James Gunn has been all over the news (and his own Twitter feed) lately now that he and producer Peter Safran are heading up the DC Universe. Watching the discourse on social media about the changes is … well, let's say that there isn't enough popcorn and tea in the world to drag our attention away from it all. Gunn has been at the forefront of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe, directing the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films for the former and "The Suicide Squad" for the latter, which he now co-runs.

Gunn may have straddled two comic book universes, but actors rarely do. (A notable exception: Idris Elba played Heimdall in the "Thor" films and Bloodsport in "The Suicide Squad.") However, Gunn found a sneaky and pretty adorable way to get one of his prominent MCU actors into "The Suicide Squad." It's not exactly what you'd expect: it isn't a cameo, and it's not a poster on a wall or anything. It's way cuter than that, according to a July 2021 EW interview with Gunn. Who is it? It's Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt … sort of.

'One Was Named Jaws And One Was Named Crisp Ratt'

As you can see from the picture, the Pratt in question is a fuzzy little rat who accompanied Cleo Cazo aka Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) in the film. If you know your memes, you may have heard Chris Pratt called Crisp Ratt. If you don't know your memes, you'll never unhear that. Well, this tiny rodent is called Crisp Ratt. Gun tells the site:

" … we had two primary rats. One was named Jaws and one was named Crisp Ratt. [Laughs] They were our two main rats, and they were sweethearts, and they played Sebastian for most of the movie. Crisp could do some things and Jaws could do some other things. Jaws was the more mellow one. Whenever you needed a rat to just sit on Daniela's shoulder, or to be held by her, or whatever, that's almost always Jaws. And when you needed a more crazy rat that was drinking water or running across the room, that would be Crisp Ratt."

Crisp Ratt is a very good baby (the rodent, I mean) and one of the highlights of a very fun film. Knowing their name makes it even better. It also makes me wonder if Jaws was a nod to King Shark (voice of Sylvester Stallone, mo-cap by Steve Agee).

'He Thought It Was Hilarious'

What did the real Crisp Ratt Chris Pratt think about being represented in "The Suicide Squad" by a furry little creature with a funny name? Gunn said it was all good. He texted Pratt to let him know, saying "'We're putting the credits together and one of our rats is named Crisp Ratt. This of course, is meant as a compliment to you. But I just want to make sure that you're cool with that, that I put this rat's name in the credits.' He thought it was hilarious."

Aside from Melchior's Cleo being the heart of the film, she's got a little buddy who is the very best joke. I hope someone managed to find a way to get Crisp Ratt into "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," because seeing the names Chris Pratt and Crisp Ratt in the same credits would truly hit 11 on the cuteness dial.

"The Suicide Squad" is currently streaming on HBO Max. All the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films including "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" are streaming on Disney+.

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