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 #25), 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[]
Main article: 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[edit][]
Main article: Legends (comics)
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)[edit][]
Main article: Secret Origins
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.
"A Princess' Story" from Secret Origins (vol. 2) #28 sheds light on Nightshade's origin, revealing that her mother hailed from the Land of the Nightshades. An ill-fated trip to this world ends with Nightshade's mother dead and her brother abducted, and Nightshade spends the following years honing her shadowy powers and building a reputation as a crimefighter. She falls in with King Faraday at the C.B.I.; Faraday eventually introduces her to Amanda Waller, who agrees to help her rescue her brother in exchange for Nightshade's participation in the Squad.
Other World War II Suicide Squads[edit][]
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. It is unclear whether this team is part of the modern Suicide Squad canon or if the Squad introduced in Secret Origins was intended as a replacement for them in DC continuity.
Another classic version of the Squad (Rick Flag Jr., Karin Grace, Jess Bright, and Dr. Hugh Evans) appears in the non-canon 2004 miniseries DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. 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 crewed 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[edit][]
Throughout 66 issues, this incarnation of the Suicide Squad undertook numerous high-risk missions for the U.S. government.
"Baptism of Fire"[edit][]
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"[edit][]
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"[edit][]
In this story arc, building on subplots from previous issues, Rick Flag goes after Senator Cray in order to assassinate him. Previously, Senator 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"[edit][]
Main article: 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"[edit][]
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/Waller aide Flo Crowley are killed in an attack by para demons. 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 return to Earth with their dead. Shade is returned to his home dimension as the Squad mourns Flo.
"The Coils of the LOA"[edit][]
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 doesn't 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"[edit][]
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"[edit][]
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 Ray Palmer, 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"[edit][]
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[]
Main article: List of Suicide Squad members § Suicide Squad (vol. 1) (1987–1992)
Notable team members from Suicide Squad (vol. 1) include:
- Amanda Waller
- Rick Flag Jr.
- Bronze Tiger
- Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness)
- Count Vertigo
- Deadshot
- Joker
- Doctor Light (Arthur Light)
- Duchess (Lashina)
- Enchantress
- Jewelee
- Nemesis (Tom Tresser)
- Nightshade
- Oracle (Barbara Gordon)
- Poison Ivy
- Punch
- Ravan
- Shade, the Changing Man
- Thinker II (Cliff Carmichael)
- Vixen