Who is the Suicide Squad?

Mama Mia let me go!Forget about the Avengers, the Justice League or the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s the Suicide Squad that is currently grabbing headlines. DC’s cult comic series about convicts coerced into working suicide missions for the US government gets a big screen release in August. Chances are however, is that you’ve never really heard about Task Force X.

Let’s fix that, shall we?

Traditionally made up of members such as Captain Boomerang, Deadshot and Bronze Tiger, the Suicide Squad has no choice but to accept the demands of their handler Amanda Waller. With a micro-bomb implanted at the base of their skull, stepping out of line usually results their early parole being explosively denied. Led in the field by Rick Flagg, the Suicide Squad takes on missions deemed too deadly for normal black ops teams, with the members being given a simple deal: Survive a five-year tour of duty, get your life back and a full pardon.

Here’s a look at the convicts who make up the current team:

Captain Boomerang

A complete an utter jerkass of the highest order. While there may be a small spark of redemption hidden underneath layers of darkness in the other members of the Suicide Squad, Digger Harkness is an unrepentant jackass who gets on the bad side of every person he meets and doesn’t care. A regular thorn in the side of the Flash, Harkness revels in his mercenary lifestyle and will kill anyone you want. If the price is right that is.

Powers: Look, he’s obviously skilled with boomerangs, a weapon that native Australians first described as “that f***ing stick that keeps coming back when we chuck it away”.  Harkness can throw boomerangs with unerring accuracy, and packs a few specialised weapons in his arsenal. Electric, explosive, bladed and incendiary boomerangs have all made an appearance as Harkness constantly experiments with newer weapons.

Outside of the boomerangs, Harkness has moderate hand to hand combat skills and has proven to be proficient with other projectile and throwing weapons as well.

Deadshot

A hired assassin who never misses his target, Floyd Lawton grew up under the fists of an abusive father. Idolising his brother, Lawton attempted to kill his father one night when he began beating his sibling. Armed with a gun, Lawton accidentally missed and shot his brother dead instead. Mentally broken afterwards, Deadshot became an assassin with an uncanny aim and a death-wish, regularly engaging with the heroes of the DC comics universe.

Powers: He’s really, really good at shooting things. And people. Deadshot isn’t just deadly with a gun, but is considered to be the very best marksman in the entire DC comics universe. Uncannily precise with his shots, Deadshot can also calculate ricochet shots on the fly and easily land non-lethal killshots with his signature wrist-mounted machine guns. An accomplished fighter, Deadshot is easily able to fight off regular combatants and last a few seconds longer than usual against the likes of Batman.

Harley Quinn

The main squeeze of none other than the Joker, Harleen Quinzell was a shrink with ambition at Arkham Asylum. Aiming to make a name for herself with a best-selling book based on her sessions with the Joker, Quinzell quickly fell for his charms and eventually wound up in an abusive and dysfunctional relationship with the Ace of Knaves. Completely unhinged and detached from reality, Quinn would kill the whole world if it would put a smile on the face of her “puddin”.

Powers: An Olympic-class gymnast, Harley Quinn is a superb acrobat who uses her natural agility to survive dangerous combat scenarios. As a skilled and trained psycho-analyst, Quinn is also an expert in mind games. After falling in love with the Joker, Quinn was also shoved into a vat of the same chemicals that had given birth to the Clown prince of Crime, emerging without a proper sense of reality and an immunity to all known toxins.

El Diablo

His real name being Chato Santana, El Diablo was a notorious leg-breaker who went to collect on the debt of a local gang who had avoided his employer. Setting their building on fire with his gifts, El Diablo later discovered that he had also killed several innocent women and children in the inferno that he had started.

This act led him to turn himself into the authorities, who swiftly sentenced him to death row. Which made him perfect material for Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad.

Powers: El Diablo is a pyrokinetic, able to summon and control flames at will. He also has some skill in the use of firearms.

Killer Croc

Born with the mother of all skin problems, Waylon Jones was subjected to nothing but cruelty and scorn his entire life. Fed up with being seen as nothing more than a circus sideshow attraction, Jones turned to a life of crime and regularly tangled with the Batman. In the upcoming film, actor Akinnuoye-Agbaje described the character as “a cannibal with rage issues”.

Powers: Suffering from an extreme case of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis that has reacted to a regressive atavism metagene, Killer Croc usually possesses enhanced strength, speed and stamina. His hardened skin also makes highly bullet-resistant, and any injuries can usually be healed quickly with his enhanced regenerative powers.

Croc also has a notoriously powerful bite, augmented further by his sharpened teeth. In addition to those abilities, Killer Croc is also an expert tracker thanks to his superior sense of smell which can lock onto the unique scent of his prey.

Enchantress

The original switcheroo-witcheroo, the Enchantress is an ancient spirit of incredible power who has taken possession of June Moon. Only able to use her incredible magics when the Enchantress is in control, Moon risks losing her mind and freedom every time she allows the powerful entity to pilot her body.

Powers: One of the most powerful magic-users in DC  comics, the Enchantress can manipulate energy to the point where she can create mystical shields, fly, cast illusions, create energy constructs, teleport and project powerful bolts of arcane might. Her true talent however, comes in the form of a magical sensitivity which allows the Enchantress to track down other magic users across the world.

Last Updated: January 21, 2016