Warning: Contains spoilers for Suicide Squad: Get Joker! #3
DC Comics’ movies have certainly been pushing the bar with their more recent outings, but the latest shocking slaughter in the Suicide Squad comics is far too taboo to translate to the big screen. Task Force X has been no stranger to having some more brutal moments in the DCEU. One of the most graphic moments actually happened in 2021’s The Suicide Squad where Peacemaker and Bloodsport compete with each other to see who can kill someone in a camp in the most brutal way. In the most recent issue of the miniseries Suicide Squad: Get Joker! though, there’s one moment that will likely never find its way into a movie theater.
In Suicide Squad: Get Joker! #3 by Brian Azzarello and Alex Maleev the Squad led by Red Hood finds itself up against…another Squad. A new Task Force X has been dispatched to take Jason’s team out when the acting Director sees them as a threat that can be manipulated by the Joker. Having no choice but to team up with the man they were sent to kill, Red Hood’s Suicide Squad sets up base at the Joker’s amusement park hideout to prepare for a final battle. Things turn chaotic in a massive firefight as members of the Squad begin to die off, but the most horrific moment happens in the heat of the moment.
Before the fight begins, Joker introduces an army of children that he took in to care for in exchange for them being under his wing. With their guardian in danger, the kids charge at the attacking Suicide Squad. What happens next is so terrifying that the comic doesn’t even show the end result. Task Force X opens fire and kills every last one of the kids, leaving a horrified Red Hood and Wild Dog staring in shock. To them, the attacking Squad is a bunch of “stone-cold killers” who will stop at nothing to get the job done. The reality though is that the hunt to take out the Clown Prince of Crime is bringing out the worst in everyone.
No matter how evil the villains that make up Task Force X are, there’s always some kind of driving force that makes them agree to take part in the Suicide Squad. For most, it’s just to shorten their prison sentence so they can get out sooner. For others though, it’s to be able to see their families sooner. That’s where the heart of the Suicide Squad comics has been in order to make them more endearing for readers. Get Joker, on the other hand, appears to go down the opposite route as the mission to take on the Joker is bringing out their darker selves. For years, the Joker has manipulated situations to get his way and point out the flaws in the world around him. Now, he seems to be showing it off as the two bands of villains face off against each other. It can be implied that he’s the one who sends the children to their deaths. If that’s the case, he created a scenario where those members of the attacking Suicide Squad will never be able to shake off the horrible atrocities that they’ve committed.
The DC Comics Black Label line has never shied away from being intense, but this new Suicide Squad tale definitely takes it to another level. Murdering a whole group of children is something that won’t just haunt the members of the Squad, but also the readers who see it happen. Even though the children’s bodies are never shown, just the mere thought of it is enough to send chills down one’s spine. It’s going to take a long time for popular Suicide Squad members like Deadshot and Peacemaker to shake this shocking slaughter off, and due to its graphic nature, there’s no way it can ever come to movie theaters.
Suicide Squad: Get Joker #3 is available in comic book stores now!
