James Gunn: Starro Isn’t The Suicide Squad’s Only Villain

May 14, 2021

The big news coming out of The Suicide Squad‘s full trailer was the identity of its villain. Starro, the giant starfish monster who takes over planets via facehugger-esque creatures and the power of mind control, has terrified multiple DC heroes over the years. He’s now ready to take on the combined forces of Harley Quinn, a giant shark man, and John Cena’s Peacemaker, but he’s not the only villain in the film.

Director James Gunn recently sat down with Den of Geek and revealed that the film’s story won’t just have Starro as its villain, but Starro does work perfectly for the movie’s plot. “He does work really well as the villain of this movie, as one of the villains, actually, of this movie,” said Gunn. Considering the mechanics of Starro’s mind-control powers, it’s possible that these other villains could be just about anyone in the DC Universe with a face that a starfish can settle onto.

Gunn has also promised that the appearance of this inherently goofy character won’t just be a joke a-la Deadpool’s team of companions in Deadpool 2. “We get to see Starro’s story as well. We get to know a little bit about that character, and it’s not a one-dimensional guy.”

In fact, Gunn tells Den of Geek that Starro was one of his favorite villains as a kid, even though he knew how ridiculous the concept was. That ridiculous is key to why Starro fits so well into the film. “I think that he’s perfect—that exemplifies what this movie is. It is ridiculous, and it’s also terrifying and serious at the same time.”

The Suicide Squad will release on August 6, 2021, both theatrically and on HBO Max.