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Amanda Waller mentions Senator Cray, a key figure from the Suicide Squad comics who was also the father of Adam Cray, the Suicide Squad’s Atom.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Suicide Squad, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
The Suicide Squad features many iconic and obscure DC heroes and villains, most of whom have been associated with the Squad in some way throughout the team’s comic book history. Most of these characters and the Easter Eggs associated with them are shown on screen, but a throwaway line from Amanda Waller hints at another hero. Waller mentions Senator Cray, a key figure from the Suicide Squad comics who was also the father of Adam Cray — the Suicide Squad’s Atom. This means that Cray, along with Ryan Choi, could become the Atom in the DC Extended Universe for future films.
Who is Senator Cray and Adam Cray?
As mentioned, Waller states she has a meeting with Senator Cray. In the comics, Senator Cray was killed, and his son became a new version of the Atom. This shrinking superhero was usually associated with the much more bright and colorful Justice League, with his presence on the Suicide Squad being made to fit via a black costume. Many assumed that Cray was actually Ray Palmer in disguise, but this wasn’t true.
Cray had been sent by Palmer to apprehend a gang of size-changing criminals called the Micro Squad. He would later question his teammate, Deadshot, concerning his role in his father’s death, but soon afterward, he would himself be killed by a Micro Squad member who believed he was Palmer. Palmer would avenge his death, but Cray wasn’t really reflected on much afterward. The DC Rebirth continuity brought him back as the roommate of Ryan Choi, and it’s from here that the character could be developed in the movies.
Adam Cray and Ryan Choi’s Atom
Choi was introduced in Zack Snyder‘s Justice League. Toward the end of this version of the movie, he’s instated as the Head of Nanotechnology for S.T.A.R. Labs, foreshadowing his role as the Atom. Whether or not the DCEU will pick up on this remains to be seen, but it’d be foolish to simply abandon it.
Jumping off from the recent comic books, a film for the Atom could focus on Choi while formally introducing Cray. It could establish that the two were college roommates like in the comics, with their paths as adults diverging. Choi would have become a top scientist at S.T.A.R. while Cray was merely the spoiled son of a senator. During the events of the movie, the Senator could be killed, setting up Cray’s character development and his joining of the Suicide Squad.
This could also be the catalyst that brings back Will Smith’s Deadshot, with the hired gun being sent by Waller to kill the Senator, so Cray could steal Ryan’s technology to go undercover and get revenge. Even if all of this doesn’t happen, it’s worth noting that two versions of the Atom are set up in some way in the DCEU, and neither of them are the traditional Ray Palmer version. This may be due to that character already having been used in the Arrowverse; although, there he was essentially Ray Palmer in name only. With the future direction of the DCEU still unknown, Adam or Ryan’s chances of showing up could still be as microscopic as they are.
To see how the Atom is hinted at in the film, watch The Suicide Squad, now in theaters or on HBO Max.
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