The Suicide Squad is finally here, and DC fans have spent the last few days becoming acquainted with the revamped Task Force X line-up. James Gunn’s standalone sequel to 2016’s original is receiving rave reviews, with the director once again succeeding in making us care about obscure comic book characters, just like he did with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
His DC debut is filled with D-list supervillains you never thought you’d see on screen, like Mongal (Mayling Ng), Weasel (Sean Gunn) and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian). Then there’s Javelin, as played by German actor and comedian Flula Borg, who’s hardly recognizable underneath his long blonde wig. Not to mention the fact that he seriously bulked out for his role in the movie.
In a new interview with Men’s Journal, Borg revealed that he gained a total of 25 pounds of muscle to play Javelin. My usual routine used to be working out for 20 minutes, eating nothing, and staring at the television for the rest of the day,” Borg joked to the publication. “Paolo [Mascitti, personal trainer] told me that wasn’t going to fly.”
The star followed up the revelation by reiterating it on Instagram, sharing a shirtless pic of himself working out. Check it out below:
Borg’s Javelin played a small but all-important role in The Suicide Squad. Spoilers incoming… The former Olympian-turned-villain struck up a fast friendship with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), but this was cut short when Javelin was among the members of the squad who were killed in the film’s opening scenes. With his last breath, Javelin entrusted his trusty weapon to Harls, who eventually used it to take down Starro the Conqueror at the movie’s climax, meaning he didn’t die in vain.
The Suicide Squad is playing in theaters and is streaming on HBO Max now.