Smallville mostly focused on the teen years of Clark Kent before he became Superman, but a whole host of other DC Comics characters appeared in the series. Apart from the Justice League, another popular DC group that is featured is the Suicide Squad with the version on the show being slightly different from the ones that fans have seen in the DCEU.

Members such as Peacemaker and Harley Quinn never appear or are mentioned. However, that doesn’t make this version less intriguing. Because the Suicide Squad only appears a few times on the show, there is some information about the group that fans might have missed.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Rick Flag’s Real Name

The group leader Rick Flag’s real name is visible on a Checkmate computer screen once and on his uniform at times. The name is shown to be Richard Stafford.

Rarely do comic adaptations come up with exclusive names for characters that already exist but such is the case for Rick Flag. Among the things only Suicide Squad comic fans know is that the name Richard Stafford doesn’t appear anywhere on the pages. The three versions of the character in the comics are the father, son, and grandson trio of Rick Flag, Rick Flag Jr., and Rick Flag III.

Ted Whittall Portrayed More Than One Character

Rick Flag isn’t the only character that Ted Whittall portrays on the CW series. The actor also appears as Lana Lang’s trainer in a single episode of season 8.

Long-running TV shows tend to recycle the cast and make a few actors play both major characters and one-shot ones. It’s understandable to not cast a new actor for every minor role, something the producers understood well. Consequently, there are a couple of Smallville actors who played more than one role.

See also  Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask Clock Tower Remade In Working LEGO Set

The Suicide Squad Members Are Recruited By Checkmate

In the DCEU, fans have gotten to see Suicide Squad members getting recruited by the government organization known as A.R.G.U.S. However, on the show, they are recruited by Checkmate, which is still headed by Amanda Waller.

Characters and organizations get shuffled a lot in superhero adaptations and such is the case with A.R.G.U.S. In the comics, it’s more associated with Steve Trevor hence it would be better suited for the Wonder Woman movies. Checkmate is the organization the Suicide Squad is traditionally associated with, which makes the show quite faithful to the source material.

Only Six Members Are Revealed

Only six Suicide Squad members appear throughout the Superman origin series. These include Rick Flag, Deadshot, Warp, Plastique, Chloe, and Icicle.

Fans might wonder why the showrunners were so economical with the amount of Suicide Squad characters they used and unfortunately, no particular explanation was given. However, it cannot be considered a major issue since most of the Suicide Squad members aren’t traditionally Superman villains. In the comics, most of them have faced off against Batman than any other hero.

The Source Of Plastque’s Powers Is Never Revealed

Bette Sans Souci, aka, Plastique is introduced as the energy blasting member of the Suicide Squad. However, it is never explained whether she was born with her powers or they came from the meteor showers that hit Smallville.

One of the reasons why Smallville is such a great origin story is that explanations are given for how most of the superpowered individuals acquired their powers. Surprisingly for Plastique, an origin story is missing. However, comic fans are aware that she can channel energy blasts because she was caught up in a particle accelerator explosion in S.T.A.R. Labs.

See also  Kung Fu: Why Henry Is Really Helping Nicky

Ted Whitall Is In The First Suicide Squad Movie Too

Ted Whitall also has a role in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. There, he plays SOCOM (Special Operations Command) commander Admiral Olsen who opposes Amanda Waller’s plan for Task Force X.

Given how much Ayer’s movie was lambasted by critics, most of the characters have quickly been forgotten too. Unfortunately, Whitall’s character falls into that category. And while some of the cast members from that movie got to appear in James Gunn’s improved version, Whitall wasn’t so lucky. Nonetheless, he still has Smallville to be proud of.

Emil LaSalle Is Never Mentioned By Name

Emil LaSalle, the teleporting member of the squad is never mentioned by name during his time on the series. However, the character name was confirmed by actor Elias Toufexis’s talent agency.

Out of all the Suicide Squad members on the show, Emil is the least featured hence it makes sense for him to not be addressed. Luckily, the character, also known as Warp, isn’t snubbed in all DC media. In Teen Titans, he features much more prominently and even battles major villains such as Darkseid and Doomsday.

Smallville Is The Live-Action Debut Of Amanda Waller

Amanda Waller has become a popular DC character recently thanks to the DCEU. Interestingly, she had never appeared in live-action before Pam Grier played her on the show.

Though the current version portrayed by Viola Davis is the most popular one, Pam Grier deserves credit for painting the character as one with lots of potentials hence opening the door for more portrayals. And while Amanda has been used sparingly in live-action, she has featured regularly in animated productions and has so far been voiced by over six actresses.

See also  Xbox Series S Fast Load Times Get Real-World Demonstration In New Video

Chloe Dies The Most Times On Screen

Out of all the characters on the show, de factor Suicide Squad leader Chloe Sullivan has the most on-screen deaths. She dies a total of 8 times.

Death doesn’t always mean the end of a character’s journey in superhero movies and TV shows and no one reminds viewers of that better than Chloe. The character enjoys plenty of privileges from a writing perspective as she is also the only one to be both a member of the Justice League and a member of the Suicide Squad.

Deadshot Is More Comic Accurate

Deadshot is a recurring enemy of Batman in the comics though he has appeared as a member of the Suicide Squad a couple of times. The version appearing on the show is more comic accurate as he occasionally dons a hat and is Caucasian.

The trend of the appearance of comic book characters being changed in film adaptations isn’t a new one. This is mostly done to suit a particular character who had been sought after for the role. Sadly Deadshot ended up being one of Will Smith’s worst roles. The other major example of a comic character’s appearance being changed is Wolverine, as the Hugh Jackman version rarely wears the tight yellow costume and mask from the comics.

Young Sheldon: How [SPOILER’S] Death Will Affect Big Bang Theory’s Timeline

About The Author


Philip Etemesi
(1215 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

More From Philip Etemesi