Top 5 Members of the Suicide Squad

We covered Marvel’s Illuminati members last month, and this month we’re doing the same for DC Comics rag-tag team of oddballs the Suicide Squad. Also referred to as Task Force X, the Suicide Squad takes on missions so dangerous that trying to complete them would mean that someone has a death wish. Brought back in the 1980s with this concept, the Suicide Squad was run by Amanda Waller, who installed explosive devices inside the heads of hardened criminals. Cue over-the-top antics.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with the first Top 5 list. Today we’re tackling DC’s lovable gang of miscreants, the Suicide Squad. Who made our list of the Top 5 Suicide Squad Members? Let’s find out.

5: Rick Flag

Rick Flag is the OG Suicide Squad member. Someone by the name of Rick Flag has been around since 1959. There have been three generations of Rick Flags; each one has served as one of the Suicide Squad’s leaders. Rick Flag stands out from most other Suicide Squad members because he isn’t a former criminal. Most iterations of Rick Flag portray him as a skilled military special ops member. This makes sense. The Suicide Squad began as a military/government outfit. It wasn’t until Amanda Waller revived the project that the Suicide Squad included criminals.

Typically, Rick Flag serves as Amanda Waller’s right-hand man within the group, helping keep the rest of the Suicide Squad in line. Amanda Waller is on to something. It would take more than a bomb in one’s head to stop certain members of the Suicide Squad. You need a man on the inside. Rick Flag is that inside man.

4: Captain Boomerang

We go from the most wholesome member of the Suicide Squad in Rick Flag to the least wholesome in Captain Boomerang. Let that sink in. Within a group of psychopaths and hardened criminals, Captain Boomerang is the least wholesome.

Boomerang joined the Suicide Squad in exchange for a pardon. So far, so good. But his grating personality and blatant racism cause more than a little strife within the group. Nobody likes this guy. He causes friction within the team and most team members consider him to be the most dangerous and least dependable member. This also causes Captain Boomerang to have some tasty storylines. He’s one of those villains you love to hate.

3: Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn was going to make this list, but I struggled with where to place her. She’s the highest profile character on this Top 5 list, but she’s also the newest Suicide Squad member. The third spot sounds right.

This isn’t the classic Harley Quinn. The original Harley Quinn, found in Batman: The Animated Series, needed a makeover before joining the team. The Harley who joined the Suicide Squad is the one with the revamped origin story where Joker pushes Harley into a vat of chemicals, granting her superpowers. This new Harley Quinn breaks the fourth wall like a popular merc with a mouth from a different comic book universe. I don’t know which version of Harley I like better, but there’s no denying that after her makeover, Harley Quinn molded the Suicide Squad in her image.

2: Deadshot

Besides the character in our number one spot, Floyd Lawton as Deadshot is who I think of first when I think of the Suicide Squad. Waller recruits Lawton because of his skills as a marksman and the fact that his mandated therapy sessions revealed that he has a “death wish,” hoping a skilled enemy will end his life in a dramatic battle. This death wish leads Deadshot to wear a costume featuring a target on his chest.

Deadshot often clashes with Captain Boomerang—who doesn’t—and field leader Rick Flag. But Deadshot and the latter share a begrudging respect for each other. Deadshot is a classic Suicide Squad member. His backstory lends himself to inclusion on the team and on this list. Lawton may be the only member of the Suicide Squad with a death wish.

1: Amanda Waller

I mentioned Amanda Waller in several write-ups leading to our top spot. Her spot at number one was inevitable. Waller is the woman in charge. She’s the one who resurrected the Suicide Squad. She’s the one who thought installing bombs in criminal’s skulls and forcing them to do government work was a good idea. In short, there would be no Suicide Squad without Amanda Waller.

