Silver Age '' #25; art by
Ross Andru.
Plot synopsis The Brave and the Bold The original Suicide Squad first appears in
The Brave and the Bold #25. Team members appearing in the debut issue include physicist Jess Bright; astronomer Dr. Hugh Evans; Rick Flag Jr., the team leader; and Karin Grace (Davies in #26, Grace in #37), flight medic. The characters have follow-up appearances in issues #26, #27 and #37-#39. The team's introductory story depicts them being called in to deal with a super-heated red-hued object, called the "Red Wave", which was heading toward a seaside resort and boiling the ocean along the way. They travel in a plane equipped with a testing and analysis lab. Follow-up appearances show the team dealing with a variety of challenges: a meteor storm (the radiation from which causes them to shrink), a giant serpent in the Paris subway tunnels, a giant monster that captures Karin, and a nuclear bomb. Issues #38 and #39 show the team encountering dinosaurs and meeting the leader of the Cyclops.
Star Spangled War Stories The Suicide Squad then continued in
The War that Time Forgot, published in
Star Spangled War Stories #110-111, #116-121, #125, and #127-128, that introduced the characters Morgan and Mace.
Legends In the midst of
Darkseid's attempt to turn humanity against Earth's superheroes via his minion
Glorious Godfrey, Amanda Waller assigns Rick Flag Jr. leadership of a reformed Task Force X.
Blockbuster,
Bronze Tiger,
Captain Boomerang,
Deadshot, and
Enchantress make up Task Force X at
Belle Reve. The squad's first mission is to eliminate
Darkseid's rampaging fire elemental
Brimstone; Blockbuster dies during the conflict and Deadshot takes down the creature with an experimental laser rifle. Waller dismisses the group, though they soon reconvened to rescue Captain Boomerang after Godfrey captures him.
Secret Origins (vol. 2) During
World War II, a number of Army riffraff are assembled into a unit that is highly expendable, and therefore nicknamed the Suicide Squadron (shortened to Suicide Squad). Several such teams existed, but their history in comics is only scarcely recorded before
Rick Flag, Sr. becomes the leader of the team (and even then, only a few adventures of this Squad are shown). After the war ends, the team (together with the Argent group) is put under the umbrella organization of Task Force X. After his father's death, Rick Flag Jr. goes on to lead the group that is featured in
The Brave and the Bold. A deadly encounter with a
Yeti during a mission in
Cambodia ends with Evans and Bright dead and sends Flag back to the U.S. with a wounded Karin Grace. After a stint with the
Forgotten Heroes, Flag is drafted into the Squad that Waller assembles in
Legends.
Other World War II Suicide Squads The World War II Squad of
Secret Origins (vol. 2) #14 was a means of tying the Silver Age Suicide Squad to the war-era Suicide Squad (also called the Suicide Squadron) created by
Robert Kanigher for his "
The War that Time Forgot" tales in the pages of
Star Spangled War Stories. This Suicide Squadron is described as a "top-secret
Ranger outfit" whose members were trained to tackle missions from which ordinary volunteers were not expected to return alive. Another classic version of the Squad (Rick Flag Jr., Karin Grace, Jess Bright, and Dr. Hugh Evans) appears in
DC: The New Frontier. The group is briefly shown undertaking the sorts of dangerous missions the Squad is known for, and Flag eventually drafts
Hal Jordan onto the team to assist in preparing a space flight to
Mars. The experimental rocket's test runs quickly goes south and the group (sans Jordan) dies in the explosion. In the
DC Comics Bombshells continuity, the World War II-era Suicide Squad is led by Francine Charles and consists of Killer Croc, Enchantress, Rose Wilson, and Barbara Gordon (who in this setting is a vampire). In the final issue of the comic, it is revealed that after the end of the war, this Suicide Squad became a "
Dark Justice League" defending the world against magical threats.
