Suicide Squad is a 2021 series by DC Comics starring a new iteration of the eponymous Suicide Squad. It is a part of the DC Infinite Frontier launch.
Peacemaker joins the Squad as team leader when they're sent to recruit the deadly assassin Talon, while Amanda Waller seeks to recruit Superboy...whether the latter wants to or not. Written by Robbie Thompson and drawn by Eduardo Pansic.
Storylines That Are Part Of This Run
Suicide Squad (2021) provides examples of:
- Back for the Dead: Issue #1 has Shrike, Bolt, and Film Freak, killed off as A-Day occurs.
- The Bad Guy Wins: War For Earth-3 ends with Amanda Waller successfully talking the Teen Titans into leaving Earth-3 using information on an imminent threat to the main Earth as leverage while tricking the Suicide Squad into disabling Ultraman (the only Syndicate member with a chance to stand up to her). Waller forcibly teleports the Squad back home before re-tooling the remaining members of the Syndicate into her own personal Justice League and quarantining Earth-3 from the larger Multiverse.
- The Bus Came Back: Suicide Squad: King Shark brings back Shawn Tsang/Defacer and the rest of the Run-Offs, who hadn't been seen since their early appearances on Nightwing.
- Match, a decade and multiple reboots after his last appearance.
- Issue #7 has the reappearance in Hell of Blackguard, Weasel, Slipknot, Cavalier and Mad Dog, who hadn't been seen since their deaths.
- C-List Fodder: As expected from a Suicide Squad title, besides the three characters above, Mindwarp, Branch, Exit and Keymaster are all killed on the same issue they're introduced.
- The first issue of War for Earth-3 has Fisherman, easily the least known character on the team, getting accidentally killed by Bloodsport.
- Composite Character: One of the alternate universe recruits Amanda has found is a Brainiac possessed Etrigan, deemed Brainiac 666.
- Fake Memories: It's revealed in the 2021 Annual that "Superboy" is actually Match, and Waller implanted copies of the real deal's memories to get the superhero she wanted.
- Jerkass: Major Force is utterly despised by the rest of the team not just for being a brutal and murderous thug, but also due to being a humungous prick.
- The Mole: Dr. Rodriguez has been feeding information to Rick Flag on Waller's activities.
- Obfuscating Insanity: Talon pretends to only be able to say "Who?", although Red X and Dr. Rodriguez can tell he's faking it.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Ambush Bug is there to provide Fourth Wall-breaking comic relief while the rest of the story is pretty serious.
- Ret-Canon: Bloodsport is given new armor and a helmet that matches his appearance in The Suicide Squad.
- Shout-Out: Ambush Bug's narration at one point refers to Peacemaker as "star of the silver screen and soon to be streaming to a smartphone on your Earth"
- Spinoff: Suicide Squad: King Shark focuses on King Shark and Defacer doing their own mission without overlapping with the rest of the Squad.
- Tomato in the Mirror: Suicide Squad Annual #1 reveals that the Superboy that Waller drafted to the team is actually Match, given a serum that allows him to speak normally and gives him a normal skin tone. Being shocked at the revelation is an understatement. The very next issue continues with Ambush Bug revealing that the Nocturna that's with the Squad comes from an alternate Earth, kidnapped by Bloodsport and brainwashed by Waller.
- Varying Competency Alibi: In #13, the Squad pins and interrogates Owlman in an attempt to access his files on the Crime Syndicate. Owlman (who's an evil Batman) laughs in their face that they thought he even knew how to use a computer. Culebra instead possesses him in an attempt to get said information.Owlman: That thing's a television. What am I, a tech-bro?
Culebra: Oh my god... ...their Batman's a dumbass?!
