The Suicide Squad’s after-credits scene, explained

The Suicide Squad is a pretty open-and-shut movie. A standalone film in the truest sense, it doesn’t require knowledge of any prior DC Comics films, nor does it have any cliffhangers for obvious sequels. But there is a post-credits scene, and what it’s referring to might not be obvious for viewers who don’t keep up with every tidbit of behind-the-scenes news. Not to worry though, we’re here to help.

[Ed. note: Spoilers for The Suicide Squad to follow.]

The scene is a brief one: Two of Amanda Waller’s agents are seen in a hospital, where they’re told someone was pulled from the rubble and survived. The survivor is none other than John Cena’s Peacemaker, heavily injured and unconscious but otherwise alive. The agents, rather ominously, tell the attendant physician that they’re gonna need him for a job “saving the world,” and the film cuts to black.

This scene is not setting up a Suicide Squad sequel, nor another film entirely, but the announced Peacemaker TV series for HBO Max, which, this scene suggests, will take place at least partly after the events of The Suicide Squad. Actors Steve Agee and Jennifer HoOlland are expected to resume their roles as Amanda Waller cronies John Economos and Emilia Harcourt, while Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black), Nhut Lee (Kroll Show), Chukwudi Iwuji (Designated Survivor), and Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) round out the cast.

Not much is known about the new series — it’s written by James Gunn, who also directed the majority of the first season’s episodes, and “an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag,” per the Suicide Squad filmmaker. Joining Gunn as a director is none other than Eastbound and Down creator-director Jody Hill.

Peacemaker is currently expected to premiere on HBO Max in January 2024. In the meantime, dive into our list of the best Suicide Squad comics of all time.