Suicide Squad (vol. 1) Background The first volume of
Suicide Squad, written by modern Squad creator
John Ostrander, launched in May 1987, shortly after the team was introduced in the "
Legends" crossover storyline. It lasted for 66 monthly issues, along with one annual and one special (
Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special #1), both published in 1988. This series details the
covert operations of the modern post-
Crisis Squad, created (in-universe) and directed by
Amanda Waller. It is notable for bringing obscure characters such as
Captain Boomerang and
Deadshot to prominence; the latter received his own tie-in miniseries in 1988, co-written by Ostrander and
Kim Yale. The Suicide Squad also presents a modern context for field team leader
Rick Flag Jr.'s modern-day activities and his involvement in the Silver-Age Suicide Squad. Former Batgirl
Barbara Gordon makes her first appearance as the information-broker
Oracle, and serves as the Squad's remote radio support, a vocation she adopted after being shot by the
Joker. She uses a wheelchair as a result of being shot.
Suicide Squad (vol. 1) takes pains to humanize its relatively obscure ensemble cast, partly via an in-house
chaplain and psychiatric staff at the Squad's Belle Reve headquarters. These staff members are frequently seen interviewing various Squad operatives or providing evaluations of their mental states; several full issues are dedicated to examining prominent characters' personal lives and motivations.
Plot synopsis Throughout 66 issues, this incarnation of the Suicide Squad undertook numerous high-risk missions for the U.S. government.
"Baptism of Fire" The team's first mission in the
Suicide Squad title set them up against their recurring enemies, the
Onslaught. They infiltrate their headquarters (the fortress known as Jotunheim, situated in
Qurac) and proceed to defeat and kill most of the Onslaught members. Elements from this first story arc return over the series, such as the death of
Mindboggler,
Captain Boomerang's cowardly and treacherous nature,
Nightshade's attraction to
Rick Flag Jr., a rivalry between Rustam and Flag, and
Ravan's defeat at the hands of the
Bronze Tiger.
"Mission to Moscow" On orders of
Derek Tolliver (the team's liaison with the
UNSC), the Suicide Squad is sent to
Moscow in order to free the captive Zoya Trigorin, a revolutionary writer. Although the mission is largely successful in its first half, the team finds that Zoya does not want to be freed at all, causing friction among the team as they must plan their escape. In the end, the mission ends with the Squad having to travel across a tundra to reach safety, but come face to face with the People's Heroes, the Russian's own group of
metahumans. In the conflict, Trigorin dies, and Nemesis (Tom Tresser) is captured. It turns out Tolliver never even considered the possibility of Trigorin wishing to become a martyr, automatically leaping at the conclusion she would be eager to leave the Soviet Union, and thus risked Waller's wrath upon the mission's end. Nemesis eventually escapes thanks to a collaboration between the Suicide Squad and the
Justice League International, although the two teams fight one another first. This conflict is primarily the result of Batman's investigation into the Suicide Squad, his confrontation with Waller, and his being forced to drop the investigation when she reveals that she can easily figure out his secret identity if need be.
"Rogues" and "Final Round" In this story arc, building on subplots from previous issues, Rick Flag goes after Senator Cray in order to assassinate him. Previously, Cray had been blackmailing Amanda Waller in order for her to ensure Cray's reelection, threatening her with the exposure of the Suicide Squad to the public. At first, there is also the threat of Waller being usurped by Derek Tolliver, the now-former liaison between the Squad and NSC, who conspires with Cray against Waller. Waller deals with the situation by engaging in counter-blackmail with help of
Checkmate, but refrains from informing Flag. The Squad's existence is in danger, and he decides to deal with the problem himself. Manhunter quits the Squad upon learning of their upcoming mission against Loa in New Orleans, LA. In order to stop him, the Squad is sent after Flag, and it is eventually Deadshot who confronts Flag shortly before he can shoot Cray, but too late to prevent Tolliver's murder in
Suicide Squad #21. As a result of these developments, the Suicide Squad is exposed to the public, contrary to Flag's intentions. Flag flees the scene, while Deadshot is shot by the arriving police officers. Unfortunately for Deadshot, who has a death wish, he does not die from the injuries. Resulting from the exposure, Amanda Waller is replaced by an actor named Jack Kale so that she can continue to run the Squad. The team then goes on a public relations offensive, becoming, for a time, a prominent heroic team by saving a renowned nun from a repressive regime. Rick Flag travels to Jotunheim, where the Onslaught is still headquartered, and finishes the mission his father could not, blowing up Jotunheim with a prototype nuclear Nazi weapon but gives up his life to do so.
