The Suicide Squad movies don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. They’re both about a group of bad guys rediscovering their humanity and learning to work together in the face of insurmountable odds. While the Suicide Squad movies are ensemble movies at their cores, it’s easy to pick favorites because some characters stand out more than others. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is the breakout star of David Ayer’s project, while Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 and Idris Elba’s Bloodsport do a lot of the heavy lifting in James Gunn’s film. One character that appears in both movies, however, is Captain Boomerang, who fails to reach his potential.
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Digger Harkness is the wildest member of the titular team in 2016’s Suicide Squad, and that’s saying a lot because the movie is full of wacky characters. Jai Courtney’s performance gives a boost to the silly villain, which is why it’s so great that the actor reprises his role in the 2022 sequel. Unfortunately, The Suicide Squad does Captain Boomerang dirty and makes one miss his more impactful appearances in the Arrowverse.
Captain Boomerang Gets the Slipknot Treatment in The Suicide Squad
Harkness finds himself in the DC Extended Universe‘s version of Belle Reve after robbing enough banks to get on The Flash’s radar. His abilities with a boomerang make him an interesting asset, though, so Rick Flag and Amanda Waller make him part of Task Force X after the attack on Midway City by Enchantress. He doesn’t initially believe that A.R.G.U.S. has a chip in his neck, but after seeing Slipknot try and fail to escape, he starts to shape up. Harkness fights alongside his teammates until it seems like all hope is lost. Flag turns off the chips and allows the Suicide Squad to leave the city. However, Harkness and the rest embrace their heroic sides for a moment and help take down Enchantress.
Saving Midway City doesn’t get Harkness off the hook, so he ends up back in Belle Reve. After escaping for a brief time, Waller comes calling again in The Suicide Squad when Project Starfish starts causing problems in Corto Maltese. Harkness is part of the initial wave that heads to the island nation, and no one is there to welcome him with open arms. In fact, Corto Maltese’s army comes at Task Force X with everything it’s got, and the villain dies in the battle. He only lasts a few minutes in The Suicide Squad, which is a shame because he has more potential than his Arrowverse counterpart.
The Arrowverse’s Captain Boomerang Wins the Competition By Default
The Arrowverse is home to plenty of great villains, including Reverse-Flash, Deathstroke, and Prometheus. Captain Boomerang isn’t on the same level as any of those heavy hitters, but he has the honor of being part of the franchise’s first major crossover, “Flash vs. Arrow.” Harkness wants revenge on A.R.G.U.S., so he causes problems around Star City in the second episode of the event. Since he’s too much for Oliver Queen and his team to handle on their own, Barry Allen shows up and lends a hand. Harkness nearly sets off a handful of bombs in the city, but the heroes get the better of him and toss him in prison on Lian Yu.
Harkness doesn’t return until the end of Arrow Season 5 when Oliver recruits former adversaries to help him fight Prometheus. Initially, the villain appears up to the challenge, but he eventually reveals that he’s working for Prometheus. Once again, he proves to be a problem for Oliver, and it takes Malcolm Merlyn setting off a mine to finally take him down. However, despite losing his life, Harkness’ story doesn’t end there because another character, Owen Mercer, follows in his footsteps and becomes Captain Boomerang. While the Arrowverse’s version of Harkness doesn’t have a unique personality or an affinity for stuffed animals like his DCEU counterpart, he makes life difficult for the heroes every time he’s on screen, and that’s the mark of a solid villain.
The Arrowverse shows are streaming on Netflix, while the Suicide Squad movies are available on HBO Max.
Do you think The Suicide Squad wastes Captain Boomerang? How do you feel about the version of the character in the Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below!