The woman nicknamed The Wall makes up for her lack of superpowers with her ruthlessness, guile, intimidation, and political connections. Waller is the proverbial person who knows where the bodies are buried, and she’s not afraid to use that knowledge to her advantage. The Wall can even make members of the Justice League, like Superman and Batman, blush. She’s not to be taken lightly. She had to take the number one spot.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Harley Quinn: “The Mess Is the Point” Review

Season’s Thoughts

I’ll be the first to admit I teared up during the latter half of “The Mess Is the Point.” Harley Quinn managed to, once again, subvert my expectations while being comical.

“The Mess Is the Point” was another heavy episode, but it felt a bit lighter than “Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode’).” I think that’s because I expected Harley and crew to be rescued in one way or another, so there was going to be a silver lining.

I never thought I’d say it, but I think I’d prefer Kyra’s prediction last week to how Frankette would get Harley and crew out of the bottle as opposed to what actually happened. By a small margin. I’m not overly attached to Frankette because she’s a new character, but seeing a baby get hurt is upsetting regardless of species. Frankette eating the Luthor siblings was par for the course.

Superman coming back to save the day was something I expected. I was really hoping he’d say some cheesy line about his and Lois’ Morse code exchanges to lean into Harley Quinn’s type of comedy. All he said was, “It sure is nice to be needed again.” Okay. I’ll admit it. That’s a line I expect out of superhero cartoons from decades ago, and I appreciate this inclusion.

Brainiac really tugged on my heartstrings this time around, too. I was tearing up when he sat with his family for the last time. He had so much buildup, but he didn’t seem like a villain. I was sad to see him go, but I don’t think Harley Quinn can do anything else with his character after season five. It seems like Harley and Ivy are staying in Metropolis. If there is a season six, I’m curious to see which of Metropolis’ rogues Harley Quinn will explore next.

Kyra’s Take

I agree with Season. Brainiac’s ending was heartfelt and fitting. Even though we didn’t spend too much time with Brainiac this season, he had a fleshed-out character arc. Harley Quinn did a good job juggling Brainiac and Lena’s storylines and tying them together at the end. I also don’t see Harley Quinn doing much with Brainiac beyond this season. Point of clarification: Harley and Ivy moved back to Gotham City by the end of “The Mess Is the Point.” Ivy claims that she stole the place from Cyborg. It may appear that Harley and Ivy stayed in Metropolis because Superman had placed Metropolis next to Gotham after he rescued the city from the bottle.

Speaking of cities in bottles, Harley Quinn can dip into countless DC Universe stories with the other cities Brainiac captured. This could lead Harley Quinn into Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, Hawkman/Hawkgirl, Legion of Superheroes, and Martian Manhunter storylines, just to name a few. Harley and Ivy even mention they will restore these cities in the future. And the Harley Quinn creative team has carte blanche to do whatever they want in the Harleyverse. It doesn’t affect the Canonverse. Max hasn’t officially announced a sixth season for Harley Quinn yet but with the show’s popularity and a desire by everyone involved in the project (per multiple entertainment news sources like Coming Soon who interviewed showrunner Dean Lorey), this may be a matter of time.

And speaking of time, allow me to time warp to season 5’s finale. It felt like a finale. Harley Quinn’s last two seasons failed to tie up loose ends. Season 3 focused on Harley becoming a superhero and her failing. Plot lines were dropped in season 4 after Nightwing gets killed and the ladies form the Gotham City Sirens. And that plot line got dropped in season 5’s opening minutes. Harley Quinn season 5 tied up all its Metropolis shenanigans while setting up potential future storylines. This ending tied up things so well that it made me wonder if Harley Quinn would be renewed for a sixth season. If Harley Quinn were to end with season 5, fans would at least have closure.

That said, I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet. I’m rooting for a season 6. The show can go in plenty of directions. Let’s assume Harley Quinn gets renewed. The audience got a hint of space during the season finale. Let’s see more intergalactic mayhem. Add a dash of some familiar madness, too. Harley’s mom has moved in with Harley and Ives. That should spice up their living conditions. Harley/Ivy, King Shark, Bruce, Joker, and Bane all have children. The show could mine these relationships further. And was Bane’s wife pregnant? Oh my! That’ll be interesting.

