Suicide Squad

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Organisation

Full Name:
Suicide Squad.

Purpose:
To handle volatile situations requiring both high deniability and superhuman force.

The Squad is primarily a mercenary operation. However, it prioritises serving US government interests. And will not go against American interests as Amanda Waller sees them.

Modus Operandi:
Covert deployments using an approximation of, mainly, military intelligence methods. This hinges on mission prep conducted by Amanda Waller.

As before, the Squad uses operatives with a mix of superhuman abilities, extraordinary skills and exceptional equipment.

Relationship to conventional authorities:
Amanda Waller has extensive connections among governmental agencies, and uses those. But the Squad itself has no status, and she is but an ordinary citizen.

In particular, Squad operatives enjoy zero support protection, and cannot expect any sort of rescue op if captured. They’re entirely expendable.

Operatives recruited from American prisons get rewarded with time served, though. This works just like with the previous version of Waller’s Suicide Squad.

Extent of operations:
Worldwide.

Bases of Operations:
Early on, none. The Squad runs with what is commercially available, such as hotels.

Later on the Squad has access to an otherwise unused office at the Institute of Meta-Human Studies. Oracle outfits it as a command & communications centre so she can coordinate the more complex missions.

Major Funding:
In 1990, a Squad mission cost a million dollars ($2.3M in 2023 USD) – plus expenses.

As Amanda Waller pointed out this is damn cheap. This likely was a discount of sorts, to speed up reputation-building. By the time of Operation: Dragon’s hoard, the Squad was billing three mils.

(Plus, paying most operatives in time served rather than dollars does wonders for the margins. Which is totally different from slave labour, of course, of course).

Known Enemies:

Known allies:

Bronze Tiger, Amanda Waller, Dr. Simon LaGrieve, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang.

Membership

Organisational structure:
Amanda Waller is the boss. Early on she also conducts most of the non-field work such as prep intelligence gathering, mission planning, logistics, sales, etc..

Mrs. Waller is also much more present in the field than before. But not normally in an action role – though the small number of operatives means that she frequently lacks a bodyguard.

During and after Operation: Dragon’s Hoard, Oracle (Barbara Gordon) takes over most of the communications, and some of the planning, intelligence, logistics, etc. aspects.

Roster (trusted field personnel):

Roster (wretched hive of scum and villainy):

Roster (War of the Gods):
Is listed in the History sections.

Membership requirements:
Amanda Waller conducts most recruitments.

She can still on occasion pull criminals from US prisons. But this hinges on Sarge Steel agreeing to a deal. Which in turn means that he agrees that this would be in the US’ interest.

In many cases, criminals are captured before the operation. The deal is now that they won’t be handed over to the authorities if they survive the mission.

Many of the operatives (such as Lawton, Vertigo or Harkness) are also willing to work for Waller as contractors. Often for personal reasons, or because they know for a fact that she could make their life hell.

Equipment

The Squad uses what’s commercially available (and expenses it).

Their operations seldom are gear-intensive, though.

Soundtrack

Something to evoke 1990…

You know what, Alice in Chains’ debut hit is both a strong chronological marker in rock music – and an excellent tonal fit.

History

Around June of 1990, the civil war in the small, fictional Eastern European country of Vlatava worsened. Well-connected Vlatavan influence networks sought to drag American and Russian assets into the situation to prevail.

This play had numerous far-right supporters worldwide. This resulted in unauthorised deployment of Red Shadows Soviet special intelligence assets in Vlatava.

On the American end, there were too many sympathisers for Sarge Steel to determine which intel and agents were reliable. And insane superhuman Count Werner Vertigo was active in Vlatava, which made military recon too risky.

Back to the Wall

Given the mess, even Steel had to accept that they needed something like the Squad. And he knew that having Waller run such an op was the only way to keep the risk profile under stupid levels.

Furtherworse, Batman (Bruce Wayne) started investigating. Russian operative Stalnoivolk (Ivan Gort) had murdered a key Vlatavan supporter in Gotham City.

Waller thus could impose her terms, and a new version of the Suicide Squad was born.

She also offered an alliance to Batman. He cautiously agreed, as he sought to arrest Stalnoivolk.

Waller and Batman recruited and/or captured a team. Waller then pretended to betray her US clients to work for the Vlatavan government.

As she expected, the Vlatavan ruler attempted to coerce them into working for free. Waller pretended to fold – everything was going as she had planned.

I don’t need your civil war

Waller’s plan ran into a snag when Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) was sent to kill her. But she easily convinced him to work for her instead, by paying him one dollar more than William Heller did.

In the meanwhile :

Therefore :

Zastrow’s reactionary, internecine plot also showed how the Cold War dynamics of previous decades were over. A new world order was emerging, which would likely result in high demand for the Squad.

Diminutive

The Atom (Ray Palmer) then contacted Amanda Waller and Sarge Steel.

He told them of his brutal clashes with a rogue cabal within US intelligence agencies. Steel and Waller were interested in investigating this. They helped Palmer fake his death.

Waller then recruited an imprisoned burglar, Adam Cray, to become the new Atom. She correctly assumed that most people would think that the new Atom was a disguised Palmer.

This left Palmer free to investigate.

Steel agreed to contract the Squad when the time would come to strike. Since he didn’t know whom to trust within the intelligence community.

Operation: Jerusalem serpent

Waller was next hired by Egyptian officials. They were concerned about Kobra cult activities in Israel. And wanted her to make sure that the Mossad had things under control.

