'Suicide Squad' Sequel Finds Its Polka-Dot Man In 'Ant-Man' And 'The Dark Knight' Actor David Dastmalchian

Everyone can relax: James Gunn has found his Polka-Dot Man. Ant-Man and Dark Knight actor David Dastmalchian is joining Gunn's Suicide Squad sequel cast as the polka-dot costumed villain, one of several new characters joining the squad. Dastmalchian joins returning cast members Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Viola Davis, and new cast additions Idris Elba and John Cena.

Sorry to all you Polka-Dot Man hopefuls out there: the role has been filled. THR reports that David Dastmalchian, who had a brief role in The Dark Knight, and memorable supporting parts in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, has joined the cast of The Suicide Squad as Polka-Dot Man. This news confirms an earlier rumor about which new characters would appear in the movie – Polka-Dot Man, Peacemaker, King Shark, and Ratcatcher.

Polka-Dot Man is "a character usually called Mr. Polka-Dot in the comics. His real name is Abner Krill, and he wears "a bizarre costume covered in spots, the point of which soon became apparent – once removed from the costume, the spots could be used for a variety of purposes, creating deadly weapons and a bizarre escape vehicle."

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume most people have no idea who the Polka-Dot Man is – but I'm sure that's part of the fun for Gunn; he gets to play around with obscure, oddball characters on a big canvas. After all, the general public was a bit oblivious about the Guardians of the Galaxy until Gunn brought them to life for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We don't know the plot of The Suicide Squad yet, but we know that Margot Robbie will be back as Harley Quinn, as will Jai Courtney as Captan Boomerang and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Idris Elba was originally cast to take over the role of Deadshot for Will Smith, but it was later decided to have Elba play a different character instead. John Cena is also in talks – reportedly for the role of Peacemaker. Gunn originally wanted his Guardians co-star Dave Bautista for this part, but Bautista couldn't fit it into his schedule.

The first Suicide Squad was a hit, but received universal scorn from critics and has gone on to be the black sheep of the wobbly DCEU. With the sequel in the hands of the talented Gunn, there's a much better chance things will turn out for the better.

The Suicide Squad opens August 6, 2021.