Writer/director James Gunn reveals an Easter egg in The Suicide Squad dedicated to his late dog, Dr. Wesley Von Spears. Gunn’s variation of James Ostrander’s DC comic sees an outlandish roster of super villains sent on a suicide mission in exchange for reduced jail time. In the standalone follow up to 2016’s Suicide Squad, Rick Flag and Harley Quinn are joined by newcomers including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, King Shark, and a slew of very unfortunate others (who might make it to the film’s title card).
In a recent Twitter post, James Gunn discussed an Easter egg in The Suicide Squad dedicated to his best friend. In the tweet, Gunn revealed that every one of the stogies in the film are branded “Dr. Wesley Von Spears,” which was the name of his dog of 16 years, who passed away a couple of weeks before the end of principal photography. Check out the post below:
Gunn, who regularly engages with fans via online media, has taken to Twitter/Instagram a great deal recently to reveal behind-the-scenes goodies concerning The Suicide Squad. This has included how the battle scene between Rick Flag and Peacemaker was filmed just as other scenes that were hard to shoot. Before the film’s release, Gunn had likewise been very open about the deficiency of his dog. During The Suicide Squad’s creation in 2020, creation was closed down so Gunn could bid farewell to his dying dog, Dr. Wesley Von Spears. In one of Gunn’s past Instagram posts, he shared pictures of Von Spears on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, Gunn wrote “to the world you were Dr. Wesley Von Spears, or Von Spears, yet to me you were Wesley, and the best friend I ever had. I love you, mate. Much thanks to you for making me a better man.”
Especially in regard to Marvel films, there are those who write comic book movies off as equation based or lacking depth. Gunn’s movies, specifically, debunk this—they’re always very personal to him. Before, he’s talked about the appeal of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy being the character’s innocence and sense of others. A great deal of Groot is based on Von Spears due to his “doggy like innocence.” Murder and mayhem aside, King Shark possesses comparative qualities and so does Ratcatcher 2’s best friend, Sebastian—who Gunn has described as his favorite characters. All things considered, the knowledge of The Suicide Squad’s “Dr. Wesley Von Spears” stogies not just adds to fans’ overall enjoyment of the film yet is an immortalized adieu.
