What Does The Ending Of Suicide Squad Really Mean?

So there you have it: Suicide Squad is out, boasting as many rabid fan endorsements as it can critical take-downs. But even without commenting too much on that raging battle for the ages, the film has enough narrative complexity (wrapped up in odd decisions) to suggest some pretty major shockwaves for the DCEU.

The film's plotting and narrative choices have been the subject of some pretty fervent criticism, and it is true that some of the threads it weaves aren't quite clearly spun, even if the web is a little more than the sum of its parts. That means that there's room for interpretation, even in a film that has been accused of being pretty brainless.

The ending actually does tie some of the threads together nicely - particularly in terms of the emotional elements (Deadshot gets to see his daughter, Diablo is redeemed, Flag and Moone reunite...) - but it is still important to establish what is actually going on and what it really means? It's time to find out...

Inevitably, SPOILERS are going to feature here in a big way. If you didn't expect that, I don't think you can be helped...

10. The Plot

So, to break it down quickly: in a post-Superman world, the US government allows its anxieties about meta-human invasions (thanks to a little prodding by Amanda Waller) to escalate to the point that Task Force X - a superbad team for superbad purposes controlled by nano-bombs in their necks - is formed.

Waller assembles the "worst of the worst" plus a couple of really rubbish ones (Slipknot and Boomerang, sorry), accidentally unleashing evil sorceress Enchantress (who she wanted on her team and thought she could control) who frees her equally bad brother Incubus and tries to end humanity. Why? Well, that's not entirely clear, but she's not happy about not being worshipped as a God and is probably jealous of iPhones.

Task Force X is then deployed to retrieve a key target from within Enchantress' blast-zone, who turns out to be Waller, because she's an idiot, before going to stop Enchantress, who immediately takes Waller hostage, because she's an idiot. At the same time, The Joker is throwing all sorts of spanners into the works because he wants Harley Quinn back, but he is seemingly killed in a helicopter crash. Don't worry, sadly, he's not that important.

Also, they've all got issues. Obviously.