Warning! Spoilers ahead for Suicide Squad #4

In the latest issue of DC Comics’ Suicide Squad, the mysterious and new Red X reveals the biggest flaw of the current Task Force X, and it’s all Director Amanda Waller’s fault. Unlike previous iterations of the Suicide Squad, this team has a much different purpose, and Waller herself views this squad in a much different way than older versions. While she has Red X in custody at the start of this issue, it’s actually all according to the rouge’s plans, wanting to prove to Amanda Waller that she’s not as in control as she thinks she is.

In previous issues of Suicide Squad from writer Robbie Thompson and Eduardo Pansica, Waller’s new team is unlike any Suicide Squad she’s assembled in the past, featuring a core team of villains and rogues such as Peacemaker, Talon, Nocturna, Culebra, and the surprising addition of Superboy (who doesn’t deserve to be serving a sentence with Task Force X at all). However, Waller also has a plethora of support villains held in Belle Reve that she can throw into the mix as well. That being said, Red X makes it clear that Waller is losing her touch, and much of it comes down to her shifting priorities which are pretty clearly seen with this new crew.

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Apparently, Rex X’ wanted to be captured, and he unleashes a devastating EMP that not only frees him but also all of Belle Reve’s incarcerated villains in Suicide Squad #4. The blast also knocked out Waller’s ability to detonate the Squad’s neck bombs and Superboy’s kryptonite failsafe. Then, Red X humiliated Waller even further by taking down the entire Task Force one by one, revealing truths and secrets he’s somehow acquired before taking his leave, proving that Waller and her new team are not at the top of their game. Essentially, the biggest flaw of the Squad is revealed in this issue: they’re not actually meant to make the world a better place using dark methods like past teams, due to the fact that Waller is too focused on the future and protecting a wholly different world than the one she’s currently on. As a result, this Suicide Squad is clearly not as effective.

As seen in Future State, Waller will eventually give up on the primary Earth, and migrate to the Crime Syndicate’s Earth-3. Having formed Task Force Z, Waller’s team of personal “heroes” mercilessly rid the world of its criminal elements. This is why she recruited Conner Kent to eventually be her new Superman, and why she ordered the Squad to go to war with the Teen Titans to recover the speedster known as Bolt, who becomes her Flash. All that being said, her focus on building a future team means that the current team led by Peacemaker was never built to last. As such, it’s become clear that she only sees them as tools rather than a lasting team, a means to an end. She really doesn’t care about their team enduring in the slightest.

Additionally, Red X’s escape also led to Rick Flag’s freedom as well, which can’t be good for Waller. The whole reason she locked him up was that he’s against her plans for the future, so it seems likely that he’ll be working against her as well going forward. While the events of Future State are not set in stone, events have seemingly headed that way, so it’s going to be really interesting to see what Waller does next after this large defeat. It certainly seems as though she’s going to need her current Suicide Squad for a while longer, and that’s going to require some cohesion and reliance for all members involved that just isn’t there at the moment.

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Kevin Erdmann
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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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