Earlier in the week, James Gunn revealed that there’s a Guardians of the Galaxy cameo in The Suicide Squad, and he voiced his surprise that it hadn’t been leaked yet considering the massive amount of advanced reviews. Of course, that’s no longer the case now that the film is out in the wild. In a new move for HBO Max, The Suicide Squad was available for streaming starting at 7 PM EST on August 5 as opposed to the previous release strategy of dropping new films at 3 AM EST.
Here’s what Gunn told the Happy Sad Confused podcast about the Guardians cameo, and don’t expect much of a hint on how to find it. Via The Wrap:
“Well, I mean people know I almost cast Dave [Bautista] in a role and he couldn’t do it, so he didn’t,” Gunn said. “Other than that, well, there might be a Guardian somewhere in the film that no one has seen yet and I’m so surprised by… I’ve gotten a hundred reviews from this movie and I’m just astounded.”
In defense of critics who saw The Suicide Squad in advance, the cameo is very brief and verges on “blink and you’ll miss it” territory. As for who the Guardian is? Mantis star Pom Klementieff. Late in the film, she can be spotted as one of the dancers in the Corto Maltese bar where Task Force X capture Peter Capaldi’s The Thinker. The camera lingers on Klementieff for just a moment, and that’s the entirety of her cameo. She’s not in character as Mantis or a DC Comics character or anything along those lines.
However, despite the brevity of the scene, eagle-eyed Guardians fans spotted Klementieff right away, and they were all about seeing a little Marvel love pop up in the DC Comics film.
#TheSuicideSquad was an absolute fucking blast & how did no one know the cameo was @PomKlementieff pic.twitter.com/uJd93IdXB3
— Derreck Doan (@derrecknoteric) August 6, 2021
The Suicide Squad is a bloody delight. It dashes from kill to kill, yet packs in a ton of heart for every character. High recommend to those longing for a joyride to get you back in the theater, or a DC title done right. Well done @JamesGunn. (Loved seeing Pom show up!)
— Erik Voss (@eavoss) August 6, 2021
@JamesGunn loved Suicide Squad. Did I see @PomKlementieff in there too?? Awesome job by all!! Killer soundtrack, too!
— Kelly Donnelly (@KellyAnne726) August 6, 2021
did anyone else think @PomKlementieff cameo in the #SuicideSquad was about to lead to something bigger? I was so confused when she just vanished lmao I love how @JamesGunn seemed to just have all his best friends rock up in this movie!
— GiantDwarf (@GiantDwarf3) August 6, 2021
@JamesGunn me when i see @PomKlementieff cameo on The Suicide Squad how tf she ended there? lol BTW great movie congrats to the success of the movie #NOMNOM
pic.twitter.com/ZMEn1fm0bH
— Joshua Christopher Castil (@JImmyHo76071122) August 6, 2021
me seeing pom klementieff in .5 seconds of the suicide squad: pic.twitter.com/yTUhUAjed3
— simone (@midsommarvvitch) August 6, 2021
On an interesting note, The Suicide Squad star Steve Agee inadvertently (or purposefully) revealed Klementieff’s cameo almost two years ago. In a September 2019 Instagram post, Agee shared a photo of Klementieff with The Suicide Squad cast at a screening for Joker, and he even name-dropped her as a “guest star.”
The Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.