For the composition of the same name, see Task Force X (composition). |
For other uses of Suicide Squad, see Suicide Squad (disambiguation). |
- "Listen up! In your necks, injection you got, it's a nanite explosive. It's the size of a rice grain, but it's powerful as a hand grenade. You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You otherwise irritate or vex me, and guess what? You die."
- ―Rick Flag[src]
Task Force X, colloquially known as the Suicide Squad after being coined by Deadshot, is a government-sanctioned expendable black-ops unit founded by Amanda Waller that enlists incarcerated supervillains to undertake high-risk, covert missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. Normally, the team is only used when all the more conventional methods fail. Participants of Task Force X operations are promised reduced prison sentences should they succeed in their missions, but are also implanted Nano-Bombs in their necks as a precautionary measure to kill any member who tries to abandon the mission or disobeys orders.
The team's first mission in 2016 was to prevent the interdimensional Enchantress and her brother Incubus from destroying Midway City, a task they succeeded in despite suffering some losses. Afterwards, their sentences were lessened and they were given special privileges in return for their efforts.
Two new Task Force X teams were formed in 2020 by Waller with many new members joining the ranks on a mission to a Nazi Base in Corto Maltese, along with some returning members. The mission was a success with the destruction of Project Starfish and the liberation of Corto Maltese, although they suffered the loss of their field commander Rick Flag. In the aftermath, Bloodsport blackmailed Waller into letting the few surviving members of the mission go free, leaving her without any Task Force X left.
Waller was informed that Peacemaker survived the Corto Maltese mission, and since he wasn't included in Bloodsport's bargain due to Peacemaker's betrayal of the team, Waller had him join a third albeit much smaller iteration of Task Force X to fight against the Butterflies. Although the mission was ultimately successful, one of Waller's operatives was killed and her own daughter came out to publicly reveal the existence of Task Force X and call for its disbandment.
History[]
Formation[]
Following the death of Superman,[1] various Metahumans such as the Flash, as well as various other powerful beings such as Aquaman, were inspired to use their powers to fight crime; the human race was also profoundly impacted by his selfless act.[2] A.R.G.U.S.'s Director Amanda Waller became fearful that other superpowered metahumans could bear hostile intentions and would turn against humanity, fearing the government's lacking any way to counter them. She proposed forming a task force comprised of expendable individuals with exceptional powers and abilities who could counter them. To get approval for the team's formation, Amanda Waller had Dr. June Moone attend a government meeting where she turned into an ancient mystical being known as the Enchantress and teleported to Iran where she handed over Iranian nuclear plans, and thus, Waller's plans were approved and the team's formation was authorized with Rick Flag being chosen to lead the team.[3]
Recruitment[]
In 2016, after the team was approved for formation, Amanda Waller and Rick Flag traveled to Belle Reve where the former began to conscript the first members. Deadshot, Harley Quinn,[4] Killer Croc, and El Diablo were all conscripted into the team with Deadshot being the first one drafted. When all four were brought out and presented, they had chips injected into them which were nano-bombs to keep them at bay, halting any attempt to escape.[3]
Return of Enchantress and Incubus[]
Awakening of Incubus[]
One night in an apartment in Midway City, Dr. Moone was transformed into the Enchantress and she teleported to where her brother, Incubus, was being held and released him. She then waited as Incubus built up his powers and after doing so, he possessed Gerard Davis, beginning to wreak havoc on Midway City. Rick Flag and a team of A.R.G.U.S. soldiers were deployed with Enchantress to back them up. The Enchantress betrayed them and joined up with her brother and avoided her death.[3]
Assembling the Team[]
After Incubus had awakened, the team was assembled and brought to the city to evacuate and extract an unknown target. The original four members were brought in and Rick Flag showed up as well. Captain Boomerang was then dragged in and drafted into the team as well and shortly afterward, Slipknot was presented, finalizing the team. Rick Flag began discussing the objective of the group and what they'd need to do, letting them know of the explosives keeping them in line. Waller appeared to make a speech and Deadshot joked about how the team was a "suicide squad". Finally, after assembling their gear, Task Force X was introduced to Rick Flag's bodyguard Katana, before the team was then deployed to Midway City via helicopter to terminate Incubus.[3]
Arriving in Midway City[]
Task Force X soon arrived in Midway City where Incubus has already assembled an army of monstrous soldiers to defend him and Enchantress as they built up their weapon. Their helicopter was promptly shot down, but all of the members of Task Force X survived and they got out accompanied by A.R.G.U.S. soldiers, heading to stop Incubus and Enchantress. Shortly after the squad went in, Captain Boomerang managed to convince Slipknot to escape, suggesting that the nano-bombs were a fakeout. He shot a grappling gun on to a nearby building, but his bomb was activated by Flag, killing him. The remaining squad members saw this, understanding that Waller wasn't lying.[3]