Harley Quinn season 5 was one of the series’ best and most cohesive seasons. Fingers crossed that we’ll see a sixth season. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Flash Villains

I can’t believe Geekly has been doing Top 5 Villains lists for superheroes and we haven’t covered Flash’s rogues gallery. Flash has one of the most extensive rogues galleries in comic book history. He may not have villains with the same name recognition as Spider-Man or Batman, but his rogues gallery is one of the best.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Top 5 Villains list. Many of the Flash’s most iconic villains have superspeed, so we’ll be limiting this list to the top speedster. Let us know if you’d like a Top 5 List of Villainous Speedsters. In the meantime, here’s our list of the Top 5 Flash Villains.

Top 5 Ice Powered Comic Book Characters Killer Frost

5: Killer Frost

Flash’s top 4 villains were a breeze to compile. I knew who they were the instant I sat down. His fifth villain could go in several directions. I may have said that about more than one superhero, but that’s the truth. Killer Frost beats out the rest of the would-be Top 5 Flash villains if for no other reason than she used to be a Flash ally. She spends part of her time as an anti-hero, having spent stints with the Suicide Squad and Justice League. But whenever Caitlin Snow decides to turn evil, it spells doom for the Flash. Her connections with Flash and Firestorm add to her lethality. Cold powers prove effective against the Flash; cold can slow the speedster. Killer Frost’s freezing ability, as we’ll see with another Flash villain on this list, makes her dangerous.

4: Mirror Master

Mirror Master fills a similar role in Flash’s Rogues that Mysterio does in Spider-Man’s Rogues, and Mysterio ended up as Spider-Man’s fourth-placed villain. Hmm. Looks like the fourth spot is the perfect place for a villain designed to confuse their nemesis. Unlike Mysterio, Mirror Master possesses powers. His mirrors can hypnotize, turn him invisible, generate holograms, change his physical form, and travel into other dimensions. That final ability separates Mirror Master from Mysterio. One of my favorite recent stories Mirror Master showed him trap Flash within a parallel dimension of his creation.

Don’t let the high-speed fool you. Flash is one of DC Comics’ most powerful heroes. He can turn back time and alter the past. Brute strength doesn’t often work against the Flash. Mirror Master takes a different route. And I’m a sucker for a villain with a mischievous streak.

3: Gorilla Grodd

Gorilla Grodd is one of my favorite Flash villains. I wanted to place him at the one or the two spot, but two other villains narrowly beat him. Gorilla Grodd has superhuman strength, telekinesis, telepathy, a super genius-level intellect, and has a connection to the Speed Force. As his name suggests, he’s a gorilla. He hails from Gorilla City and is the sometimes leader of the metropolis led by super-intelligent gorillas. Gorilla Grodd not only has a laundry list of abilities, he has an army at his disposal.

Marry all of this up with Grodd’s connections with most of DC Comics’ supervillain organizations like the Legion of Doom, the Secret Society of Super Villains, and the Injustice League, and Gorilla Grodd has a plethora of allies he can summon. Grodd is one of Flash’s most formidable enemies.

2: Captain Cold

You can take everything I said about Killer Frost and her freezing powers and apply it to Captain Cold. But instead of Captain Cold being a personal friend of the Flash’s, he’s the man he instituted the Flash’s Rogues, Flash’s version of the Sinister Six, and serves as their leader. I had to put Captain Cold above Grodd because Grodd can get distracted by other heroes, and Captain Cold keeps his animosity toward the Flash. He knows which buttons to press and isn’t afraid to press them. His freezing abilities are only matched by his intellect. In short, Captain Cold knows how to use the Flash’s strength against him and that makes him deadly.

