The Suicide Squad: TDK’s Fate Perfectly Referenced A Past Nathan Fillion Role
The Suicide Squad introduces T.D.K. to the DCEU and somewhat calls amusingly back to Nathan Fillion’s character in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad killed off many Task Force X members, including Nathan Fillion’s T.D.K. — but his death brilliantly echoed his role in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Directed by James Gunn, the loosely connected DCEU sequel saw two disparate teams formed by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sent into Corto Maltese on a dangerous mission. Both were seemingly tasked with destroying all traces of the infamous Project Starfish. In truth, however, that objective was entrusted solely to the team led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and more specifically to Peacemaker (John Cena). The first team, meanwhile, was offered up as cannon fodder designed to distract the Corto Maltese military. As a result, within mere minutes, many characters die gruesome deaths in The Suicide Squad. Among them was Fillion’s ineffectual warrior: The Detachable Kid.
Prior to The Suicide Squad, though, Fillion was no stranger to superhero roles, as well as supervillains and those that blurred the lines between both. In 2008 in particular, the popular actor starred in Joss Whedon’s beloved musical web series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. There, he played Captain Hammer, a famed Los Angeles superhero and nemesis of aspiring supervillain Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris). Immensely dimwitted with a deluded ego (especially regarding the limits of his powers), Captain Hammer already shared a lot in common with T.D.K. — with traces of Peacemaker’s douchiness thrown in for good measure. It was at the moment of T.D.K’s death, long before the twists and ending of The Suicide Squad, however, that most directly referenced Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’s Captain Hammer.
After detaching his arms to mildly accost Corto Maltese soldiers, the limbs were ultimately gunned down. Despite being separated, T.D.K nonetheless felt the pain of every bullet received by his floating arms. As a result, he dropped to the floor and began flailing about not just in pain but with a slight level of surprise — as though such an eventuality had never occurred to him as possible before. Captain Hammer suffered a similar fate in the final episode of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. When one of the titular villain’s devices backfired, Captain Hammer was identically reduced to a wreck writhing on the floor. Experiencing pain for the first time, he cried and screamed, “I think this is what pain feels like” before running away.
It’s unclear whether Gunn intended the parallel as part of The Suicide Squad’s soundtrack-heavy action. That being said, he and Fillion have been frequent collaborators over the years. Between that and his extensive, fond knowledge of movies and TV in general, it would be extremely likely Gunn is familiar with Fillion’s most notable and beloved roles. As such, it’s more than possible that Gunn either knowingly or subconsciously called back to Captain Hammer’s fate with T.D.K’s own — albeit taken to a brutal and more fatal degree as befitting his Troma sensibilities. Even if not, however, the over-the-top and childish nature of both T.D.K. and Captain Hammer’s reactions nonetheless offered a hilarious new case of “same energy” for fans to be amused by.
Despite The Suicide Squad’s disappointing box office reception, the DCEU outing has still resonated with audiences and critics alike. Alongside the unique characters, bloodsoaked action, and surprising amounts of heart, a reason for that was The Suicide Squad’s DC easter eggs and references. Whether it was inadvertent or intentional, the T.D.K. and Captain Hammer connection elevated the movie beyond Gunn’s encyclopedic knowledge of the comics to other properties. Equally, it added to The Suicide Squad’s already considerable array of darkly hilarious moments. As such, it’ll give fans something to enjoy the next time they revisit The Suicide Squad or Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog in the near future.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/suicide-squad-tdk-death-nathan-fillion-dr-horrible/