"The Janus Directive" "The Janus Directive" is a crossover storyline involving an interagency war between
Checkmate, the Suicide Squad, and
Project Atom, who are manipulated by
Kobra in order to distract the United States intelligence community from his activities. During the crossover, the headquarters of Checkmate and the Suicide Squad are destroyed as the war between the agencies worsens, and the lives of all members of the
Force of July are lost except for
Major Victory. In the end, with the defeat of Kobra, the various government agencies are made autonomous, to be overseen by
Sarge Steel.
"Apokolips Now" In this issue, the character known as Duchess regains her memory after suffering from amnesia and recalls her true identity as
Lashina, of the
Female Furies. With help from Shade the Changing Man, Lashina kidnaps several members of the Squad and takes them to Apokolips to win back her place among the Furies. Along with Dr. Light, Squad support members Briscoe (helicopter pilot) and computer specialist
Flo Crawley are killed by
Parademons. Prevented by Steel from going, Bronze Tiger recruits Deadshot and others and joins with the
Forever People to journey to Apokolips. Darkseid arrives to destroy Lashina for bringing humans to his world and allows the rest of the Squad to return to Earth with their dead. Shade is returned to his home dimension as the Squad mourns Flo.
"The Coils of the LOA" This issue details the plan of a group called LOA to raise a zombie army with drugs spread across the world. To ensure the Squad does not interfere, they reveal how Waller is still in charge and the White House decide to wash their hands of her. With the Suicide Squad on the verge of being disbanded by her superiors, Waller gathers
Ravan,
Poison Ivy, and
Deadshot in an assassination mission of the LOA. The deal for the villains is simple: the three will be set free after helping Waller kill the LOA. While the villains run after the assassination, Waller allows herself to be put into custody.
"The Phoenix Gambit" The storyline running through
Suicide Squad (vol. 1) #40 - 43 reassembles a scattered Suicide Squad after a year of imprisonment for Amanda Waller. She receives a presidential pardon, courtesy of
Sarge Steel, as well as money in the bank and her old privileges concerning the use of imprisoned villains. This is done so that Waller can reassemble her Squad and prevent a confrontation between American and Soviet forces in the war-torn country of
Vlatava. As the Suicide Squad succeeds and finishes their mission, they go in a new direction, free from the government as freelance operatives per the terms negotiated by Waller. Under the leadership of Waller, who now also goes into the field as an operative, they are a mercenary squad open to the highest bidder.
"Serpent of Chaos" This storyline ran through
Suicide Squad #45 - 47. Amanda Waller and the Squad covertly sneak into Jerusalem seeking to capture or kill Kobra. However, the squad's arrival is detected by the
Hayoth, and their Mossad liaison Colonel Hacohen takes Waller and Vixen into custody in order to show them that the Hayoth has already captured Kobra. Amanda figures out that Kobra allowed the Hayoth to capture him but is unsure of why. Judith follows Vixen to a meeting with the Bronze Tiger and Ravan, critically wounds Vixen, and is nearly killed by the Bronze Tiger. Meanwhile, the Atom discovers Kobra's true plan all along was to corrupt Dybbuk the Hayoth's artificial intelligence team member. Kobra "corrupted" Dybbuk through a series of philosophical conversations about the nature of good and evil; he then attempts to use Dybbuk to start World War III. The day is saved by Ramban, the team's kabbalistic magician, who has a lengthy conversation with Dybbuk about the true nature of good and evil, choice, and morality. Meanwhile, Ravan and Kobra have their final battle which results in Ravan's supposed death via poisoning.
