DAVID BETANCOURT: Remember when [49ers quarterback] Steve Young won the Super Bowl and he told someone to get the monkey off his back? Weird as it sounds, that’s how I felt for WB and DC. Trying to catch up with a decade’s worth of work from Marvel Studios has not been easy. “Batman v Superman” was not a billion-dollar home run. It wasn’t a flop, but that movie was supposed to unite the fanboy masses; instead, it divided them. “Suicide Squad” is a hit from beginning to end. So many things could have gone against it, including having such a large cast, but [director] David Ayer really made it work. The credits rolled, and the first thing I said was, “DC finally has a post-Christopher Nolan superhero hit.” Even if it’s a movie of supervillains.

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MC: Before that [1995] Super Bowl, the great Jerry Rice said with swagger in the locker room to a couple of teammates, “Tonight, I’m going to get you your Super Bowl rings.” Well, in “Suicide Squad,” Will Smith just might be the film’s Jerry Rice; his presence and hangdog charisma and swagger have to anchor this film. How do you think Will delivered — how did his Deadshot measure up, or not, to you?

DB: Despite the fact that this is Will Smith we’re talking about here, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, it could have been easy for him to be overshadowed in a movie that features the Joker (played by Jared Leto), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Batman (Ben Affleck). But that doesn’t happen. Honestly, I don’t think Will would have signed up otherwise. You have to credit Ayer — who “Squad” castmates will tell you is one heck of a “character director” — for writing a role with some depth to it. It’s not just Will shooting things up in a mask; Deadshot has a personal backstory. He’s the coldest killer but the only one with a heart. Will delivered, and his superstar persona doesn’t drown out the essence of the character.

MC: For me, the streamlined plot — and we should note, this bare-bones, simplistic narrative is safely the antithesis of “BvS” — makes it all the more necessary that the Big Four characters/stars — in Viola Davis, Will, Jared and Margot — really deliver. We’ve talked about Will; what did you think of those other three performances, in relation to how the characters are deployed?

DB: I loved Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. When Angela Bassett was cast as the same character in “Green Lantern,” one of the many things that didn’t work with that movie was the kill-or-be-killed mentality of Amanda Waller. And that’s what Viola brings here, assisted with some great scripting from Ayer. You either kill for her, or she’ll kill you. This Amanda Waller makes that evident from the beginning. Is there anyone walking around DC’s current connected-movie universe as lethal as this Amanda Waller? I don’t think so. Even Deadshot thinks she’s crazy.

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Leto’s Joker? It kind of looks like artist Greg Capullo’s New 52 version of the Joker, doesn’t he? It’s this added street/gangsta swag that I don’t think we’ve ever seen in the Joker before. Leto did a great job of reinventing the character. I hope DC sees what they have here and makes sure Jared is in multiple DC films.

Harley? This is our first live-action Harley Quinn. For us, I think we both will always have a little bit of that animated Harley Quinn in our minds, but Margot Robbie delivered. I especially enjoyed her scenes as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Again, that’s Ayer making sure each character had a little depth to them.

MC: This is a stacked acting deck with three Oscar nominees — including one winner (Leto) and one actress who was robbed (Davis) — plus a BAFTA “rising star” whose comedic skills are one part Elizabeth Banks, one part Marilyn Monroe, with the mouth of Sarah Silverman and the killer instinct of Charlize Theron in “Mad Max.” But let’s consider Amanda for a moment. When I interviewed writers and actors about the “Star Trek” franchise, some of them talked about the rarity of having a black woman wielding the highest authority in an action film. Is it fair to say that Davis’s Waller rivals Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury as a rare black superhero-film boss — besides also being one who wields charismatic lethality?

DB: Oh, for sure. Funny you mention that. I couldn’t help but think of Nick Fury when watching Davis as Waller, but what is so great is that, other than being black leaders of superhero/villain teams, that’s where the comparison ends. And that’s really a good thing. The one time DC tried to be Marvel, we were treated to “Green Lantern.” It just doesn’t work. The DC universe is a darker place. Not that Marvel isn’t building dark worlds with Netflix right now, but their movie universe is bright.

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I like that DC’s movie universe is darker than Marvel’s. Sure, it looks like “Justice League” is going to lighten it up a little bit, but the grit is still there. I think that’s the way it should be. We don’t need two of the same thing. What fun is that? I hope WB/DC realizes what they have in Davis as Waller, and we see her across multiple DC movies.

MC: Speaking of characters we hope to see in multiple DC films, the Joker was a tall order for Jared, as he stepped into the big shoes and purple/green hues worn before by talents like Jack, Cesar (Romero) and the towering Heath. You mentioned the Joker’s look here; what do you think of Leto’s interpretation?

DB: Considering how much history Jared is up against, I thought he did great. I thought the Joker would take this movie over, but he doesn’t. Not to say his presence isn’t felt, but considering how big-time it is when the Joker is in a live-action movie, there was a nice balance of Joker and the Squad. I like the gangster aspect of him. More than any of the other Jokers we’ve seen on screen, Jared really comes off like a Joker who could blend well with a connected universe that includes the Justice League.

MC: Since you cite the Justice League, viewers are urged to stay for the tease-tag after the end credits.

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DB: That after-credit scene? How fun was that?

MC: We’ve now got multiple would-be navigators of the larger DCU, in Ayer, the seemingly downgraded-for-now Zack Snyder and the elevated Geoff Johns. What does SS do for the DCU’s future guides?

DB: “Suicide Squad” gives life to the DCU on film. I love the connection to “BvS.” You feel the instant impact of Superman’s death, and how the world is forced to view superpowered threats (enter the Suicide Squad). That feeling of connection that “Suicide Squad” has gives off a better feeling of a master plan being executed for the DCU as a whole. Ayer’s fantastic job of writing and directing reminds us that Snyder isn’t the only one creating worlds here for DC. I didn’t hate “BvS”; I liked lots of it. But it’s weak on dialogue. “Suicide Squad,” with Ayer (“Training Day“), is a big improvement on the dialogue front.

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Johns having a bigger role in the DCU on film is nothing but a plus. He’s someone we’ve spoken to often here at Comic Riffs, and so we know how much he’s someone who cares about DC’s movie plans but more important, knows how to tell a good story. He’s proved that with all the comics he’s written. I can’t wait to see his impact on “Justice League.”

MC: As for music: “Deadpool” employed classic pop and rock well, starting with Juice Newton, and Hans-Z came up with the great “Wonder Woman” intro. What do you think of the “Suicide” soundtrack by comparison?

DB: The musical score won’t make the hair on your neck stand up the way Zimmer can with his scores, but the hit pop songs, from various eras and styles of music, is one of “Suicide Squad’s” most fun highlights. Ayer really nailed it with his music choices.

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MC: What was the best thing about “Suicide Squad,” what would you most change about it — and where would you rank it among the better superhero films of the year?

DB: The best thing about “Suicide Squad” is that I can’t narrow it to one thing. That’s how much I enjoyed this movie. Everything worked. The cast. The director. The music. It’s a hit. Plain and simple, I wouldn’t change anything about this film. Where does it rank? Just a notch below “Captain America: Civil War.”

MC: And is Cap the best of 2016 so far, superhero-wise?