The Suicide Squad trailer just dropped — and it’s amazing

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You need to watch James Gunn's The Suicide Squad trailer now — just hide the kids

The Suicide Squad trailer
(Image credit: Warner)

The first big trailer for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is here, and we need it now (it hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6). The clip starts off with bickering between Peacemaker (John Cena), Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) about saving Harley, while Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) tries to get them to co-ordinate. 

Of course — as we've been able to tell from the clips shown so far — everything goes hilariously wrong. Then, Quinn (Margot Robbie, in the role that made Birds of Prey) proves that she doesn't need to be saved and she's no damsel in distress; she does offer to go back and play up needing to be saved.

And then, we hear the last thing we expected: Steely Dan's "Dirty Work." Yes, director James Gunn is working his Guardians of the Galaxy magic again, with the most peculiar but welcome, soundtrack choices imaginable.

Next up, we see Blackguard (Pete Davidson) in jail, removing toilet-paper from his crocs; right before Savant (Michael Rooker) is injected with an explosive device that Waller says she can detonate at any time she wants to.

As Savant says  "So, this, is the famous Suicide Squad?" we get a classic slo-mo montage of this rag-tag bunch of super-powered folks walking as a group, in front of the American flag.

But then things get weird again as we meet King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), who seems to be a few teeth short of a full mouth. Of course, he then eats a man/. And then, buckets of profanity fall out of Idris Elba and John Cena's mouths. These are all signs that remind us this is a red-band trailer. Then King Shark rips a man in half.

This is not David Ayer's Suicide Squad at all. This is not your average DC movie. This looks like James Gunn going full Gunn, and making a movie that will be a blast to watch in theaters.

The only problem, it seems, is that very few of these characters are actually known names. Aside from Ms. Quinn, you have a relative rogue's gallery of DC characters. And while the public will likely be excited about any action movies — we're still in something of a drought — this movie still has a lot to explain. The original Suicide Squad was marketed on the back of Jared Leto's Joker, who is nowhere to be seen. 

Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.