Director James Gunn is known for being extremely active on social media and often hosts Q&A sessions with his followers. When one fan posed a question about Gunn’s favorite costume to design from The Suicide Squad, the director immediately revealed it was the one that Polka-Dot Man will be seen wearing in the film.
Of course, it had close competition, but the “sad-sack-soldier/b-grade supervillain-with-a-slightly-ill-fitting-outfit-&-goggles look” is special for Gunn. While Polka-Dot Man will be portrayed on screen for the first time, with David Dastmalchian playing the character, the costume truly honors its counterpart from the comics. The outfit, in both The Suicide Squad and the comics, is white and covered in bright and colorful polka dots. The look is complete with a red belt and gladiator glasses, which adds to the character’s quirky personality.
According to Gunn, he only described the look he wanted for Polka-Dot Man to The Suicide Squad costume designer Judianna Makovsky and her team managed to get it right in one go. The first design that they presented was selected as the final one, with Gunn joking that the designer “can see inside [his] brain.” Just a few days ago, Gunn had shared fan images of somebody’s pet snake dressed as the Polka-Dot Man, with a white costume covered in polka-dots. The snake even sported a pair of aviators on its head to complete the character’s look. The cosplay was appreciated by Gunn’s followers and it only goes to show how eagerly fans are awaiting the release of The Suicide Squad.
In the comics, Polka-Dot Man resides in Gotham and is one of Batman’s enemies, albeit a minor one. He was seen fighting Batman and Robin early on in their careers and was known for his crimes that involved a bizarre theme of polka dots. It was similar to the question mark that served as the Riddler’s visual motif. But, the gimmicky costume wasn’t all just for show and was, in fact, used by Polka-Dot Man to conceal weapons.
Apart from revealing his favorite costume, Gunn also commented on the most “complex outfit,” which, according to the director, was the one designed for Idris Elba’s Bloodsport. It was apparently a challenge to work out the specifics of the costume with the design team and it required some reworking, with the director providing “hundreds of notes,” unlike Polka-Dot Man’s look.
Fans of Gunn's work at Marvel Studios are excited to see what the director has in store for the DCEU. That enthusiasm is only heightened by the fact that he apparently had full control over The Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad releases in U.S. theaters and on HBO Max on August 6, 2021.
Source: James Gunn/Twitter