The Suicide Squad (also known as Task Force X) is a fictional black-ops unit appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. While the original version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 (September 1959), the second and modern iteration, created by John Ostrander, debuted in Legends #3 (January 1987). Since the team's creation, various incarnations have existed and depicted in several self-titled comic book series and spin-offs.
The original version of the unit (Suicide Squadron) consisted of expendable members, who were soldiers with felonies, in service to the United States government, performing high-risk missions, and were led by Captain Rick Flag during World War II. Several decades later, the idea would resurface from Amanda Waller, a political operator who altered the idea to include known and lesser-known supervillains as expendable assets to allow the government plausible deniability and, in return, a reduced prison sentence. While primarily consisting of super-villains outfitted with explosives embedded into them to ensure compliance, the unit also features military field team leaders, administrative operatives that assist Waller, and non-coerced operatives. While the unit's roster is in constant flux due to the nature of the squad, recurring members include Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, El Diablo, Enchantress, Harley Quinn, and King Shark. Other reoccurring members includes non-coerced operatives Bronze Tiger, Katana, and Rick Flag.
The Suicide Squad has been adapted extensively in media. In animation, the team has appeared in Batman: Assault on Arkham, Justice League Unlimited, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, My Adventures with Superman, and others. The team has also been adapted in various live-action films of the DC Extended Universe and the video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Background and creation The original Suicide Squad appeared in six issues of The Brave and the Bold. Co-creator/writer Robert Kanigher took the name from another comic series of the same name, by an unknown writer, from the Australian comic publishing company Frew Publications. Although this early incarnation of the team (created by Kanigher and artist Ross Andru) did not have the antics of later iterations, it explained much of squad's field leader Rick Flag's personal history. The team's administrator Amanda Waller was introduced in the Legends miniseries,Legends #1–6 with the original Silver Age Squad's backstory elaborated in Secret Origins (vol. 2) #14.Secret Origins (vol. 2) #14
The Suicide Squad was later re-established in the Legends miniseries with writer John Ostrander at the helm.Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 228: "Writer John Ostrander gave the new Suicide Squad its own series, having brought the team to life in 1986's Legends miniseries...With the team's own title, Ostrander was helped by artist Luke McDonnell." The renewed concept involved the government employing a group of supervillains to perform extremely dangerous missions as deniable and expendable assets, a concept popular enough for an ongoing self-titled series. The squad was often paired with DC's other government agency, Checkmate, culminating in the Janus DirectiveThe 11-part Janus Directive crossover consisted of Suicide Squad #27–30, Checkmate #15–18, Manhunter (vol. 2) #14, Firestorm (vol. 2) #86, and Captain Atom #30 crossover.
While the Squad is often depicted as succeeding on their missions, failure was an occurrence. Ostrander remarked on how stories sometimes purposefully brought in characters to be killed off. The team's very name, Suicide Squad, relates to the idea that this group of characters is sent on dangerous and difficult suicide missions.
Suicide Squad (vol. 1) lasted 66 issues, along with one Annual and one special (Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special #1). After the series' cancellation in 1992, the team members made several appearances in titles such as Superboy,Superboy (vol. 3) #13–15 Hawk & Dove,Hawk & Dove (vol. 4) #3–5 Chase,Chase #2–3 and The Adventures of Superman.The Adventures of Superman #593–594
Suicide Squad (vol. 2) was published in 2001, written by Keith Giffen, with art by Paco Medina. Though the series' first issue featured a Squad composed entirely of Giffen's Injustice LeagueJustice League Annual #1 members, the roster was promptly slaughtered, save for Major Disaster and Multi-Man. These developments prompt Sgt. Rock, who was written into the role of squad leader, to recruit new members of whom many die during missions.
Suicide Squad (vol. 3) (initially subtitled Raise the Flag in DC's solicitations) was an eight-issue miniseries published in 2007. It featured the return of writer John Ostrander with art by Javier Pina. The story focused on the return of Rick Flag Jr. and the formation of a new squad to attack a corporation responsible for developing a deadly bio-weapon.
Suicide Squad (vol. 4) debuted as part of DC Comics' line-wide New 52 continuity reboot in 2011. The relaunched book was written by Adam Glass, with art by Federico Dallocchio and Ransom Getty. Amanda Waller directs the group from behind the scenes; Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark feature prominently in this version of the Squad. The volume concluded in 2014, with issue #30.
New Suicide Squad was launched in July 2014. Written by Sean Ryan with art by Jeremy Roberts, the new series continues to feature Deadshot and Harley Quinn, with Deathstroke, Black Manta, and the Joker's Daughter also featuring.
Since 2014, the Suicide Squad has expanded beyond the comics. It received two major live-action films, including James Gunn's The Suicide Squad (2021), which introduced characters such as Peacemaker and Bloodsport to the team's roster. It also spawned the Peacemaker television series, the video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024), and several new comic incarnations, with Amanda Waller becoming increasingly central to major DC storylines.
Publication history Silver Age
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.Legends #1 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.Legends #3 Waller dismisses the group,Legends #4 though they soon reconvened to rescue Captain Boomerang after Godfrey captures him.Legends #5
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. 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.Star Spangled War Stories #110–111, 116–121, 125, and 127–128 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.DC: The New Frontier #1–4
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" that defends Earth from 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.Deadshot #1–4 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,Suicide Squad #23 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.Batman: The Killing Joke
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 operativesSuicide Squad #5 or providing evaluations of their mental states;Suicide Squad #1 several full issues are dedicated to examining prominent characters' personal lives and motivations.Suicide Squad #8, 19, and 31
Plot synopsis Throughout 66 issues, this incarnation of the Suicide Squad undertook numerous high-risk missions for the U.S. government.
"Baptism of Fire"