Task Force X no more, Suicide Squad becomes more unhinged sans Amanda Waller's involvement

Suicide Squad Issue #14 (Image via DC Comics)
Suicide Squad Issue #14 (Image via DC Comics)

The Suicide Squad has gone through a big change, and most would agree that it is not for the better.

Suicide Squad #14 is written by Dennis Hopeless and picks up right after the events of War for Earth-3 and sees Amanda Waller leave the Task Force X. This puts the entire team in a very difficult situation and it will be interesting to see how it's tackled hereon.

Amanda Waller has been integral to the team throughout its history. Without her, the team basically wouldn't and doesn't know what to do. There is no doubt that this development in the comics will make for some interesting scenarios to come.


Exploring the story behind Amanda Waller's exit from the Suicide Squad

Since Suicide Squad #14 place after the War for Earth-3, Waller now plans on messing up the Squad as she is done with the multiverse. She traps them in Belle Reeve with no escape as the characters wonder where to go now.

Upon returning to the Belle Reve prison, she is confronted by Rick Flag who is confused about the situation and annoyed with her. After they have an argument, Rick finally decides that the team can still make a difference. However, Waller is having none of it and erases those memories.

Waller then activates her contingency plans as she transports herself out of Belle Reve and blows up the place. A bunch of helicopters destroy the entire place and all records of the Suicide Squad are wiped out like they never existed. Waller, assuming that she has been successful in her plan, starts tending to other matters afterward.

Rick Flag and the other surviving members of the Squad, namely Peacemaker, Ambush Bug, Mirror-Master, Culebra and Dr. Rodriguez, then emerge out of the rubble. They feel discarded and abandoned by Waller, and it is difficult for them to function as a proper team anymore now in her absence. They are left confused and unsure of how to proceed.

The Suicide Squad will most likely bounce back soon. There is also a chance that Waller's departure might not be a permanent change, considering how important she is to the team.

One good thing about this situation is that it has given Flag the opportunity to pick himself up and become the leader that the team needs. It would make for a great character arc as well, considering how he was so convinced initially that the Task Force X is more than just Waller. Hopefully, the upcoming issues will give Flag his time to shine.

Waller will probably stay MIA since she has completed what she set out to do. She also would not want to give the members of the squad a chance to find her and exact revenge.

Let us hope that the Waller debacle brings out the best in Task Force X.

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