James Gunn's The Suicide Squad has proven to be quite the success, more than making up for the previous attempt at adapting the team with David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Despite that film's critical lashing, Ayer shouldn't be blamed for how that one turned out, and he was at least partly successful in bringing some famous DC Comics faces to the silver screen. A few of the characters from Ayer's film, such as Harley Quinn and Rick Flag, would appear again in Gunn's film— though perhaps they shouldn't be the only characters from the original film to make a return.
The success of The Suicide Squad will no doubt lead to more Suicide Squad films in the future, and here's hoping that Gunn is involved in the majority of them. If that's the case, it would be fun to see some other characters from Ayer's film get a redo of sorts under Gunn's supervision and redeem themselves from their last appearances. In addition, there are several other characters in the DCEU who could make great additions to any Task Force X lineup as well.
8 Should Return: Enchantress
Cara Delevigne's June Moone/Enchantress was the 2016 film's main antagonist yet her portrayal felt mishandled and made little sense, which is disappointing as she had potential to be something genuinely creepy and unnerving. While Delevigne herself believes that Enchantress's storyline is finished, anything's possible when it comes to superhero movies.
Perhaps June's still haunted by apparitions of the Enchantress who can re-possess the young woman without June's control. June could be contacted by Amanda Waller to serve as an archaeological consultant on a mission the Suicide Squad is sent on but is later blackmailed by Waller into joining the Squad on the field in return for finding a more permanent cure for her condition, causing tension among the rest of the Squad— though a completely new character could also be possessed and serve as a member of the team. Either way, seeing how someone like James Gunn could handle the character's powers on a larger scale would be fascinating to say the least.
7 Should Join: Doctor Sivana
The last time that Thaddeus Sivana was shown onscreen, he was being held at Rock Falls Penitentiary— after being defeated by Billy Batson/Shazam— where he struck up an alliance with Mister Mind. Since Sivana isn't making an appearance in Shazam! Fury of the Gods according to most accounts, it would be interesting to see him being brought onto Task Force X for a little while.
Sivana currently has no access to magic, but he could be brought on as an expert for a black ops mission that involves magic to some degree. With the aid of Mister Mind (who would come along with Sivana unbeknownst to Waller or the Squad), Sivana would try to use this opportunity as a way to regain his powers and upon doing so would try to kill the other Squad members. He would fail in some way of course and make his escape in time for an appearance in the third Shazam! film.
6 Should Return: Killer Croc
Nanaue/King Shark may have stolen the show in The Suicide Squad, but that shouldn't mean that there's no room for another animalistic member of Task Force X; case in point, Killer Croc. Waylon Jones unfortunately didn't have much to do until the end of the first Suicide Squad film, where he went underwater in order to retrieve a lost bomb that was used to kill the Enchantress.
But in the hands of James Gunn or another filmmaker, there's potential for Croc to make an even bigger impression than before in another film— especially since he's likely to have become less human and more reptilian in the years since his first appearance. Here's hoping he and Nanaue get to be on the same team.
5 Should Join: Anatoli Knyazev/KGBeast
While it’s definitely possible that Anatoli Knyazev didn’t survive the warehouse explosion in Batman vs. Superman, comic book characters are known to survive situations like those numerous times, so it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for Knyazev to come back as his ruthless alter ego from the comics: The KGBeast.
Knyazev’s burned and damaged body could have been retrieved by henchmen of Lex Luthor and cybernetically enhanced to become an invincible killing machine that catches the eye of Amanda Waller. Even after his operation, Knyazev could still be working with Luthor and would join Task Force X as a means of finding out information on this covert team so that Luthor could wrestle control of the Squad from Amanda Waller and use them for his own schemes. Having a battle of wits between Viola Davis's Waller and Jesse Eisenberg's Luthor as they vie for complete control over the lives of others would make for a fascinating angle in another Suicide Squad film.
4 Should Return: Katana
With Rick Flag having been one of the casualties in The Suicide Squad, Task Force X will be in need of a new leader on future missions. While Waller implied at the end of the film that Idris Elba’s Bloodsport would make a good replacement, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to allow Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana back on board the Squad, stepping out of Flag’s shadow and having her take center stage as the team’s new leader.
Like Killer Croc, Katana wasn't given much to do plot-wise in the first film, but another film could more properly dig deeper into her past with her late husband Maseo (whose soul is contained within her weapon the Soultaker) and how that affects her both on the battlefield and as leader to a group of criminals.
3 Should Join: Black Manta
James Gunn revealed on Twitter that he considered adding Yahya Abdul Mateen II's David Kane/Black Manta to the cast of The Suicide Squad but felt like the character didn't fit the story that he had in mind. It's tricky to see how Black Manta may have worked in the finished film, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be considered for another appearance in a future movie.
Perhaps Waller could get her hands on an ancient relic or weapon of sorts that Kane is searching for to fight Aquaman which she would then use to blackmail him into joining Task Force X. Seeing Kane put up with working for Waller while also butting heads with his fellow Squad members would be a great way to further explore his character.
2 Should Return: Deadshot
Will Smith was originally set to return as Deadshot for The Suicide Squad before scheduling issues led to his character being written out of the film and replaced by Idris Elba's Bloodsport. However, this doesn't necessarily mean we've seen the last of Floyd Lawton. Seeing how Rick Flag and Captain Boomerang's characters were greatly improved upon for Gunn's film, the same most certainly could be done for Deadshot.
For instance, while Smith oozes charm in his performances, it would be cool to see him tap into the same smart-ass attitude and arrogance he brought to the title character of Hancock, not only bringing his Floyd Lawton somewhat closer in tone to how he's been portrayed in the comics but also turning Smith's usual charisma on its head for great effect. That's in addition to seeing how he gets along with characters like Elba's Bloodsport whether in battle or not.
1 Should Join: Huntress
A direct sequel to Birds of Prey doesn't seem likely, but some characters from that film deserve to stick around in the DCEU, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Helena Bertinelli/Huntress. Were she to find herself away from the Birds of Prey at some point, Bertinelli would make another great replacement leader for Task Force X.
Not only are her skills with various weapons and hand-to-hand combat impeccable but it would be entertaining to see her short-tempered yet socially awkward personality interact with other eccentric members of the team. Another plus is that she previously worked with Will Smith in Gemini Man, which would lend chemistry to a possible dynamic between Huntress and Deadshot.