1: Reverse-Flash

Eobard Thawne (also known as Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom) takes the top spot. He’s another speedster, so if we were to create a list of Top 5 Villainous Flash Speedsters, he’d be the top spot there as well. Thawne is one of the few characters in the DC Comics Universe who can travel back in time with little to no ill effects, and he uses this to his advantage. He’s erased characters to torment and destroy the Flash’s life. He even went back in time to kill Barry Allen’s mother. Reverse-Flash is plain evil.

He too has connections with the Legion of Doom, the Injustice League, and the Rogues. He had to take the top spot. Despite others’ attempts, no one has tortured the Flash more than Reverse-Flash. He does what his name says, he is the Flash’s antithesis.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Harley Quinn: “Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode’)” Review

Season’s Thoughts

We’ve got some characters rounded up in this week’s episode of Harley Quinn. Well, they’re all fun-sized, but they’re getting stuff done. Sort of.

There were a few jokes tossed here and there, but “Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode’)” had a darker tone in comparison to previous episodes of season five of Harley Quinn. This tone was consistent throughout “Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode,’)” which I appreciated since we’re ramping up for the season finale.

Since we’ve got one more episode to go in season five of Harley Quinn, I had a feeling Lex wouldn’t be the key to taking down Lena this episode. Their reunion was cute. Harley’s therapist powers working against her made for an interesting watch. Ivy cheerleading Harley during the therapy session was hilarious.

I didn’t think it was possible, but Joker’s romantic relationship is more stable than Bruce Wayne’s or Lois Lane’s. That entire scene with them interacting with one another about relationships was the funniest part of the episode.

The goofiness of “Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode’)” aside, I have a feeling Frankette is going to be one of the keys to busting Harley and company out of the bottle. Like, she’ll smash it or something and de-shrink everyone (with or without Superman) and they take out the Luthors. I hope I’m not hitting the nail on the head because unpredictability makes Harley Quinn fun to watch.

Kyra’s Take

While it is difficult to write repeatedly, “Bottle Episode (But Not a ‘Bottle Episode’s’)” title is accurate and funny. At the end of this episode, Harley Quinn teases Superman. I expected him to make another appearance, and that’s a strength of the show. Viewers can predict who will get involved in Harley’s shenanigans, but they won’t be able to guess how they’ll be involved.

Harley Quinn loves meeting the audience’s expectations and then subverting those expectations. We anticipated Dick Grayson’s return, but not as Red X, and we couldn’t guess Alfred attempting to murder him. We anticipated Lex Luthor’s return, and Harley Quinn set him up as another Lena antagonist only to have him join forces with her, which makes sense for his character (he tried to rule the world in a previous season) and subverts how Harley and Ivy think the solution will go. Superman will return, but we have no idea what he’s done during his absence from Metropolis. We have no idea of his mental state.

I expect Frankette to be involved with Harley and Ivy escaping, but Harley Quinn will choose a wild–possibly disgusting way–for her to get involved. My money is on Frankette using her father’s “special rag” and ejaculating for the first time, producing plant material in the alien ship that Ivy can then manipulate. Before Ivy frees herself, she’ll get choked up while watching Frankette do the deed and say something like “Just like her dad.” Gross.

Too gross! Ugh! Forget what I said. Frankette goes into the Green and contacts Swamp Thing.

I also liked the interactions with Bruce Wayne, Lois Lane, and the Joker. Bruce couldn’t help but take a jab at the Joker’s daughter, who interns at Wayne Enterprises. Her tech short-circuited all electronics, not just Brainiac’s cloaking device. I love how Harley Quinn ties up a story thread. Joker spent the entire episode trying to get Bruce to finalize his daughter’s internship paperwork. Few elements get wasted.

I expect a few callbacks in the season finale next week. Hopefully, they won’t be as deep of a cut as Harley’s dad from the week prior. Does anyone know what Doctor Psycho or Riddler are up to? Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.