Suicide Squad: Bio, Origin & History

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 teams members were considered expendable

Comic Book Origins: Suicide Squad – 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 watched 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 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.

In 1987, the Suicide Squad launched yet again, this time under the watch of Amanda Waller. This team was led by Rick Flag Junior . 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 a 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 rang 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.