As the third film in the DC Extended Universe, 2016's Suicide Squad had a lot riding on its shoulders. Not only was there a new Joker to speculate and argue over, but Harley Quinn herself was going to make her live-action, silver screen debut. That last point is a big part of the reason why, even though it's far from a perfect film, it still made over $746 million worldwide at the box office.
What helped Suicide Squad make so much money was the promise of these wild villainous characters being brought to life, so it begs the question of who is the best member of the DCEU's version of the long-running comic book team.
10 Slipknot, Who Got Himself Killed Very Early On
Sorry Slipknot, but the first member of Task Force X to get the bomb in their neck activated because they trusted the shady Captain Boomerang automatically gets put at the bottom of the pack.
While the casting of Adam Beach— a prolific Canadian actor known for his roles in the films Flags of our Fathers and Smoke Signals— was exciting when it was announced, the fact that Slipknot had such little screen time makes it sting more than it would if he were some random actor.
9 Katana, The Background Bodyguard With A Cool Look
While Katana was featured throughout the film and her character held a lot of promise, she was ultimately relegated to a bodyguard as well as a widow-in-mourning/potential love interest for Captain Boomerang.
Her soul-stealing sword and her incredible costume design are some of the best of the team in Suicide Squad, but they're not enough to put her any higher in the ranking of the other team members. It's a case of wasted potential but, then again, she was written as a side character.
8 Rick Flag, The Everyman Straight-Edge Leader
As the "straight man" in Task Force X, Rick Flag's journey throughout the movie is a compelling one but not enough to put him in the upper echelon.
From a hard-ass military man looking down on the criminals that he has to lead to ultimately feeling like he's one of them, along with being in love with the woman possessed by the Enchantress, Flag should have a lot going for him but his dynamic with Deadshot is the only real shining moment for the character.
7 Enchantress, A High-Powered Witch With Nowhere To Go
Enchantress, especially when paired with her host Dr. June Moone, is a fantastic character that really showed how monumental the metahumans are in the DCEU. Her existence made Amanda Waller's ambitions, fueled by paranoia, in wanting to control the metahumans all the more engaging and Cara Delevingne's portrayal of the witch and the doctor raised some actual emotional stakes.
However, the film's inconsistent show and use of her powers ultimately weakened the character in the final cut, not to mention that dreadful dialogue she was saddled with.
6 Captain Boomerang, A Pleasant Surprise For Folks Who Wrote Off Jai Courtney
Jai Courtney's takeover of Hollywood as the next Sam Worthington was well on its way towards the latter's faltering film career. However, he grew out his sideburns and embraced the character of George "Digger" Harkness, aka Captain Boomerang, making this ridiculously-named bad guy someone you love to root for as well as root against.
Punching on-sight as he's cut out of a duffel bag, telling Harley Quinn off in the bar scene, and actually finding uses for his boomerangs are some of the Captain Boomerang highlights.
5 Killer Croc, Who Was Treated Like A Monster & Then Became One
Though Killer Croc isn't normally associated with the Suicide Squad, including him in this film was an excellent choice by the filmmakers. Not only was his backstory supremely tragic as a man born with a skin condition, who was then treated as a monster until he became one, but he was also just an incredible presence in the film.
This is thanks in part to the Oscar-winning makeup design used to bring Croc's killer features to life, as well as Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's physicality and acting talents.
4 El Diablo, Whose Redemptive Arc Saved The Squad
Another character with a tragic backstory, Chato Santana, aka El Diablo, was a powerful metahuman unlike any other in the film as he wished to redeem himself for causing the deaths of his wife and children.
As the only bad guy on Task Force X who showed regret for his criminal past, Diablo chose to use his destructive fire powers only when necessary— and in the end, he sacrificed himself to save his "new family" in the climactic battle against Enchantress and her brother Incubus.
3 Amanda Waller, Who Believes The Ends Justify The Means
In terms of great DC characters, few can hold a candle to Amanda Waller and her ambiguous moral alignments. Shrewd, ambitious, and technically on the side of the "good guys," Waller is the architect and engineer of Task Force X, using these criminals and murderers as pawns of covert operations and barely even sweating when one (or all) of them threaten her.
The fact that she's played by the opulently talented Viola Davis in the DCEU just ups the character's ranking in the film franchise.
2 Deadshot, The Killer With A Soft Spot For His Daughter
In Suicide Squad, viewers are mostly experiencing the story through Deadshot, the Man Who Never Misses. Floyd Lawton is an assassin-for-hire whose ability to kill with a bullet is second to none in the DCEU and who has a young daughter that he adores.
This, combined with Will Smith's star power, makes Deadshot an endearing character, even as he talks about how he likes to kill people. Deadshot's connection with Harley Quinn and Rick Flag also makes him a great character within the movie.
1 Harley Quinn, The Undeniable Queen Of The Squad
To the surprise of no one, Harley Quinn stole the show in Suicide Squad. Not only was Margot Robbie's portrayal of the mentally ill psychiatrist clown universally acclaimed, but it was the main subject when talking about the positive aspects of Suicide Squad.
It also cannot be overlooked the power that Harley Quinn has as a popular character when looking at her solo film, 2020's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).