Suicide Squad

Name: Suicide Squad

Founding Members: Rick Flag, Karin Grace, Jess Bright, and Hugh Evans

First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #25 (September 1959)

Created By: Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru

Did You Know: It was nearly 30 years after its creation that the team’s members were considered expendable

A Little History

Started in 1959, the Suicide Squad was a nickname for a Secret Government Organization called Task Force X. The original 4 members were all people that had been a part of an event in their life that saw them watch others die in a heroic fashion.

  • Colonel Rick Flag watched other members of his team fall in an aerial attack
  • Nurse, Karin Grace was unable to help a wounded soldier and watched them drown.
  • Physicist Jess Bright and Astronomer Hugh Evans managed to escape a near-death experience during a nuclear bomb test

The central theme of this team, and the one that continues to this day, is to do whatever it takes, at whatever cost, to serve your fellow man.

In 1963, a variation of the Squad, known as Suicide Squadron, was launched. Note that this new group did not utilize any of the original group’s members. Instead, they all came from and encountered similar situations as the previous group.

Another variation

In 1987, the Suicide Squad launched yet again, this time under the watch of Amanda Waller. Rick Flag Junior led this team. The most notable part of this team was that, for the first time in its existence, the team included criminals. In exchange for their cooperation, the criminals were offered a shortened prison sentence. Not one to take a chance, Waller outfitted each member with a collar that would explode if any of the team went rogue.

The first mission saw them successfully defeat the Darkseid serving villain, Brimstone. This victory, however, came at a cost, as the team lost one of its members. This is important in the history of the Squad, as now the name Suicide Squad rings true. Due to the nature of the team, over the course of time, it has undergone numerous member changes.

Due to the nature of the team, over the course of time, it has undergone numerous member changes.