Skirmish in Midway City[]
As the squad moved in, they came across a street where two of Enchantress' soldiers were seen on patrol. Waller ordered the group to withdraw and continue with the mission, but they were spotted and a fight broke out. Deadshot was one of the first to engage them next to Rick Flag and a group of A.R.G.U.S. soldiers as Enchantress' minions continued to pour in. The rest of the squad entered the fray, but they were overwhelmed by the enemy and Rick Flag was dragged to Enchantress, before being saved by Harley Quinn and Deadshot.[3]
Battle at John F. Ostrander Federal Building[]
As the squad under Flag went on with the objective, Squad B was overwhelmed and taken prisoner by Enchantress's soldiers and inevitably turned into Eyes of the Adversary soldiers. As they arrived at the building where HVT1 is, the squad faced little opposition until they entered the secure floors of the building where Enchantress' soldiers engaged them again. Flag was taken again and the squad had to protect him lest they become the casualties. After they had cleared the rooms, the squad was pinned again by enemy fire, but Deadshot managed to convince El Diablo to use his powers to help relieve the team.[3]
Dispersing with HTV1[]
As the task force reached the objective, HVT1 was discovered to be Amanda Waller herself; she killed the remaining A.R.G.U.S. staff who had no clearance to find out about Task Force X and was escorted to the roof of the building for extraction. Their extraction, however, was highjacked by the Joker and his minions, who disabled Harley Quinn's nano-bomb; Waller offered to free Deadshot and reunite him with his daughter, but Deadshot decided to follow his moral compass and deliberately miss Harley, forcing Waller to order their helicopter to be shot down. She then rode on the next helicopter to attempt to leave the city, only for Incubus to shoot the helicopter down and take Waller prisoner, bringing her to Enchantress and her weapon. The task force then traveled to the crash site, and Deadshot found out the truth about Enchantress, enraging him and forcing Flag to tell the truth. Deadshot and the team decided to abandon the task force, even with the potential consequences and went to a nearby bar.[3]
Truth, Reassembly and Completion of the Objective[]
Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc, Katana, and El Diablo went to a nearby bar, celebrating them almost finishing their job. They then deliberated with each other regarding their situations, until Flag came in and tells them about the fact that he and June Moone were dating, forcing him to admit his situation too. With the revelation, Flag officially dismissed the squad by destroying his control pad, relieving them of their consequences. Flag also showed Deadshot letters from his daughter, saying that Zoe wrote to him every day; shocked, Deadshot decided to force Flag to complete the mission, wanting his daughter to see that he's not just a criminal, Deadshot then asked everyone to regroup and finish the task at hand, with all of them agreeing.[3]
Battle of Midway City[]
With the squad back in tow, Flag then divided the team to two separate missions: his SEAL teammates and Killer Croc would go under the flooded subway system to retrieve a potent demolition charge to destroy Incubus, while he and the rest of the squad distracted Incubus and Enchantress. Enchantress saw this and implanted visions into the squad's minds, but El Diablo's guilt over the loss of his family made him see through the visions and rallied the squad to fight. Incubus then appeared to attack the squad, but El Diablo showed his true power and manage to corner Incubus to the location of the bomb. El Diablo, Incubus, and Lt. "GQ" Edwards died when the bomb exploded and forced Enchantress to wade in personally after her weapon was completed. The squad then engaged Enchantress, with Killer Croc entering late in the fight; Enchantress disarmed the squad and promised them safety if they served her, with Harley Quinn feigning agreement to get close enough and rip Enchantress's heart using the Soultaker. With the heart out, Flag activated a second explosive which was thrown by Killer Croc, while Harley passed her revolver to Deadshot; Enchantress tried to trick Deadshot by implanting another vision to him, but Deadshot saw through it and shot the explosive on time, destroying the weapon and saving the world.[3]
Reduced Sentencing and Proposed Decommission[]
With the weapon destroyed and the heart cut out, Enchantress was weakened enough that Flag threatened to kill her unless she could bring back June Moone. Calling his bluff, Enchantress claimed not being able to bring her back, which forced Flag to crush the heart, remembering a promise he made to June. With Enchantress dead, it was assumed that June would die with her, however, Deadshot noticed that beneath the skin of Enchantress, something was moving: June had indeed survived the ordeal and was reunited with Flag. The rest of the squad then tried to leave on their terms, but Waller had survived and still held her phone which could activate the nano-bombs, except for Harley's. With this leverage, Waller commuted 10 years of the Task Force's prison sentence, but she was also forced to grant many perks to the squad members: Deadshot was permitted regular and sporadic supervised visits to his daughter, with one particular time helping her homework and access to writing equipment to write back letters for his daughter; Harley Quinn was given an espresso machine and access to books; while Killer Croc was given access to a TV and better meals and drinks. Only Captain Boomerang was denied any perks, due to his unreasonable demands.
