The Suicide Squad grew from one of DC Comics' more obscure teams to one of its major headliners. This was thanks to their New 52 incarnation, and two widely successful movies. David Ayer's polarizing Suicide Squad got the team's names on the map, while James Gunn's The Suicide Squad cemented their newfound fame.
Even with Task Force X's higher profile and relevance, most veteran and casual fans still don't know everything about them. Their comic book history is one of false starts, reboots, and do-overs. It's a process that continued right into the feature films,and may even carry over to Gunn's new vision for the cinematic DC Universe.
Updated on June 27, 2023 by Angelo Delos Trinos: It could be said that the Suicide Squad is currently the most famous supervillain group in all comics. Thanks to two DC Extended Universe entries, a hit HBO Max miniseries, and more appearances elsewhere, Task Force X arguably eclipsed DC's heroes in popularity and relevance. This list was updated to include more facts and trivia about the Squad's long road to their current success.
15 The Squad Teamed Up With The Banana Splits
Some time in the late 2010s, DC Comics capitalized on its treasure trove of Hanna-Barbera characters by giving them crossovers with certain DC heroes and/or villains. The Squad got the Banana Splits. This happened after Amanda Waller mistook the party-loving anthropomorphic animals for deadly metahumans.
In the one-shot Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special (written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Ben Caldwell, inked by Mark Morales, colored by Jeremy Lawson, lettered by A Larger World's Troy and Dave), were hurriedly recruited as reinforcements. This was notably not the only time the Banana Splits got a gritty and gory modern revival.
14 The Squad Got Their Name From World War II Heroes
The Suicide Squad was a team with a few different major iterations. The first one bore little to no resemblance to what came after. The Suicide Squad debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 (written by robert Kanigher, penciled by Orss Andru, inked by Mike Esposito, edited by Robert Kanigher) as World War II soldiers.
The original Squad were heroic soldiers who were brought together to defeat a menace called The Red Wave. They only lasted a few issues before being canceled. The Squad from DC's celebrated Silver Age only connection to their morally ambiguous counterparts was that their leader, Rick Flag, shared his name with the modern squad's handler.
13 The Squad Has Its Origins In World War II
A common misconception about the Suicide Squad was that it was canonically connected to Squad from The Brave and the Bold. At most, John Ostrander and Len Wein paid tribute to it through the team name and Rick Flag. The old war comic that the Squad was really tied to was The War that Time Forgot, which featured "The Suicide Squadron."
The Squadron comprised of the worst soldiers, who were sent to fight and die on Dinosaur Island. Capt. Richard Flag was brought in to get the Squadron in shape. The elder Flag was so instrumental to the Squadron that when the government reactivated it as Task Force X in the '80s, Amanda Waller quickly offered a job to his son, Rick.
12 The Modern Squad Debuted After Crisis On Infinite Earths
The Squad's original wartime version didn't set anyone scrambling to the comic book racks. In response, the team's concept was changed during the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now, they were supervillains who were given a chance at parole if they volunteered for a mission that would almost certainly kill them.
This was an outstanding concept that aged incredibly well. Despite critical acclaim, readers again mostly ignored the comics, and it was canceled in 1992. Thankfully, the Squad's second incarnation endured as a cult classic. The Squad's lasting reputation helped them stay relevant long enough to be given a big push in the 2000s.
11 The Squad's First Target Was Brimstone
A common consensus among readers was that the Squad was at its best when it fought grounded threats like terrorists or rogue states, not supervillains. What many may not know was that Task Force X has been fighting supervillains ever since their inception. Case in point, their first mission was to kill the fire elemental Brimstone.
During the all-powerful and terrifying Darkseid's war against the Phantom Stranger, Darkseid's minions attacked Earth. Waller had Task Force X kill Brimstone in exchange for clearing their names. This was Task Force X's unofficial debut. Their heated dynamic and concept of being expendable pawns was so well-received that it was expanded into a full run.
10 The Squad's Line-Up Was Always Kind Of Random
The original post-Crisis team had a very eclectic group of villains. Rick Flag led the team, which was initially comprised of Blockbuster, Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and Enchantress. If this collection of villains seemed like an inconsistent mix of decent B-listers and obscure nobodies, that's because it was.
In-universe, the Squad conscripted minor villains into dying for the government. In reality, the Squad helped DC clean house whenever it had too many disposable villains. The team also helped get some villains across with readers. Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and Enchantress have since become major DC villains thanks to the comics.
9 Amanda Waller's New 52 Redesign Was Controversial
Amanda Waller was one of the most unique characters in comics when she debuted as the head of Task Force X. Characters who were Black, middle-aged, or full-figured were uncommon in the '80s. Waller combined all of these then-rare traits to become one of the most imposing and influential anti-heroes and authority figures in comics.
Waller's appearance was one of the most interesting things about her, but that changed with the New 52 decades later. The reboot introduced many cool reinterpretations of DC characters, but a more conventionally attractive Amanda Waller was arguably one of the worst things it did. Waller returned to her classic appearance in DC Rebirth.
