Suicide Squad Theory: [SPOILER]’s Comic Death Hides a Huge Twist

The Suicide Squad are known for their incredibly high-risk missions, and true to their name, many of the teammates do not survive more than a few (and some don’t even survive a single one). The unflappable leader Amanda Waller is often behind the recruitment and training (of sorts) of new inmates turned-recruits. But what if the leader was forced to suddenly confront her own mortality just like the other member of the Suicide Squad?

Amanda Waller is a character who firmly believes that the ends justify the means, and as a result has earned a reputation in the DC Universe as an uncompromising leader who will put the security of the United States of America before anything else – especially morality. As a result, Waller often feels disrespected by her peers; they have no idea of the threats she faces on a daily basis. Thus, Waller is putting together what amounts to a second Justice League by herself by kidnapping other metahumans from across the multiverse.

Amanda Waller set out to save Earth-3, and as such used her own Task Force X along with a clone of Superboy, Connor Kent, to achieve her goals. However, in a dark twist, she was suddenly shot by Peacemaker and died. Granted, this took place during DC’s Future State event, showcasing a series of possible futures and not a definite one – but what if Peacemaker was simply acting on Waller’s orders?

In the Suicide Squad: King Shark miniseries, Amanda Waller appears in Hawaii, swimming with dolphins. It doesn’t last long – a message from Gentleman Ghost interrupts her swimming – but this activity is completely out-of-character for Waller, who places great importance on image and strength. However, this activity does appear frequently on “bucket lists” often made by those who are terribly sick – or dying. If Amanda Waller was dying of an unknown illness, that puts Peacemaker’s murder in a whole new light. Waller would not be the type who would want to decay and slowly act frail in front of her subordinates; perhaps she made an arrangement with Peacemaker to shoot her before the disease claimed her first.

The question remains, then: from what illness would Waller be suffering? As a high-ranking official, Amanda Waller has considerable resources that would quickly cure most Earth-based illnesses, so one must presume she is suffering from a disease or a virus that originates outside the known universe (as methods to travel between universes are quite abundant in the DC Multiverse, this is not out of the realm of possibility). The Suicide Squad’s twist that Peacemaker was ordered to kill Waller by Waller herself is certainly a bold one – but in the world of comics, death is hardly the end.