Film · in order
Suicide Squad in Order
Two films and a spin-off show built around Task Force X. Watch in release order: the 2016 DCEU movie, Gunn's 2021 soft-reboot, then Peacemaker Season 1.
Suicide Squad in Order โ complete list
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Why this order?
The Suicide Squad name covers a surprisingly loose collection of stories, which makes "what order do I watch this in" trickier than it looks. There are only three live-action entries that truly belong together, and the simplest, most reliable way through them is plain release order. Start with Suicide Squad (2016), David Ayer's entry in the DC Extended Universe; move on to The Suicide Squad (2021), James Gunn's standalone soft-reboot; and finish with Peacemaker Season 1 (2022), a spin-off built directly out of the 2021 film.
Release order doubles as the best viewing order here because the connections are deliberately thin. The 2016 film and the 2021 film share a few characters (Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller, Rick Flag) and the Task Force X premise, but Gunn treated 2021 as a fresh start rather than a direct sequel, so you don't need the first movie to follow the second. Peacemaker, by contrast, is a genuine continuation: it picks up John Cena's character moments after The Suicide Squad ends, so it should always come after it.
The big gotcha is the franchise's tangled continuity. The first two films were part of the DCEU; Peacemaker Season 1 was made in that era, but everything has since been folded into James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DCU, which recasts and resets much of the timeline. The video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024) is a separate Arkhamverse story and is not part of this watch path.
If you want the full context for these characters, see our DCEU page, which maps how Suicide Squad fits alongside Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the rest of that shared universe.
Timeline 2016โ2022
Every entry plotted by release year โ see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
Affiliate links (Bookshop.org for books, store links for games/films) slot in here.
Cameos & crossovers
Characters from Suicide Squad who also show up elsewhere โ see the full character atlas โ
- Joker
Batman's chaos-agent nemesis โ terrorizes the films, haunts the Arkham games, and crashes the DCEU's Suicide Squad.
- Amanda Waller
Ruthless spymaster who runs Task Force X across Suicide Squad, the DCEU, and the DCU.
- Harley Quinn
Joker's psychiatrist-turned-accomplice who links the Arkham games, Suicide Squad, the DCEU, and the new DCU.
- Bloodsport / Robert DuBois
Sharpshooting mercenary who leads James Gunn's DCEU Suicide Squad.
Also in DC Extended Universe - Captain Boomerang / Digger Harkness
Aussie thief who serves time on the Suicide Squad and appears across the DCEU.
Also in DC Extended Universe - Deadshot / Floyd Lawton
Never-miss assassin recruited into the Suicide Squad and the DCEU.
Also in DC Extended Universe - Peacemaker / Christopher Smith
Peace-at-any-cost mercenary linking Suicide Squad to his own DCU spinoff.
Also in DC Universe (DCU)
Frequently asked questions
What order should I watch Suicide Squad in?
Watch in release order: Suicide Squad (2016), then The Suicide Squad (2021), then Peacemaker Season 1 (2022). The first two films are loosely connected, but Peacemaker is a direct continuation of the 2021 movie, so save it for last.
How many Suicide Squad movies are there?
There are two live-action Suicide Squad films: Suicide Squad (2016) and The Suicide Squad (2021). The Peacemaker series (from 2022) is a spin-off show rather than a movie, and the 2024 game Kill the Justice League is separate.
Is The Suicide Squad (2021) a sequel to Suicide Squad (2016)?
Not exactly. James Gunn made The Suicide Squad as a standalone soft-reboot. It shares some characters like Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller, but you do not need to see the 2016 film to follow it.
Do I need to watch the 2016 film before Peacemaker?
No. Peacemaker is a direct spin-off of The Suicide Squad (2021), so watching that film is what matters. The 2016 movie is optional setup and not required for the show.
Where does Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League fit in?
The 2024 video game is part of the separate Batman: Arkham continuity, not the film series. It is not part of the live-action watch order.
Are these movies part of the new DCU?
These entries were made during the DCEU era, but James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DCU has since reset much of that continuity. For the wider context, see our DCEU page.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
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