8 The Squad Has One Of The Highest Turnover Rates In Comics
Given the team's nature, it's not surprising that it has one of the highest turnovers in membership in comics. The Suicide Squad only took missions that no one else could (or would), leading to a lot of death. This was convenient for DC's creatives, since the team's members were dangerous but obscure supervillains without much cache.
The team's deaths didn't necessarily leave readers wanting more, nor did they spark much outrage. This gave DC editorial an excuse to kill off unpopular villains, and DC creatives a chance to push the envelope. The most staggering body count came in the 2001 run, in which all but one member of the crew died in the first issue.
7 The Squad's Comics Didn't Have The Best Luck
Comic book readers never really took to the Suicide Squad, despite their interesting concept. Their post-Crisis version ran from 1987 to 1992, but never picked up enough steam. They briefly returned in 2001 (pictured), but were canceled within a year. It wasn't until 2011 and the New 52 reboot that the team finally clicked with readers.
The reboot definitely raised the Squad's profile, but their newfound fame didn't last either. The Squad's New 52 run was more of another stepping stone in Harley Quinn's rehabilitation and redemption than the team's revival. After the New 52, Harley Quinn became a flagship DC character, while the Squad still struggled in relative obscurity.
6 The Squad's Villainous Status Never Really Stuck
Perhaps one reason the Suicide Squad books floundered in their original runs was that their core concept shifted. The original idea (introduced by writers John Ostrander and Len Wein) of villains fighting and dying for freedom eventually saw many of them turn good. Some readers only wanted a villainous team, while others welcomed the redemption.
The Squad routinely went from a roster of complicated and unlikable villains to one filled with anti-heroes. In some cases such as their runs in the 2000s, the Squad strangely had more heroes than villains. Harley Quinn was a great example of this. As Harley matured into an amazing anti-hero, she felt increasingly misplaced in the Squad.
5 Deadshot Wasn't Always The Squad's Leader
After Rick Flag, Deadshot was the Squad's most consistent member. the somewhat overrated Deadshot spent so much time with Task Force X that he became synonymous with them and was its de facto leader. However, this wasn't always the case. Originally, Deadshot answered to Bronze Tiger and Rick Flag. Over time, he grew into the leader.
Deadshot didn't like being the villains' leader, but he felt obligated to keep Task Force X in check and alive at all costs. Deadshot was seemingly killed and finally freed from Task Force X when he died during the Squad's 2020 run, only to be resurrected and conscripted into the undead Task Force Z.
4 Peacemaker All But Replaced Deadshot
To many DC fans' surprise, The Suicide Squad added Peacemaker to its roster. What made this shocking was that Peacemaker was never a part of Task Force X in the past, and he never even interacted with any of its members. Despite these, he was such a breakout character that DC greenlit Peacemaker's own self-titled and acclaimed miniseries.
Since then, DC pushed Peacemaker as the Squad's new face. Now that Deadshot was effectively written out of team, Peacemaker assumed his mantle. This introduced a new dynamic to Task Force X, since it was now commanded by a zealous and bloodthirsty patriot instead of a reluctant and jaded assassin looking for redemption.
3 The New 52 Squad Formed The Template For The Films
The New 52 reboot encountered criticism for its excessive depictions of violence and sexuality, but it provided a winning formula for the team's future. Both Suicide Squad movies took most of their cues from the Squad's New 52 line-up, such as including Deadshot, El Diablo, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Rick Flag in their line-ups.
This Squad also influenced the characters on the HBO Max Harley Quinn adult cartoon, which was full of in-jokes and obscure references that only dedicated DC Comics fans would get. The Squad's more modern and militarized appearances and powers also have their roots in the poorly aged New 52 run.
2 The Squad Died Trying To Get To The New Frontier
The very first Suicide Squad made a brief, funny, and important importance outside the main DC continuity in DC: The New Frontier. The late Darwyn Cooke's epic but criminally short New Frontier provided a unique take on the origins of the DC Universe. It also hearkened back to comics' historical roots in World War II and pulp fiction.
Here, the original Task Force X volunteered to test pilot a human-crewed spaceflight to Mars, led by Hal Jordan. However, they all died in the process. Jordan was the only one who escaped, while the Suicide Squad became a well-respected footnote in The New Froneiter's version of history and the DC Universe.
1 The Squad Helped Turn Barbara Gordon Into Oracle
The Killing Joke (written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Brian Bolland, lettered by Richard Starkings, colored by John Higgins) infamously ended Batgirl's career by having The Joker paralyze Barbara Gordon for life. Editor Kim Yale despised this story beat, so she and husband Ostrander revived the well-written Barbara Gordon through the Squad.
Since Yale and Ostander couldn't bring Barbara back as Batgirl or leave her in obscurity, they reinvented her as Oracle. Barbara debuted as Oracle by being the Squad's hacker and informant. By joining the Squad, Barbara got her much-needed second wind after her needless violation. She then became one of DC's most important mainstays.