Not long after, Waller met with her situational ally Bruce Wayne, who agreed to protect Waller from any potential fallout from the Midway City incident and Waller giving him files regarding other Metahumans that she knew of. She then disclosed the fact that Wayne should "stop working nights," acknowledging that she knew he was Batman, with Bruce responding to that by asking Waller to shut Task Force X down, a request Waller promptly ignored.[3]
Mission in Corto Maltese[]
- "I wouldn't take such extreme measures if this mission weren't more important than you could possibly imagine."
- ―Amanda Waller to Robert DuBois[src]
In August 2020, Amanda Waller learned of a military coup on the nation of Corto Maltese where the military project known as Project Starfish was taking place, and that the country's new dictator planned to turn Project Starfish into a weapon to declare war against USA. In response, she and Rick Flag assembled two new iterations of the Suicide Squad. The first strike team, lead by Flag, was comprised of the recently recaptured Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang, and all-new recruits Javelin, Weasel, the Detachable Kid, Savant, Mongal, and Blackguard. The second team was lead by Bloodsport and consisted of the Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and King Shark. Both teams were tasked with destroying the headquarters of Project Starfish, the Nazi laboratory Jotunheim, a facility made for imprisoning and experimenting on political prisoners, creating the world's first Metahumans. While there, the second strike team met Maltese rebel Sol Soria who assisted them in kidnapping the lead scientist of Project Starfish Gaius Grieves, who was then blackmailed into assisting Task Force X them, meanwhile Harley Quinn was kidnapped by the tyrannical Maltese dictator, General Presidente Silvio Luna but she promptly killed him.
Task Force X succeeded in their mission and killed Starro in the process, but also learned the dirty secret that the American government were the true perpetrators of Project Starfish the entire time. Bloodsport secured incriminating evidence of USA's involvement with Project Starfish which he used to blackmail Waller into letting the few survivors of the mission to walk away free after they rebelled against her. Waller reluctantly agreed to Bloodsport's terms then was informed that Peacemaker, who was believed to have been killed by Bloosport after Peacemaker betrayed the team, did in fact survive the ordeal and was taken to a hospital, she then assigned her staff to look after his recovery so that he can participate in Task Force X's next mission.[5]
Public Reveal[]
- "This is all part of a black ops program known as Task Force X, with convicted criminals that are undertaking dangerous missions for the United States, in exchange for time off their sentences. It's been running for years in Belle Reve prison, under the command of a woman named Amanda Waller... who happens to be my mother."
- ―Leota Adebayo[src]
In January 2021, Waller's next mission planned for Task Force X was to destroy the Butterflies but couldn't officially do anything about it because her higher ups would shut down any attempt to investigate the subject, so Waller created an illegal off-shot branch of Task Force X to conduct the operation "Project Butterfly" under the radar who would dub themselves "The 11th Street Kids".
Project Butterfly would ultimately be a success, but in its aftermath, one of the 11th Street Kids members and Amanda Waller's daughter Leota Adebayo, called for a press conference where she publicly revealed the existence of Task Force X as well as Waller's dirty secrets and illegal activities as the director of the black ops team, she also called for further investigation and shutting down of the Task Force X program.[6]
Imprisoning Teth-Adam[]
Despite the calls for decommissioning the team, Task Force X was known to continue to operate in some capacity. One Black Site for the team was known to continue to operate at an unknown location underwater. The Justice Society transported the individual known as Teth-Adam to the site. Emilia Harcourt oversaw the individual's imprisonment. Soon after Teth-Adam's willing imprisonment however, Doctor Fate called upon him once more, facilitating his escape to ensure the destruction of the demon Sabbac. Teth-Adam did succeed in escaping but not before having to knock out several guards and incur multiple bullet wounds that caused him to fall unconscious and come close to death.[7]
Members[]
Current[]
Support Staff[]
Former[]
Relationships[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Trivia[]
- Task Force X in the DC Extended Universe is the third live-action incarnation of the Suicide Squad, after the iterations seen in Smallville and the Arrowverse.
- The Suicide Squad is so far the only team in the DC Extended Universe to have an almost completely different roster in their second film.
- In the comics, Task Force X wore exploding bracelets, not body-inserted devices.
- Cleo Cazo was the only known member of Task Force X who was not a convicted murderer before joining the team.
References[]
External Links[]
Task Force X | |
Founder | Amanda Waller |
---|---|
Members | Peacemaker | Vigilante | Emilia Harcourt | Leota Adebayo |
Supporting members | Clemson Murn | John Economos | Flo Crawley | Briscoe | Fitzgibbon |
Former members | Enchantress | June Moone | Slipknot | El Diablo | Deadshot | Katana | Killer Croc | Rick Flag | Captain Boomerang | Polka-Dot Man | T.D.K. | Javelin | Blackguard | Mongal | Savant | Harley Quinn | Bloodsport | King Shark | Ratcatcher 2 | Weasel |