'The Suicide Squad' Is "Neither A Sequel Nor A Reboot," According To John Cena

The Suicide Squad is James Gunn's follow-up to David Ayer's 2016 superhero movie Suicide Squad. But is it a sequel? A reboot? Or something else entirely? The Suicide Squad star John Cena, who is soon set to star in his own HBO Max spin-off series based on his Peacemaker character, has a really vague answer to those questions.

In an interview with The Observer, Cena spoke about where The Suicide Squad actually fits in the messed-up DC Extended Universe timeline. And...he doesn't really have a concrete answer, but he can confirm at least one thing: The Suicide Squad is not a sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad. Cena said:

"Perception is everything, and I won't change your perception. But I'll offer my own. The Suicide Squad is neither a sequel nor reboot. The Suicide Squad is the Suicide Squad from the brain of one of the most amazingly twisted creative minds in James Gunn that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. James is so gifted in so many ways. The good thing about what's going on with The Suicide Squad is exactly what you're saying. People are kind of expecting to be something. But nobody's ready to see this movie. Everyone needs it in their life, truest me. But nobody's ready to see what it is. Nobody."

Whenever a cast member of one of Gunn's superhero ensembles talk about the movie, it always ends in them praising the filmmaker relentlessly, but it's clear that Cena likes working with Gunn. In addition to starring in The Suicide Squad, he'll lead the HBO Max spin-off series Peacemaker, which may or may not be a prequel to The Suicide Squad.

But as for the question of whether The Suicide Squad is a sequel or not, I suspect it's not a sequel in the way that Wonder Woman 1984 "wasn't a sequel" to Wonder Woman. It is a sequel, but the only connecting element between the two movies are the returning characters.

The Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Joaquín Cosio, Juan Diego Botto, Storm Reid, Nathan Fillion, Steve Agee, Sean Gunn, Mayling Ng, Flula Borg, Jennifer Holland, and Tinashe Kajese, with Sylvester Stallone, and Viola Davis.

Here's the synopsis for The Suicide Squad:

Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today's do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone's favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-anddestroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave...and Amanda Waller's government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they're dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone's laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.

Look for it in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6, 2021.