The Suicide Squad's James Gunn Explains What Makes Starro the Perfect Villain

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The Suicide Squad director James Gunn explains what makes Starro the perfect villain. Though he is best known for directing the first two volumes of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn is pivoting to DC's Extended Universe for his highly anticipated next project. Described as a soft reboot of 2016's divisive Suicide Squad from director David Ayer, Gunn's version will bring back a few members from the old squad in Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney).

For his version of Suicide Squad, Gunn would have been remiss not to introduce new characters. John Cena's Peacemaker, Idris Elba's Bloodsport, and Michael Rooker's Savant headline the roster of nutty newcomers to Task Force X, but Gunn also knew he would need a new villain. The red band trailer and other marketing revealed this will be Starro, a giant blue starfish. In DC's comics, the "freaking kaiju" is known as Starro the Conqueror and originally hails from outer space. Initially, Starro seemed like an odd choice for The Suicide Squad, but now Gunn is revealing why he chose the alien starfish to be the film's big baddie.

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In an interview with Den of Geek, James Gunn discussed the complete creative freedom he received from Warner Bros. when making The Suicide Squad which allowed him to include Starro, who he considers the perfect villain. Here is what Gunn had to say about the film’s kaiju:

Starro is hilarious because he’s ridiculous. He’s a giant, cerulean blue starfish, but he’s also f***ing terrifying. When I was a kid I thought that was the scariest thing of all time… and I think that exemplifies what this movie is: it is ridiculous and it’s also terrifying, and serious. So he works really well as the villain of the movie—as one of the villains, actually.

Though Starro may be the main monster, the real antagonists of the film may be Task Force X themselves, which has long been the appeal of The Suicide Squad since they first appeared in DC Comics in 1959. Since Gunn did not reveal any information regarding who the other villain is, this may be what he is referring to. Although, there could be another surprise appearance in store.

Gunn recently announced The Suicide Squad is completely finished ahead of its release this summer, though he is still busy with the Peacemaker spinoff series and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn is currently one of the most in-demand directors of comic book films due to his ability to take superhero action and infuse it with some much-needed levity. Since The Suicide Squad has tapped the “horribly beautiful mind of James Gunn," it is likely to be the craziest and quirkiest installment in the DCEU yet.