'The Suicide Squad': Who is Savant? DC character is master extortionist who tortured Black Canary

Savant is one of the new characters that will be making an appearance for the first time in DCEU
Savant in 'The Suicide Squad' vs Savant in DC Comics (DC/Warner Bros)
Savant in 'The Suicide Squad' vs Savant in DC Comics (DC/Warner Bros)

The release of James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ is just around the corner and fans cannot wait to sit inside the theaters and go for a roller coaster ride with the comic-book characters. The movie is a standalone sequel to the original 2016 movie of the same name and will introduce us to many new characters.

The 2016 movie created a lot of buzz after the trailers surfaced online, but it was panned by the critics because of its weak script. David Ayer accused Warner Bros of editing the movie that he actually created and releasing it in the theatres. That’s why WB chose James Gunn for helping with the latest edition.

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Gunn was pretty sure that he had to make a different movie with new characters. Hence, he changed most of the cast and gave the movie a new flavor. One of the most intriguing characters in the movie is Savant. Not a lot of people have heard about the characters, so we break down everything for you and give a glimpse of who is Savant and what are his abilities? Take a look.

Michael Rooker as Savant in 'The Suicide Squad' (DC/Warner Bros)

Who is Savant?

Savant is relatively a new character in the DC Universe and made his debut appearance in 2003 in the ‘Birds of Prey’ comic. The character, whose real name is Brian Durlin, was written by Ed Benes and created by Gail Simone. Savant was introduced to the fans as a vigilante and someone who thinks that he is very intelligent. However, he soon realized that heroism is not his cup of tea and transitioned himself into a criminal because he was good at extorting money from others and also, kidnapping.

He is the only character to kidnap Black Canary and hoped that he will get to know the real identity of Batman from Oracle. However, he was defeated by her team.  Like his namesake, he is a genius; however, due to a chemical imbalance, he exhibits a non-linear memory and seems to be quite forgetful. The character went on, under Oracle's control, to clean up a Gotham neighborhood. He might not be a supervillain like King Shark or Starro, but he is an intriguing character because of his arrogance. He believes that he is the best and can do anything in the world. 

Savant in DC Comics (DC)

In recent years, Savant was seen as a new member of the Suicide Squad and betrayed the group after extensive torture. He is dragged away and seemingly taken to Brazil, but his fate is left uncertain.

What are his abilities?

Highly capable unarmed combatant and often wields a part of metal batons during a fight. Savant is also skilled with computers, and at finding out secrets, which he used to use for blackmail purposes. He also speaks a number of languages at different levels of fluency.

Who plays Savant in ‘The Suicide Squad’?

Veteran actor Michael Rooker plays the role of Brian Durlin aka Savant in the movie. Rooker has been a part of the industry since 1986 and has worked on numerous projects. The actor has been a part of ventures such as ‘Days of Thunder’, ‘The Bone Collector’, ‘Super’, and ‘Brightburn’.

Michael Rooker attends the Warner Bros. premiere of "The Suicide Squad" at Regency Village Theatre on August 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Rooker has been a part of the superhero movies in the past as well and played the role of Yondu in the MCU movie ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.

‘The Suicide Squad’ hits theatres and HBO Max on August 5.

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