"Mystery of the Atom" Batman is working to solve the murder of the
Atom. He hears that Waller possibly knew about the explosion that killed him. Superman is told by a CBI agent that the Suicide Squad would be attempting to rescue Qurac's former President Marlo. Adam Cray confronts Deadshot about killing his father, Senator Cray. Golem of the Hayoth enters the facility holding Marlo on Blood Island. The Hayoth mistakenly believe they would be allowed to take President Marlo into custody. This misunderstanding caused the Hayoth to become embroiled in a four-way conflict with the
Justice League (
Superman,
Batman, and
Aquaman), who were there searching for Ray Palmer (the Atom), as well as the Suicide Squad, and the Onslaught. After a series of skirmishes, Superman ends the free-for-all with a shockwave caused by clapping both his hands together. The League confronts Ray Palmer, and he tells them about Micro Force and their murder of Adam Cray, the man who had been impersonating him as a member of the Suicide Squad.
"Rumble in the Jungle" The series concludes in issues #63 - 66, in which the Suicide Squad travels to Diabloverde to depose a seemingly invulnerable and invincible dictator calling himself Guedhe. This despot has his own personal bodyguards, a group of villains calling themselves the Suicide Squad. Insulted by the rival team usurping the Suicide Squad name, Waller accepts the mission to liberate Diabloverde at the price of one peso, paid by an exiled resident, Maria. During that mission, they confront and defeat the other Suicide Squad. Each member of the Squad journeys through the mystical jungle towards Guedhe's fortress, confronting their own inner demons along the way, except for Deadshot. Amanda Waller deceives the despot, who is actually Maria's husband, into a form of self-destruction. The despot believes himself to be immortal, but in reality, he is a powerful psychic whose consciousness continues to animate his remains. Waller convinces him that her touch brings death, leading to his demise. Afterward, Waller disbands the Suicide Squad, and the series comes to an end.
Membership: Amanda Waller's Squad Notable team members from
Suicide Squad (vol. 1) include: •
Amanda Waller •
Rick Flag Jr. •
Bronze Tiger •
Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness) •
Count Vertigo •
Deadshot •
Doctor Light (Arthur Light) •
Lashina •
Enchantress •
Jewelee •
Nemesis (Tom Tresser) •
Nightshade •
Oracle (Barbara Gordon) •
Poison Ivy •
Punch •
Ravan •
Shade, the Changing Man •
Thinker II (Cliff Carmichael) •
Vixen Interim stories (between Vol. 1–2) Background Though
John Ostrander's
Suicide Squad (vol. 1) series was canceled in 1992 with issue #66, the concept lived on in various DC storylines throughout the years. What follows is a breakdown of the Squad's various odd appearances over the years.
Plot synopsis Superboy (vol. 3): "Watery Grave" The Squad resurfaces in a three-issue
Superboy (vol. 3) arc, with a lineup consisting of
Captain Boomerang,
Deadshot,
King Shark,
Knockout, Sam Makoa, and Sidearm (who meets his death in the following issue). Superboy himself joins the Squad to assist in taking out a Pacific Rim crime cartel called the Silicon Dragons.
Hawk & Dove (vol. 4) In the
Hawk & Dove (vol. 4) miniseries, superheroes Hawk and Dove (Sasha Martens and Wiley Wolverman) are targeted by the government who assemble a new Suicide Squad to subdue the pair. Squad members at the time include
Bronze Tiger,
Count Vertigo, Deadshot, Flex, Quartzite,
Shrapnel, and Thermal.
