DC Comics’ infamous crew of villains, killers and crazies are finally coming to prominence on the big screen. So let’s take a look back at the history of this unique and strange team -- or rather, teams.
Watch the video above, or read on for everything you need to know about the Suicide Squad.
The Brave and the Bold #25
The original Suicide Squad debuted all the way back in 1959 in The Brave and the Bold #25. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, this was a very different group from the Squad we know today. Led by military man Rick Flag, Jr., the team consisted of four non-powered humans who fought dinosaurs, cyclopes and other monsters on behalf of the government.
Their adventures were short-lived, though. Just three issues later, DC launched the Justice League of America. After a long period of decline, superhero comics had become hot again. And while Rick Flag’s group would make a handful of additional appearances, soon the Squad just faded away. (A retcon would eventually reveal that there’d been an even earlier, World War II-era team called the Suicide Squadron. That group was led by Flag’s father, Rick Flag, Sr., because… comics!)
The 1986 Suicide Squad lineup
Some 25 years later, in 1986, DC wiped its continuity slate clean with its Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot. As a result, writer John Ostrander was given the opportunity to relaunch the Squad, and the approach he took has stuck with the team ever since. Also known as Task Force X, the group now consisted of mostly supervillains and operated out of the Belle Reve Penitentiary. Recruited by the formidable government agent Amanda “The Wall” Waller, this team took on highly secretive and dangerous missions, risking their lives for a chance at earning freedom.
Rick Flag, Jr. returns.
Rick Flag, Jr. was back too, though he resented leading such criminals and miscreants. The initial lineup serving under Flag included: the assassin and expert marksman Deadshot; the Flash Rogue Captain Boomerang; the split-personality sorceress Enchantress; the super-strong Blockbuster; and the martial artist Bronze Tiger, who like Flag was not a villain and was on the team to help keep the bad guys in line. Their first mission involved stopping Brimstone, a minion of the mega-villain Darkseid. But in what would become a trend for the Squad, one of their members was killed during the assignment. Blockbuster’s death proved that these really were suicide missions.
Adding to that dark edge was each team member being equipped with an explosive device that Waller would use to take them out the moment they were deemed a risk to the mission. Or if they tried to run, like eventual member Slipknot did. (He got his arm blown off for his trouble.) Like I said, Waller is formidable. She’s not even scared of Batman.
The Squad's first book ran for 66 issues.
And while that first adventure against Brimstone took place in a miniseries called Legends, the Squad soon got their own self-titled book. This series would run for 66 issues before ending in 1992, and saw a revolving membership of over 50 characters. The former Batgirl Barbara Gordon made her first appearance here as the wheelchair-bound computer expert Oracle, joining Waller’s cause for a time. And many second- and third-tier characters got a chance to shine in Suicide Squad in a way they never had before. In fact, several of them would rise to a new level of recognition in DC’s comics as a result.
Of course, in-fighting was often a problem for this team of extreme personalities -- but also added another level of drama to their story. The powerful Enchantress, for example, was pretty much insane and might turn on the Squad after taking out their enemies. And Boomerang once let his teammate Mindboggler get shot to death because she rubbed him the wrong way.
In-fighting -- and dying! -- was often a problem for the team.
Another hallmark of the Squad was its ability to flirt with real-world issues. The team was often sent on missions to assassinate or otherwise take out threats that the real heroes wouldn’t touch. They were essentially tasked with the dirty jobs of the DC universe, but as a result lived in a much more grey world than a Superman or even a Batman.
The Squad continued to make guest appearances in other DC comics after their first book ended. And new iterations of the team eventually got a second series, and then a limited series too. But their modern incarnation came about in 2011 as part of DC’s New 52 reboot. It was here that the fan-favorite Batman villain Harley Quinn first joined the outfit, quickly becoming a centerpiece of the Squad. Joining Harley were longstanding team members Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, along with King Shark, El Diablo, Black Spider and others.
Harley Quinn joined the New 52 version of the team in 2011.
The Suicide Squad has also shown up on the small screen a bunch, appearing in animated form and on shows such as Smallville and Arrow. But it’s their movie incarnation that’s already taken them to the next level of comic-book stardom -- before the film’s even out -- bringing their unique, not necessarily heroic take on the DC Universe to the masses.
For all things Suicide Squad and DC Films, keep it right here on IGN.
Talk to Senior Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura.
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