Enter the world of DC Super-Villains as James Gunn puts his own movie on trial in The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? The Official Podcast, joined by Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee for a special one-off episode presented by DC Studios.
The conversation turns to one of DC’s most unpredictable teams and the characters who make them so memorable. Gunn, Holland, and Agee tackle the canon question, with fan questions from the DC Discord, a studio full of Task Force X props, and video messages from John Cena and David Dastmalchian. The result is a funny, fan-driven look at the movie and its place in the DCU.
Here’s what’s on the table:
✅ The DC universe, explained: Need a refresher on the DCEU, the DCU, and Elseworlds? The panel lays out the differences and explains why the canon question is worth asking.
✅ Your questions, their answers: DC Discord fans bring up Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag, Amanda Waller, Weasel, Mongal, The Detachable Kid, Flo Crawley, Bloodsport, Harley Quinn, and more.
✅ Messages from the cast: John Cena shares memories from filming, including the enormous beach set built in Atlanta. David Dastmalchian also sends a message from his time as Polka-Dot Man.
✅ Behind the scenes with the team: Hear stories about bringing the characters to life, the choices behind the movie, and the details that make deciding where it fits in the DCU more complicated than it might seem.
DC Super-Villains brings together some of the most iconic and recognizable characters in pop culture and celebrates the enduring cultural impact of these iconic characters across fashion, music, gaming, sports, and beyond.
🔔 Subscribe to @dcofficial and follow @hbomax for more from DC Studios. Watch The Suicide Squad on HBO Max, then drop your own canon verdict in the comments. Listen wherever podcasts are available.
An OBB Sound production for HBO Max and DC Studios.
YouTube Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:52 The Suicide Squad Prop Table
1:55 The Big Canon Question
3:02 DCEU, DCU & Elseworlds Explained
6:13 Actors Playing Multiple DC Characters
9:13 The Corto Maltese Betting Pool
13:00 Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag & Amanda Waller
17:20 Weasel, Mongal, TDK & Flo Crawley
21:07 Bloodsport: The Kryptonite Question
27:15 Harley Quinn’s Place in DC
31:35 Peacemaker: From the Squad to His Own Story
41:14 King Shark Behind the Scenes
44:15 Getting to Know Ratcatcher 2
48:48 Polka-Dot Man & David Dastmalchian
54:20 The Final Verdict
57:21 Outro
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Every DCU project has positive audience scores and streaming numbers.
Because the majority like them.
That’s just the fact of it.
There was a lot of faith needed earning back after the last attempt. So many disappointed audience members.
guys what about blue beetle
all gunn can make gg over and over lets talk about all your films and peacemaker season 2 bombing and losing a shite lot of money and what you think is funney is not its boringggggggg
Gunn is a visionary, but he is too fixated on obscure characters. It is a bit pathological.
When James Gunn said he would do a podcast settling continuity I texted my mom this.
Me: I need you to promise this to me If I ever Unironically tweet something like this out as a response to compliance about continuity errors in my stories, through my bad decisions, like I don’t know… transferring stories that were supposed to be in one universe to the other universe without any logical explanation!!!!! I want you to use your power of attorney to put me in a mental hospital because I would not deserve to live in a civilized society!
My mom: will do
Couldn’t the explanation be when Flash went back in time in The Flash and came back and George Clooney was the Bruce Wayne? The Flash messed up all time lines in the multiverse?? That would make the most sense to me. A “Flashpoint” so to say.
This is unfortunately a textbook example of why James Gunn’s DC plans aren’t working.
1. Too focused on weird side characters living that no one cares about at the end if the day.
2. He’s concerned about other canons instead of starting from scratch and simply having his own.
3. His focus on the previous 2 points has led to him not making good, solid entries in his own universe.
He needs someone in his camp to say, “hey, let’s tone this down a bit and focus on Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash before we tackle Gorilla Grodd.