Suicide Squad 101

With all the news coming out regarding DC's new film The Suicide Squad, here what you need to know as the cast list is being announced.

The first appearance of The Suicide Squad was in a issue of The Brave and the Bold in 1959. Created by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Ross Andru, the original squad member were Rick Flag, Jr., his girlfriend Karin Grace, Dr. Hugh Evans, and Jess Bright. They were a group of heroes assembled to step in during a time where most of the members of the Justice Society of America were retired and the world needed a new group of super-humans to step in a protect them.

Between their first appearance and the most recent incarnation, DC took a much darker turn. Instead of heroes The Suicide Squad of The New 52 would be comprised of some of the most pernicious criminals in the DC universe.

Written by Adam Glass with art by Federico Dallocchio and Ransom Getty, Suicide Quad Volume 4 was released in November 2011 running through July of 2014. Glass made Amanda Waller the commander of this lethal team. Amanda Waller has taken many shapes and forms across the DC universe. In the world of The Suicide Squad she an ex black ops military specialist now taxed with nearly impossible missions. She enlists a band of the world's most dangerous villains, known as Task Force X, to embark on missions, most would describe as suicide missions, in exchange for time taken off their sentences. Waller, using a bomb implanted in the convicts necks that only she has control over, ensures these unpredictable convicts stay in line and adhere to every order given.

The staple members of The Suicide Squad are Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang and El Diablo. El Diablo is a character who like Blue Beetle passes his powers from body to body. He has the power to spit fire like the devil and is known for swearing vengeance on those who have wronged him or gone against his strict set of ideals. King Shark is a pretty self explanatory character. Although there are many different origin stories for him, most agree he is a somewhat mystical being who is half man with the strength and head of a shark. He is known as the muscle of the group. Captain Boomerang, whose precision with a boomerang is where the name comes from, always thinks he is in charge but does not have the ability to come up with a precise plan. Harley Quinn is the group's wildcard. She is one of the only members who survives going rogue because her wealth of knowledge of the inner-workings of Gotham's underworld. She is all set to be played by Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, About Time, Pan Am). 

Deadshot, real name Floyd Lawton, is the undisputed Team Leader. Although under the orders and watchful eye of Waller, his plans always find a solution to the plethora of setbacks the teams encounters on all their missions. He is extremely smart and proficient at hand to hand combat as well as an array of fire arms. Deadshot is known as one of the best guns for hire due to the fact that he never misses his target. He has been hired by master criminals, war lords and corrupt business, anyone who has the money to pay his fee.

If the description above excites you I highly recommend reading Suicide Squad Volume 4 or the current series New Suicide Squad, which as added the mysterious character of the Joker's Daughter as well as Black Manta. Also if you enjoy DC Animated features I recommend Assault on Arkham.

Only time will tell what director David Ayer (Fury, Training Day, End of Watch) has in store for the 2016 movie.