A group of
heroes,
villains, and others that has had many incarnations over the years in the comics of
DC Comics. The
Suicide Squad first appeared in
The Brave and the Bold #25 in 1959.
The original group of heroes known as the Suicide Squad was a rag tag collection of soldiers who fought during the World War II. Brought together to accomplish missions that were nearly impossible and thereby considered suicide, the group was branded with the name the Suicide Squad, a name they carried with pride. The squad was successful under the leadership of Captain Richard Flagg, whose no nonsense approach took the group and turned them into a crack fighting unit.
After the close of the war, the Suicide Squad came under the command of General J.E.B. Stuart during a reshuffling of the special units in the U.S. government. Because of this reorganization, Richard Flagg met and married Stuart's niece, Karen Jace, and the two had a son, Rick. By the time Rick was ten, he lost both of his parents - his mother to an auto accident and his father sacrificed himself to stop the murderous War Wheel. Rick Flagg was given into the custody of his grandfather.
After the death of Richard Flagg, the Suicide Squad was disbanded and it would be years later when Rick Flagg was approached by the government to lead a new Suicide Squad. Having been trained as a fighter pilot and astronaut, Flagg had a background of living on the edge and he along with Dr. Karin Grace, Jeff Bright (a physicist), and an astronomer named Hugh Evans were tapped to become the next Suicide Squad.
The new Suicide Squad were used in dealing with threats of a more paranormal nature (think the X-Files with less angst and more panels). They helped repel alien invaders and investigate things that only Leonard Nimoy went in search of. The group's last mission however was a debacle. While searching for the legendary Yeti in Tibet, Bright and Evans were killed by the creature and Grace had a mental breakdown. Rick Flagg as commander took full responsibility for the death of his teammates and friends and was nearly overwhelmed by the guilt. He participated with a group of little known or Forgotten Heroes for a time until the Suicide Squad again entered into his life.
During an attempt by the alien despot Darkseid to undermine humanities belief in its heroes, Amanda Waller convinced then president Ronald Reagan to allow her to create a new Suicide Squad. This squad would fall under the command of Task Force X and would be made up of super villains who were imprisoned for their crimes and heroes who needed the help of the government. In exchange for helping the government, the heroes would receive help and the villains would have their sentences commuted. The original group that gathered helped to take out the threat of Brimstone though the original Blockbuster was lost during the mission. The team was lead by Rick Flagg.
Over the years that followed, many villains and heroes were a part of the new Suicide Squad. They took part in adventures both on U.S. soil and overseas. Members of the Suicide Squad included:
Apart from the dangers of the missions, many of the
villains were forced to wear bracelets containing explosives. Should the team leader believe that they were trying to betray the team or escape, the bracelet could be activated blowing off the villain's arm.
The Suicide Squad existed in a variety of forms for many years. They were both agents of the U.S. government and free agents who were hired for a fee. The group clashed with heroes like Batman, Firestorm, and the Justice League of America at different times, but were also partially responsible for the defeat of many different villains including Kobra.