by Aaron Lightfoot, Comic Columnist
Creative Team: John Ostrander, Len Wein and John Byrne
Portrayed by: Viola Davis
Just because someone doesn’t have superpowers, doesn’t mean they can’t be a powerful person. Blurring the lines between protagonist and antagonist, Waller makes sure that above all else, the job will get done. One of the few people even Batman will not mess with, Amanda Waller holds a position in DC Comics that rivals most villains and heroes. Her stern attitude and even just her physical presence is enough to instill fear in many of the villains that she employs.
With many changes to her story, including her physical size, much is still in the air as to which version will be followed in the upcoming “Suicide Squad.” Working her way up through a corporate ladder, Waller has shown hard work and determination will get you where you want to be as well as what you want.
Also known as “The Wall,” Amanda Waller’s story begins with her family settling in Chicago. As she struggled to make sure her children would stay away from gangs, she was unable to help one of her sons, who was murdered by the same gang she tried to keep him away from. One of her daughters was kidnapped and murdered as well, prompting her husband to take matters into his own hands. Her husband met his end while trying to avenge their children’s deaths. Waller’s sole purpose then became making sure her remaining children went to college and traveled far away.
After completing college for herself, Waller became a congressional aide. While serving as an aide, she came across some files that contained information over the first two iterations of the Suicide Squad. She brought her newly developed plan for the team to the White House and was subsequently put in charge of it after its approval.
Throughout the many retellings of Waller’s story, more details come up around her time with a group called Team 7. In one of the missions she was assigned as a member of Team 7, she was forced to kill another member of the team. The incident had such an impact on her, that, according to the New 52, it was the reason she came to the conclusion that villains should be used on the task force rather than heroes. Her reasoning is she wanted the team to be expendable and that good people, like the person she was forced to kill, wouldn’t have to be sacrificial pawns. No matter what incarnation is being discussed, the fact remains Waller is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s better to just stay on her good side.
Are you a fan of the woman behind the Suicide Squad? Let us know what you think in the comment section below, and be sure to visit CMN tomorrow for the next installment of “Welcome to the Suicide Squad.” “Suicide Squad” hits theaters Aug. 5.