Adventures of Superman (vol. 1): "The Doomsday Protocol" Lex Luthor organizes another Suicide Squad during his term as
President of the United States so that they can recruit
Doomsday to battle the alien
Imperiex. This version of the Squad consists of
Chemo,
Mongul,
Plasmus, and Shrapnel; it is led by
Manchester Black, under the supervision of
Steel. Doomsday seemingly kills most of the Squad upon his release, but all of the characters turn up alive in later comics. Rock is thought by several other characters to have been deceased since the end of
World War II, and they are surprised to see him alive and well. Two flashback stories provide some context for Rock's current-day activities, but the series' final issue strongly implies that Rock is an (as-yet-unidentified) impostor.
Plot synopsis The First issue details the former
Injustice League's terminally botched attempt to extract a kidnapped scientist from an Icelandic facility. With all but one team member (
Major Disaster) presumed dead by issue's end, Sgt. Rock forms a new Suicide Squad for the missions ahead. and investigating the mysterious island of Kooey Kooey Kooey to discourage its inhabitants from declaring war on Earth. Havana is revealed to be Amanda Waller's daughter, and the final story arc revolves around an all-out attack on the Squad by the members of
Onslaught, led by the son of longtime Squad enemy Rustam. Onslaught kills Modem and captures Rock, Havana, and Waller. Upon learning that the Squad has been compromised, Waller's office drafts the
Justice Society of America to counterattack Onslaught alongside the Squad, but they arrive too late to save Havana from Rustam's wrath. Deadshot discovers a discarded Sgt. Rock mask inside an empty holding cell, which prompts Bulldozer (who is monitoring the situation remotely via Deadshot's video camera) to stand from his wheelchair and announce "Oh, boy!" before leaving. Back in her office, Amanda Waller reviews Bulldozer's file, and states that he and Sgt. Rock died in 1945.
Superman Secret Files & Origins 2004: "Suicide Watch" A mystery agent sends
Captain Boomerang,
Double Down, Killer Frost, and Killer Shark to (unsuccessfully) assassinate an imprisoned Amanda Waller as she awaits trial.
Nemesis also appears.
52 Amanda Waller assembles a short-lived Suicide Squad, led by
Atom Smasher, to take on an out-of-control
Black Adam. Atom Smasher's team ambushes the
Black Marvel Family, getting Waller the evidence that she needs to expose their threat to the world. As Waller reviews future potential Squad members, Atom Smasher quits the team, threatening to inform Checkmate of Waller's unauthorized field ops unless she grants him a full pardon. Later, as
World War III rages, Waller informs
Bronze Tiger that
Rick Flag Jr. is alive.
Checkmate (vol. 2): "Rogue Squad" As part of DC's
One Year Later event,
Greg Rucka penned the two-part "Rogue Squad" arc for
Checkmate (vol. 2). After
Bronze Tiger finds
Rick Flag Jr. alive, Amanda Waller (now the White Queen of
Checkmate) taps the pair to track down a rogue Squad that is out to expose her off-the-books activities. The Squad is led by
Mirror Master, and includes
Icicle,
Javelin,
Plastique,
Tattooed Man,
Punch, and
Jewelee.
Salvation Run Beginning in the pages of
Countdown, the Squad makes various one-off appearances where they are seen rounding up the world's villains for an unknown purpose. This culminates in the seven-issue
Salvation Run miniseries (written by
Bill Willingham), where the Squad sends the apprehended villains to a remote prison world via
boom tube. Squad members seen rounding up villains include Rick Flag Jr., Bronze Tiger,
Captain Boomerang,
Count Vertigo,
the General,
King Faraday,
Multiplex,
Nightshade,
Plastique,
Bane,
Chemo, and Deadshot (the latter three are betrayed by the Squad and sent to the prison planet with the other villains).
