Summary
- The release of "The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark" has redeemed Killer Croc's depiction in the DCEU, improving on his simplistic portrayal in "Suicide Squad."
- The emotional depth given to Killer Croc in the podcast demonstrates that the character should not be viewed solely based on his previous interpretation in the DCEU.
- Killer Croc's redemption opens up opportunities for him to be utilized in James Gunn's DCU, adding depth to the universe and potentially enhancing the Batman adaptation.
A recent DC release has redeemed one villain who was severely misused in 2016's Suicide Squad. The DCEU film was released to an underwhelming reception due to the meddling of Warner Bros. in David Ayer's original production. As such, several of the characters in the film were either sidelined, misrepresented from their comic book counterparts, or simply underutilized within the film's story.
That said, 2021's The Suicide Squad redeemed some of the original film's characters that will undoubtedly continue in James Gunn's DC Universe reboot. These characters included Harley Quinn and Rick Flag who were vastly improved from their lackluster live-action debut, something that will hopefully be furthered in upcoming DC movies for other characters. Interestingly, one of the characters of 2016's Suicide Squad has been redeemed by a recent DC release. The project in question takes place in a different continuity meaning it is more so the character's image that has been rectified from the mishandling of Suicide Squad rather than the latter's specific iteration of the character himself.
The Riddler: Unburied Has Already Redeemed The DCEU's Killer Croc Depiction
The DC release in question is The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, a spin-off from the popular DC podcast Batman: Unburied. The character from Suicide Squad who is utilized in The Riddler is Killer Croc. In the DCEU, Killer Croc received minimal development alongside other wasted characters like Katana, Slipknot, and El Diablo. Suicide Squad depicted Croc as a simplistic, brutish, violent character who had little development beyond this meaning his character was not sympathetic, understandable, or intriguing in any way.
However, The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark seems almost tailor-made to counter this interpretation of the character. While Killer Croc certainly is not the focal character of the DC-based podcast, he is given much more emotional depth to his character than anything that was shown in Suicide Squad. This drastically improves his character from the version seen in the DCEU and proves that the latter interpretation is not how the character should be viewed in the DC Universe.
Why The DCU Needs Killer Croc
This change in portrayal of Killer Croc means that he can now be utilized in James Gunn's DCU in a way that is not marred by the character's depiction in Suicide Squad. Beyond this though, the DCU has a need for Killer Croc for one particular reason. As is evident by Gunn including characters like The Authority, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, Guy Garnder, and Mr. Terrific in Superman: Legacy, the director is using other DC characters to make the DCU feel lived-in upon its arrival rather than flesh out the universe from the ground up.
This will also be the case for the DCU's Batman adaptation, something Killer Croc could be immensely useful for. For one, Killer Croc is an interesting villain of Batman meaning utilizing him in the DCU would work for that individual franchise. However, Croc being part of an underground mob network that can be offhandedly referenced makes the character very useful in fleshing out the world of the DCU. These references to the character even if he is not overtly utilized would add much more depth to the DCU's fledgling world which would only further Killer Croc's character and continue his post-Suicide Squad redemption.