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Amanda Waller
Amanda Belle Waller (née Blake), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character featured in some American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne. A bureaucrat with a distaste for conventional crime fighting, employs more hardline methods, and is an expert tactician and political operator, the character serves as both an ally and an antagonist to the superheroes of the DC Universe. Waller is often depicted as a non-powered, high-ranking government official and the leader of Task Force X (known as the Suicide Squad), a secret black-ops group composed of super-villains, current or former, undertaking high-risk missions as expendable agents for commuted prison sentences in return. Additionally, she is also commonly associated with several government agencies such as Checkmate, the Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O), and A.R.G.U.S.
The character has been adapted into other media on a number of occasions, notably voiced by CCH Pounder in her animated debut in the DC Animated Universe, with Pam Grier originating the character in live action on the TV show Smallville. She first appears in film played by Academy Award-nominee Angela Bassett in Green Lantern. Most prominently, she has been portrayed by Academy Award-winner Viola Davis in the DC Extended Universe series of films and TV shows, starting in Suicide Squad (2016), acting as one of the franchise's most prominent recurring characters. Her portrayal continued into the rebooted DC Universe, beginning with Creature Commandos.
Amanda Waller's earliest appearances were shaped by writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale in 1987, during the first volume of Suicide Squad and shortly after being introduced in the Legends crossover storyline.
Amanda Waller was established as a widow who escaped Chicago's Cabrini–Green housing projects with her surviving family after her two eldest children and her husband were murdered. Waller excelled in political science and became a congressional aide. During that time, she discovered the existence of the first two incarnations of the Squad. Taking elements from both, she proposed the development of its third incarnation to the White House and was placed in charge upon its approval.
Amanda Waller formed the agency to serve as a small, quasi-independent branch of Task Force X. Valentina Vostok brought former NYPD Lieutenant Harry Stein into the agency as an operative. Amanda Waller later promoted Stein to the command position and demoted Vostok. Harry Stein would later reorganize the Agency and name it Checkmate.
Waller's tenure as the official of the third Suicide Squad was tumultuous and controversial. Despite many successes, she developed a habit of defying her superiors in Washington to achieve legitimate and personal goals on more than one occasion. The earliest conflict between her and her superiors revolved around the leadership of the Suicide Squad. Although she wanted the Bronze Tiger—a martial artist she helped recover after he had been brainwashed by the League of Assassins—to lead the team, he was relegated to second-in-command, and Rick Flag Jr. was made the leader instead. Waller resentfully presumed the situation to be racially charged, related to her status as a black woman and Bronze Tiger's skin tone. However, the Tiger himself did not believe this was a factor, considering this resulted from mistrust due to the brainwashing imposed upon him by the League of Assassins.
Her relationship with the squad itself was one of mutual dislike. Most of the team's criminal members did not take to Waller's methods (most notably Captain Boomerang), and even the team's heroes were often at odds with Waller. Waller's inability to deal and compromise with her troops led to Nemesis's departure from the team and the death of a US senator, which indirectly caused the death of Rick Flag Jr. These types of conflicts, however, were not only limited to her superiors and her team but also extended to Batman, who opposed the forming of the Suicide Squad (although he would later help to reform it). Nonetheless, the team remained loyal to her, often choosing to side with her instead of the government.
It was revealed that Amanda Waller kept heroes such as Nightshade around for them to act as her conscience. Throughout her first run with the Suicide Squad, her actions became increasingly erratic as she fought to retain control of the squad. This was heightened by the public revelation of the Suicide Squad and Waller being officially "replaced", although her replacement was, in fact, an actor, and Waller remained the team's director.
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Amanda Waller
Amanda Belle Waller (née Blake), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character featured in some American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne. A bureaucrat with a distaste for conventional crime fighting, employs more hardline methods, and is an expert tactician and political operator, the character serves as both an ally and an antagonist to the superheroes of the DC Universe. Waller is often depicted as a non-powered, high-ranking government official and the leader of Task Force X (known as the Suicide Squad), a secret black-ops group composed of super-villains, current or former, undertaking high-risk missions as expendable agents for commuted prison sentences in return. Additionally, she is also commonly associated with several government agencies such as Checkmate, the Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O), and A.R.G.U.S.
The character has been adapted into other media on a number of occasions, notably voiced by CCH Pounder in her animated debut in the DC Animated Universe, with Pam Grier originating the character in live action on the TV show Smallville. She first appears in film played by Academy Award-nominee Angela Bassett in Green Lantern. Most prominently, she has been portrayed by Academy Award-winner Viola Davis in the DC Extended Universe series of films and TV shows, starting in Suicide Squad (2016), acting as one of the franchise's most prominent recurring characters. Her portrayal continued into the rebooted DC Universe, beginning with Creature Commandos.
Amanda Waller's earliest appearances were shaped by writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale in 1987, during the first volume of Suicide Squad and shortly after being introduced in the Legends crossover storyline.
Amanda Waller was established as a widow who escaped Chicago's Cabrini–Green housing projects with her surviving family after her two eldest children and her husband were murdered. Waller excelled in political science and became a congressional aide. During that time, she discovered the existence of the first two incarnations of the Squad. Taking elements from both, she proposed the development of its third incarnation to the White House and was placed in charge upon its approval.
Amanda Waller formed the agency to serve as a small, quasi-independent branch of Task Force X. Valentina Vostok brought former NYPD Lieutenant Harry Stein into the agency as an operative. Amanda Waller later promoted Stein to the command position and demoted Vostok. Harry Stein would later reorganize the Agency and name it Checkmate.
Waller's tenure as the official of the third Suicide Squad was tumultuous and controversial. Despite many successes, she developed a habit of defying her superiors in Washington to achieve legitimate and personal goals on more than one occasion. The earliest conflict between her and her superiors revolved around the leadership of the Suicide Squad. Although she wanted the Bronze Tiger—a martial artist she helped recover after he had been brainwashed by the League of Assassins—to lead the team, he was relegated to second-in-command, and Rick Flag Jr. was made the leader instead. Waller resentfully presumed the situation to be racially charged, related to her status as a black woman and Bronze Tiger's skin tone. However, the Tiger himself did not believe this was a factor, considering this resulted from mistrust due to the brainwashing imposed upon him by the League of Assassins.
Her relationship with the squad itself was one of mutual dislike. Most of the team's criminal members did not take to Waller's methods (most notably Captain Boomerang), and even the team's heroes were often at odds with Waller. Waller's inability to deal and compromise with her troops led to Nemesis's departure from the team and the death of a US senator, which indirectly caused the death of Rick Flag Jr. These types of conflicts, however, were not only limited to her superiors and her team but also extended to Batman, who opposed the forming of the Suicide Squad (although he would later help to reform it). Nonetheless, the team remained loyal to her, often choosing to side with her instead of the government.
It was revealed that Amanda Waller kept heroes such as Nightshade around for them to act as her conscience. Throughout her first run with the Suicide Squad, her actions became increasingly erratic as she fought to retain control of the squad. This was heightened by the public revelation of the Suicide Squad and Waller being officially "replaced", although her replacement was, in fact, an actor, and Waller remained the team's director.