Suicide Squad (vol. 3) Background John Ostrander returned to the Suicide Squad for an eight-issue miniseries that began in November 2007. The series takes place between the squad's appearance in
Checkmate (vol. 2) #6–7 and the events of
Salvation Run. It is functionally a sequel to the
Checkmate arc, detailing how
Rick Flag Jr. survived his apparent death The pair works together to survive. Unfortunately, Flag is forced to kill Rustam once they discover a way home. Afterward, he becomes a prisoner of war in Qurac for four years. Flag rejoins the Suicide Squad after he is rescued by
Bronze Tiger. After reviewing several new recruits, Amanda Waller briefs the Squad on the latest target: a
Dubai-based global conglomerate called Haake-Bruton, whose new viral weapon is to be destroyed, and its board of directors eliminated. The Squad airdrops onto Haake-Bruton's island stronghold, where Flag encounters Rustam's revenge-seeking father. Eiling compromises the mission, conspiring with
Thinker to betray the Squad to Haake-Bruton's board in exchange for asylum. The Squad suffers heavy casualties in the sudden internal conflict. Despite numerous setbacks, Deadshot carries out the assassination, while Waller confronts the General personally. Eiling demonstrates control over Flag via psychological conditioning; Flag subdues him after revealing the cooperation as a ruse, and the Squad returns to Belle Reve. Flag is unfazed by Waller's revelation that his own identity and memories are implanted, asserting to
Nightshade that he is still Rick Flag Jr.
Membership: Raise the Flag Notable team members from
Suicide Squad (vol. 3) include: •
Amanda Waller •
Rick Flag Jr. •
Blackguard •
Bronze Tiger •
Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness) •
Captain Boomerang (Owen Mercer) •
Chemo •
Count Vertigo •
Deadshot •
King Faraday •
The General • Marauder •
Multiplex •
Nightshade •
Plastique •
Thinker (Cliff Carmichael) • Twister •
White Dragon (William Heller) •
Windfall Interim stories (between Vol. 3–4) Background The Squad made prominent appearances in a four-issue
Manhunter (vol. 4) arc and during the
Blackest Night crossover event. In his
multiverse-spanning adventures,
Booster Gold briefly cooperated with a version of the
Silver Age Squad. These issues mark the Squad's final appearances prior to DC Comics'
New 52 continuity reboot in 2011.
Plot synopsis Manhunter (vol. 4): "Forgotten" The Suicide Squad has a run-in with
Manhunter after she unknowingly compromises their months-long undercover investigation into the
Crime Doctor's metahuman experiments in collaboration with Vestech Industries. Manhunter backs off of the trail at the insistence of the Squad and the
Birds of Prey, but goes rogue in an effort to bring down the Crime Doctor, who futilely attempts to restrain the Squad after becoming aware of their deep-cover duplicity. The operation is dismantled, and Manhunter goes public with the takedown.
Grifter, and ''
Justice League of America's Vibe''.
Plot synopsis After a botched government mission forces her to execute an injured teammate, Amanda Waller sets out to assemble an expendable field team, prompting the formation of a new Suicide Squad. Waller forces dozens of Belle Reve's death row inmates into a series of rigorous tests and torture scenarios to evaluate their loyalty and value as potential Squad members. The finalists—notably including Deadshot,
King Shark, and Harley Quinn—are outfitted with micro-bomb implants, and inducted into the Squad. The Suicide Squad's missions typically involve the elimination or retrieval of high-value targets. At one point, the team must track down an
AWOL Harley Quinn; in another mission, the Squad goes after
Resurrection Man. The Basilisk terrorist group serves as a recurring villain (echoing the Onslaught organization from
John Ostrander's original
Suicide Squad series), and several issues delve into the twisted relationship between Harley Quinn and the
Joker. Eventually, Waller recruits serial killer
James Gordon Jr. to act as Belle Reve's in-house psychiatric adviser—but unbeknownst to her, Gordon quickly develops a twisted infatuation with her. One ongoing and unresolved plot point involves the Samsara serum—a medical treatment that Belle Reve's doctors use to resurrect dead Squad members (including Deadshot and Voltaic). It is eventually discovered that the serum will permanently kill anyone to whom it is administered; Waller is implied to be one such subject.
