvel “Task Force X.” He’s clearly skilled at hand-to-hand fighting, nearly holding his own against a super soldier. He also knows how to lead a crew, as evidenced by the hijacking of a S.H.E.I.L.D. vessel at the beginning of the film.
Like in the comics, the MCU Batroc is really more of a mercenary than an outright villain, so taking on missions for a government agency probably wouldn’t be anything new to him. Although, instead of money, his payment would be not having his head blown up in this instance.
Emil Blonsky (Abomination)
The last we heard about Emil Blonsky in the MCU was in the Marvel One-Shot, The Consultant. Agents Coulson and Sitwell are discussing their concern in regards to the World Security Council’s request to have Blonsky released from military custody and included in the Avengers. Thanks to some timely intervention from Tony Stark, this clearly never happens, and, as far as we know, Blonsky remains a prisoner of the U.S. Army.
But, who’s to say that the military wouldn’t be willing to use Abomination on missions, provided they have the right amount of control over him? He may be a monster, but he’s also a monster with advanced military combat training.
Bullseye
Just like DC’s Suicide Squad has Deadshot, the MCU’s version would need a marksman of their own. As of now, the only real character that would qualify would be “Winter Soldier” Bucky Barnes, and that’s not really going to work. However, there’s another sharpshooter in an already established MCU property that could be considered eventually: Bullseye.
Rumors have already been swirling about the second season of Netflix’s runaway hit (rumors that include Matt Murdock’s former flame, Elektra). If you’ve read the comics or seen the Ben Affleck movie (and, if you haven’t… uh… spoiler alert?), you know that Elektra was murdered by Bullseye. So, if Elektra is in Season 2, Bullseye can’t be far behind.
From there, it’s just a question of Daredevil not killing Bullseye, getting him sent to prison, and then having Bullseye recruited into the MCU Suicide Squad.
Dmitri Smerdyakov (The Chameleon)
Admittedly, we’re stretching a little bit here. The Chameleon is a Spider-Man villain — in fact, he’s the first supervillain he ever fought in the comic books, chronologically speaking — and we know very little about the upcoming MCU Spidey film (other than it’s scheduled for a July 28, 2017 release). It’s not out of the realm of possibility, though.
Consider, for instance, that the technology to convincingly disguise yourself as someone else exists in the MCU (most recently seen in ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) Smerdyakov could easily be portrayed as a former Hydra agent, previously embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D., who has stolen the technology, improved it, and gone into business for himself. He could be referenced during whatever turns out to be Spidey’s first MCU appearance (“Nice work on that Smerdyakov situation.” “Oh, you mean The Chameleon?”). And, a stealthy master of disguise could be a real asset for a Suicide Squad-like group.
