James Gunn Confirms The Suicide Squad’s Toxic Avenger Easter Egg

James Gunn has confirmed that he hid a Toxic Avenger Easter egg in one of The Suicide Squad‘s prison scenes. Although The Suicide Squad did not live up to box office expectations, fans and critics alike have praised the film for its humor, over-the-top violence, and Gunn’s unique directing style. Gunn is currently the first and only filmmaker to have directed films in both the MCU and the DCEU.

Gunn, who is regularly active on social media with fans, isn’t shy about sharing his inspirations for certain scenes or small references he’s hidden in his films. According to Gunn, there is still a Guardians of the Galaxy Easter egg that remains only partially discovered. Easter egg searchers often find hidden references by paying attention to the background in films and a certain scene in The Suicide Squad that takes place in the cafeteria of Belle Reve prison has recently become the object of some attention. The scene features, in the background and slightly out of focus, a TV that appears to be playing a retro movie.

Although some hardcore fans quickly identified that the film being played was 1984’s The Toxic Avenger, the Easter egg still remained relatively unknown. In a recent response to a fan on Twitter, however, who asked about what was playing on the TV in the prison scene, Gunn confirmed that the movie playing was indeed The Toxic Avenger. The Toxic Avenger was a low-budget superhero film from indie production and distribution company Troma. The film’s unique campy tone is not dissimilar to Gunn’s own earlier work with films like his 2006 directorial debut Slither and 2010’s Super. Gunn himself worked for Troma early on in his career and wrote 1996’s Tromeo and Juliet for the company.

The inclusion of the Easter egg is significant because a remake of The Toxic Avenger, likely to release sometime in 2022, just recently wrapped filming. The remake will star Peter Dinklage as the titular hero and feature Kevin Bacon as a villain. The film will also see original Toxic Avenger directors Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz return as producers.

It’s unlikely that Gunn’s reference to The Toxic Avenger is anything more than an acknowledgment of a film that he enjoys or that has shaped his creative style in some way, but there’s always the chance that the Easter egg hints at some sort of connection between The Suicide Squad and the upcoming remake. Although little can be deduced regarding what the confirmation of the Easter egg means for future projects (if anything), it begs the question: what other Easter eggs could The Suicide Squad be hiding? Gunn has proven himself a very deliberate filmmaker and one who curates each frame of his movies very carefully, making it highly likely there are more obscure Easter eggs just waiting to be discovered by eagle-eyed fans.

Source: James Gunn/ Twitter

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