Egyptian suspicions were correct. Kobra (Jeffrey Burr/Naja-Naja) had secretly corrupted the Dybbuk, an artificial intelligence working for the Mossad.

He then deliberately let himself be arrested. That was to finish convincing the Dybbuk to control Israeli forces into blowing up the Dome of the Rock  .

The team lost Ravan as the fanatical assassin attempted to murder Kobra. But Waller’s ace-in-the-hole the Atom (Adam Cray) determined what Kobra’s plan was before it was too late.

Leaving Israel

The Squad was too short-handed to bring the situation under control. But they delayed the Dybbuk long enough for the Hayoth, the Mossad’s metahuman commando, to intervene.

Hayoth’s leader Ramban convinced the Dybbuk to stand down by engaging him in a rabbinical debate. This defused the situation.

Thankful for Waller’s help in averting a catastrophic holy war, Ramban shielded the Squad from the Mossad’s anger. He had Israeli soldiers drive her back to the airport.

After the op, the Institute for Meta-Human Studies agreed to treat the mentally unbalanced Count Vertigo and the wounded Vixen.

You’d better think

However, the IMHS had recently lost control of the new Thinker (Cliff Carmichael). Dr. LaGrieve asked for Mrs. Waller’s help – especially since Carmichael was after their ally Oracle (Barbara Gordon), who had been trying to help.

Amanda cracked the case by herself. She used the original Thinker (Clifford DeVoe)’s helmet to gather electronic intelligence. Her great willpower allowed her not to fall prey to it.

Oracle agreed to resume working with the Wall. And LaGrieve agreed to help bring Carmichael under control as a Squad asset, since there was no better solution to neutralise him.

Respect the Flag

In the wake of the Carmichael case, Waller was approached by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart to rescue Rick Flag’s son. The boy had been kidnapped by the forces of Koshchei the Deathless.

Waller and Turner prepared the mission with other friends of the late Rick Flag — Nightshade (Eve Eden) and Nemesis (Thomas Tressser). Both hated her guts, but they had a common cause.

Unexpectedly, Deadshot volunteered. Lawton also brought an unconscious Captain Boomerang.

The improvised, going-in-blind op narrowly succeeded – mostly thanks to Tresser and Eden. The boy was rescued, and Bright chose to be destroyed along with his zombies.

In the wake of the mission, Amanda Waller and Eve Eden struck a deal. Nightshade resumed working for the Squad. This was :

Operation Dragon’s hoard

The Squad was then contracted by a Japanese industrialist and foe of the Yakuza. He wanted them to destroy a large shipment of stolen weapons bought by the Daichi Doku Yakuza clan.

Complications abounded :

With Waller out, Oracle was forced to assume command. Thankfully, all operatives but Cray were experienced professionals. And Katana (Yamashiro Tatsu) came to their help for familial reasons.

The operation was successful and the weapons were destroyed. Waller survived her wounds through sheer orneriness.

War of the gods crossover event

As she was still in her hospital bed, Black Adam contracted the Suicide Squad. He needed cannon fodder to assist in an assault against Circe.

Waller agreed to help save the world. She quickly assembled a large team that stormed Circe’s island, running into Bana-Mighdall warriors and bestiamorphs.

The hastily-recruited roster was a tad odd :

The team took casualties, and had to retreat when the island tore itself asunder.

On the other hand they recovered a captive Poison Ivy, which came as a surprise.

During the War of the Gods.

Operation: Cabal

Steel and the Atom (Ray Palmer) then launched a sting operation. They sought to trap those members of the intelligence cabal who had been after Palmer for years.

They hired Waller and her Squad to do most of the work. The plan worked despite the Cabal tricking Superman, Aquaman, Batman and the Hayoth into opposing the Squad.

Waller and Steel learned about the full extent of the conspiracy, the links between the US and the Jihad, and President Bush  ’s implication in the plot.

Waller then threatened the President with leaking her data to the JLA. The POTUS agreed to dismantle the Cabal.

While the operation was successful, Adam Cray was killed by intelligence agents who thought that he was Ray Palmer.

Waller was also taken aback when she realised that her Squad had been the blueprint that the Cabal wanted to follow for their superhuman death squad.

Flattery will get you nowhere

The US intelligence cabal wasn’t the only organisation that wanted a Suicide Squad-like operation.

In the Caribbean nation of Diabloverde, CIA-backed dictator Guedhe hired super-criminals from American prisons. His Suicide Squad was :

What little was left of the local resistance thought that this pseudo-Suicide Squad had been organised by Waller. They sent an amateur assassin after her.

The hit failed. But Waller thus learned about the Diabloverde “Suicide Squad”.

Infuriated, she had the assassin give her one symbolic peso to hire the real Squad. She then used her own money to finance this op.

Task Force X reborn

Unbeknownst to Waller, the intelligence cabal that she had hoped to shut down by threatening the President was still active. It formed its own team of superhuman operatives, which they called Task Force X.

Waller’s Suicide Squad clashed with the Squad assembled by the CIA for Guedhe. But they were attacked by the new Task Force X whilst so doing.

Despite these odds, Waller and her operatives beat all comers. Then took out the reputedly invulnerable Guedhe, freeing Diabloverde.

Several Task Force X assassins were taken alive, and their interest clearly was to collaborate.

You expect me to fight like a goddamn mule

Though the mission had been a success with no casualties, Mrs. Waller was exhausted. Seeing two even-less-principled versions of her Squad back-to-back, and hallucinations in the Diabloverde jungle, had depleted her endurance.

She therefore shut down the Squad.

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