Forever Evil During the
Forever Evil crossover event, the
Crime Syndicate of America emerges as the new threat which the Suicide Squad must avert. After the destruction of Belle Reve and the release of its inmates, Waller recruits Deadshot to a new Suicide Squad team. He, in turn, recruits Harley Quinn. Amanda Waller later reveals to James Gordon Jr. that the current Suicide Squad is but one version of the Task Force; she calls out Task Force Y to assist in battling the Crime Syndicate.
Membership: Suicide Squad (vol. 4) Notable team members from
Suicide Squad (vol. 4) include: •
Amanda Waller •
Black Spider (Eric Needham) •
Cheetah •
Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness) •
Deadshot •
El Diablo (Chato Santana) •
James Gordon Jr. •
King Shark • Light and Lime •
Harley Quinn •
Savant •
Unknown Soldier • Voltaic •
Yo-Yo (Chang Jie-Ru)
New Suicide Squad Background This 2014 relaunch, from writer Sean Ryan and artist Jeremy Roberts, sees Deadshot and Harley Quinn teaming up with new Squad members
Black Manta,
Joker's Daughter, the
Reverse Flash and
Deathstroke.
Membership: New Suicide Squad Notable team members from
New Suicide Squad include: •
Amanda Waller •
Black Manta •
Captain Boomerang •
Cheetah •
Deadshot •
Deathstroke •
El Diablo •
Joker's Daughter •
Parasite •
Harley Quinn •
Reverse-Flash Suicide Squad (vol. 5) Background Using the end of the
New 52 initiative as a launching point, DC Comics began a second relaunch of its entire line of titles called
DC Rebirth in 2016, written by
Rob Williams and shifting between
Jim Lee,
John Romita, Jr., and
Tony S. Daniel for art.
Suicide Squad (vol. 5) #1 (August 2016) was the debut bimonthly relaunch of the team's comic book title which consisted of
Amanda Waller,
Deadshot,
Rick Flag,
Captain Boomerang,
Harley Quinn,
Killer Croc,
Katana and
Enchantress. The Suicide Squad was given a new look, reflecting the team's appearance in the
DC Extended Universe. The title would crossover with
Justice League in
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, written by
Joshua Williamson and drawn by
Jason Fabok, Tony S. Daniel, and
Howard Porter.
Plot synopsis The Black Vault The Suicide Squad are sent to a Russian prison to retrieve a secret item, which turns out to be a portal to the
Phantom Zone. During the unfolding events, a Russian group of metahumans, known as the Annihilation Brigade, shows up and the situation worsens. General Zod gets free of the Vault, and Captain Boomerang is killed. The battle is brought to an abrupt halt as a new character, Hack,
Going Sane Back in Belle Reve, scientists working for Waller are examining the portal. In the next issue, Amanda's scientists continue trying to extract Zod. Meanwhile, the portal is sending out electromagnetic waves, and the characters appear to act in increasingly erratic ways. The portal waves are shown as having the opposite effect on Harley, causing her to realise she must intervene in the escalating blood lust.
