The Suicide Squad is a team of antiheroes and supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The concept was first introduced by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru in The Brave and the Bold #25, published in September 1959. This original Silver Age incarnation featured a team of non-superpowered adventurers who took on dangerous missions, led by Rick Flag.
The modern, and most iconic, version of the team was re-imagined by writer John Ostrander in the Legends miniseries, debuting in Legends #3 in January 1987. Ostrander's take introduced the core concept that made the team famous: incarcerated supervillains are recruited by the ruthless government agent Amanda Waller to undertake black-ops missions deemed too dangerous for conventional heroes. In exchange for their service, they receive commuted sentences, but the catch is that the missions are often suicidal, and disobedience is punished by an explosive device implanted in their necks.
Over the decades, the Suicide Squad has been a mainstay of the DC Universe, with various comic series exploring the darkly comedic and morally complex dynamics of villains forced to work together. The team's rotating roster has included some of DC's most famous rogues, such as Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, and King Shark, alongside lesser-known characters who are often created just to be killed off, raising the stakes for the main cast.
The Suicide Squad's blend of high-stakes action, political intrigue, and gallows humor has made it one of DC's most critically acclaimed and enduring concepts, influencing numerous adaptations in other media.
