James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is the kinda-sequel to the 2016 DC movie Suicide Squad (no “The” needed). While some characters are returning from that film, like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, and Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang, the cast is made up of mostly new players for this particular Squad. That includes Idris Elba as Bloodsport and also a more mysterious character called TDK — a.k.a. The Detachable Kid — who is played by Gunn’s real-life buddy Nathan Fillion.
We don’t know much about this character, other than that he appears to be a new creation of Gunn’s… albeit one based on a very obscure, very weird player from DC Comics canon. Read on for what we know about TDK in The Suicide Squad, and watch the clip below to see him in action…
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Who Is TDK in The Suicide Squad?
Firefly and Castle’s Nathan Fillion reteams with James Gunn for The Suicide Squad after appearing in a cameo role in Guardians of the Galaxy as well as starring in Slither and co-starring in Super, all of which were helmed by the director.
TDK is an original creation of Gunn’s, but we think we know who he’s based on. Take a look at the character poster of TDK:
The character sports a fairly standard superhero look: armor, dramatic stare, piercing eyes, arms crossed, ready to do battle. But then you notice that, well, TDK’s arms don’t seem to be connected to his body! That’s because TDK stands for… The Detachable Kid!
Rumors had indicated that this was Fillion’s character’s name, but now we know that’s what the TDK means. And diehard comics fans also know that there’s a precedent for a hero with this modus operandi, even if he went by a different name… Arm-Fall-Off-Boy!
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Arm-Fall-Off-Boy Explained
Arm-Fall-Off-Boy — yes, that’s his actual superhero name — dates back to 1989, and has made only a rare appearance here or there in the pages of DC Comics as far as we can tell. First appearing in Secret Origins #46, Arm-Fall-Off-Boy has the power to, yes, remove his limbs. He can then use said limbs as weapons to, you know, beat on folks. He tried to join the Legion of Super-Heroes but was rejected because… come on. What super-group would want this guy on their team?
After one of DC’s many continuity reboots, the character was renamed Splitter (and given the real name Floyd Belkin), but was still a wash-out in terms of trying to make it into the Legion.
The thing is, the Legion of Super-Heroes are from the far-off future of the 30th century, so for Gunn to use the actual Arm-Fall-Off-Boy doesn’t quite make sense in terms of keeping to the canon of the comics universe. But then again, maybe he just decided to rename the Fillion character from the ridiculous Arm-Fall-Off-Boy to the catchier, if still ridiculous The Detachable Kid. (Fillion previously shot down rumors he was playing Arm-Fall-Boy.)
Whatever the case, this character and his unique power set are certainly perfect for a James Gunn film. Based on the roster of characters coming in The Suicide Squad, TDK would seem to fit right in with the zanier side of the cast alongside folks such as Weasel, King Shark, The Thinker, and Polka-Dot Man. But then again, before Guardians of the Galaxy came out, a talking tree and a talking raccoon also sounded pretty ridiculous. And then we all cried when Groot died and Rocket mourned for him, so let’s hold off judgment on how TDK will really be depicted until after The Suicide Squad is released, OK?
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For even more on the film, speculate with us on who Taika Waititi is playing in The Suicide Squad, check out the behind-the-scenes teaser, and read up on the history of Idris Elba’s character Bloodsport.
Aug. 4, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about The Suicide Squad.