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad This episode follows the Squad to the fictional island of Badhinisia, where the team has been dispatched to prevent the Brimstone Brotherhood from causing an earthquake. During the events, the Squad is confronted by the Justice League, having learned of the team's existence from Batman. Waller shares her intention to blow the bombs in their necks if they are captured by, or surrender to, the League. The Suicide Squad are defeated by the Justice League until Killer Frost absorbs a portion of a weakened Superman's life force and freezes everyone. When the plot reveals the approaching threat of
Max Lord and his super villain team, the two teams must pool their efforts in order to prevent the theft of a powerful weapon from inside Belle Reve. As the story progresses, Lord succeeds in stealing the Heart of Darkness (a.k.a. the Eclipso Diamond) and uses it to control the League, and through them, gains control of the world. Batman rallies Lobo and the remaining Squad members to make a final stand against Lord, escalating to conflict with the compromised Justice League. Meanwhile, Amanda observes that Lord himself is falling under the influence of the Eclipso Diamond, and warns him of this when Lord has her brought to the White House. Lord realises too late that Waller's warning held truth. In the following chaos, Batman deems them the new Justice League. Although Lord is able to bring most of the Squad/League under his control, he is defeated when Killer Frost, acting on Batman's instructions, is able to create a prism of ice that reflects Superman's heat vision in a frequency that will disrupt Eclipso's control of the heroes, Eclipso himself being vanquished by Killer Frost as she draws on the life energy of the rest of the heroes and Squad members present, thus limiting the drain on any one of them. In the aftermath of the crisis, Killer Frost is officially released while Lord is kept in Waller's custody, Waller musing that she will use him for 'Task Force XI'.
Burning Down the House Suicide Squad: Burning Down the House is the third collected volume of
Suicide Squad (Vol. 5), encompassing issues #11–15 and the
War Crimes Special one-shot. Released in September 2017, this arc delves into the Squad's internal conflicts, the return of a formidable adversary, and
Amanda Waller's increasingly questionable decisions.
Earthlings on Fire Kill Your Darlings Drain the Swamp Waller recruits Juan Soria, a prospective hero who was turned down by the Justice League and then arrested for robbery, into the Squad in order to combat an alien force that feeds off optimism and hope. In preparation for the mission, Waller had systematically broken Soria down to rid him of any and all hope. This allowed him to defeat the creature. After learning that he was used, Waller relocates Soria to Killer Croc's cell. Croc had previously been tempted to eat Soria and it is assumed this is what happened. The Squad confronts
Damage, who Waller wants to recruit for her Task Force XL. Meanwhile, King Faraday, who is still being held at Belle Reve, reveals he's been accessing Waller's hidden files and asks about someone named Coretta. Waller is visually shaken by the mention. She leaves the prison and goes to her daughter Coretta in the hospital as she's just given birth to Waller's grandchild. Her son Jessie tells her that Coretta does not want to see her. Hack returns and reveals she is in Belle Reve's computers. She begins opening the cells, erasing files, and murdering guards.
Suicide Squad Black DC Comics created a magical version of the Suicide Squad known as Suicide Squad Black in 2019 during the
DC Rebirth run. It was created by Jai Nitz and
Scot Eaton. The team have a six-issue comic series titled
Suicide Squad: Black Files. The roster consists of the
Gentleman Ghost, Azucar, the
Enchantress,
Juniper,
Klarion the Witch Boy, Tiamat, and Wither, and
El Diablo for a magical roster of the Squad called Suicide Squad Black.
Suicide Squad (vol. 6) The monthly Suicide Squad comic was again relaunched at the start of 2020, written by
Tom Taylor with art by Bruno Redondo. The initial storyline features a Task Force X run by a mysterious bureaucrat called Lok directing a team composed of
Deadshot,
Harley Quinn,
Magpie,
Cavalier, the
Shark, and
Zebra-Man to press gang a group of anarchist superhumans called the Revolutionaries. Over the course of the first six issues several Revolutionaries are killed in action; it transpires that the Revolutionaries were deliberately setting themselves up in infiltrate Task Force X and Lok is a frontman for
Black Mask, who is impersonating
Ted Kord.
Suicide Squad (vol. 7) The
Infinite Frontier monthly Suicide Squad comic launched in March 2021, written by Robbie Thompson with art by Eduardo Pansica.
Membership: Suicide Squad (vol. 7) Notable team members from
Suicide Squad (vol. 7) include: •
Amanda Waller •
Peacemaker •
Nocturna •
Match •
Talon • Culebra •
Bloodsport •
Ambush Bug •
Black Siren •
Major Force ==Collected editions==