Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League hides a bit of comic history in those prison uniforms

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League DC Fandome 2021 trailer
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League DC Fandome 2021 trailer (Image credit: WB Games)

The Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League trailer is hiding an Easter egg that hints at the series' history. 

The new Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League story trailer released as part of DC Fandome 2021 is based on comic books as everyone knows, but there are a couple of details in it that show how much the Rocksteady Studios team is aware of the source material.

In the opening scene of Amanda Waller recruiting the team at the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, several of the chosen inmates' prison numbers are actually references to their first appearances in comic books.

The Flash #117 cover by Carmine Infantino (Image credit: DC)

Captain Boomerang's 117-12-60 is in reference to his debut in The Flash #117 back in December, 1960. If you go back to that classic issue, you'll be surprised how different Digger Harkness looks these days compared to back then - it's almost like he's a Steak 'n Shake server.

Next up is Deadshot, with the inmate number 59-06-50. That's a callback to his debut in Batman #59 back in June, 1950. 70 years can change any person, but just how different Deadshot looked back then compared to now - with a tuxedo, top hat, domino mask, and pencil-thin mustache… well, you have to see it.

Harley Quinn's inmate outfit in the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League story trailer doesn't appear to have inmate numbers - and as far as the Easter Eggs go, that's with good reason as she didn't debut in comic books. Unlike her three other counterparts, Harley Quinn actually debuted in Batman: The Animated series years before she was brought over to comics (which is more common than you think with some of DC's characters).

Lastly you have King Shark, who is unique as his uniform denotes he's a transfer from Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary, the DC prison which Amanda Waller most commonly recruits from in comics and film. His number is 001094 - referring to his debut in Superboy #0 back in October 1994. In terms of fashion, he's remained pretty much the same - the Shark look never goes out of style (and we're not one to tell him otherwise).

Amanda Waller doesn't have an inmate number, but is wearing dog tags - but we haven't been able to get a clear look to see if there's an Easter Egg to those.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is expected to release in 2022.

For now, here are all the new games coming in 2021 and beyond.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)