One Suicide Squad Actor Was Shocked When DC's James Gunn Killed Them Off

James Gunn's 2021 supervillain flick "The Suicide Squad" was a quasi-sequel to David Ayer's 2016 movie "Suicide Squad," but it could've functioned just as well as a remake. The premise of both films is fun: multiple colorful supervillains, each with their own nicknames and gimmicks, have been apprehended by the authorities and thrown into a maximum security prison. They are then given a bloody ultimatum: rot in prison or reduce their sentences by participating in dangerous military missions ... assuming they can make it out alive. As a result, these villains are forced to engage in a mission for a good cause (in theory, at least).

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) appears in both of these movies, as does Amanda Walker (Viola Davis), the mastermind behind the villain squadrons. Ayer's film is rough and gritty, while Gunn's has the director's usual cartoon sensibility. They're both very violent movies, however, and each one sports a handful of unexpected deaths.

Jai Courtney played the rather absurd character of Captain Boomerang in Ayer's film, and he was carried over into Gunn's follow-up, albeit only briefly. Gunn's movie begins with a whimsical sequence in which multiple characters are introduced as members of the titular team, Boomerang among them. However, when the nighttime beach they've been recruited for goes south, it results in a scene of mass slaughter, with most of the squad perishing gruesomely. As for Boomerang? He's hit by several flying shards of wooden shrapnel shaved off a nearby tree by a crashing helicopter, only to die when the helicopter explodes right next to him. That's it. He's out.

Joel Kinnaman plays the character of Rick Flag Jr. in both Ayer and Gunn's films, and he has since reprised his role on Gunn's well-received HBO Max spin-off series "Peacemaker." Appearing opposite Gunn and other members of the show's cast on the official "Peacemaker" podcast, the actor revealed that Courtney had no idea Boomerang was going to be offed so early in "The Suicide Squad" — and was none too pleased that his agents didn't give him a heads-up.

It seems that Courtney didn't learn about Boomerang's early demise until he finally received Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" script. While this turn of events is funny, and the sudden removal of a legacy character is lightly shocking, Courtney assumed that he would have more to do in the film. Hence, as Kinnaman remarked, his co-star wasn't exactly thrilled when he learned that wouldn't be the case. To quote Kinnaman directly:

"I know Jai told me that nobody f***ing told him. It's not funny, really [...] He got it. He's excited to read the script. He dies on page four, 10 or something. And nobody told him. And he's like, 'Ah, I can't wait to read this James Gunn script with my character, Captain Boomerang, reprising his role.' And he finds himself getting totally chopped up on [...] But his agents were told."

It seems unkind of Courtney's agents to keep the truth from him. Perhaps they were having a little snicker at his expense. Courtney, however, took the job in stride, dying with aplomb. He also appeared in the fun actioner "Jolt" that same year and has continued to work steadily since then. In 2025 alone, he starred in the serial killer/shark thriller "Dangerous Animals" and the miniseries "American Primeval."

Both "Suicide Squad" and "The Suicide Squad" were part of the DC Extended Universe, a franchise that came to a close after a decade in 2023. The property has since been rebooted as the shorter-named DC Universe, which is being overseen by Gunn and Peter Safran. Not only that, but the "Peacemaker" TV show and its titular character (John Cena) have also migrated into the DCU, starting with the series' second season. Is it possible Courtney's Captain Boomerang will join them at some point? Death, after all, is rarely permanent in superhero franchises, so Courtney may want to instruct his agents to listen for a call, just in case.

Although, if he does get that call, let's just hope that his agents tell him about everything this time.