The world is abuzz with the recent trailer for Suicide Squad and a more thorough introduction of the characters we’ll be meeting this summer. Now while Harley Quinn and Deadshot get the focus of the trailer, the hand that guides the team makes a small appearance. Talking about finding ‘the worst of the worst’ and ‘throwing them in a hole and throwing away the hole’ is Amanda Waller, and she just might be the most dangerous character in the film.
Portrayed by Emmy Winner Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), Amanda Waller is a serious mover and shaker in the DC Universe. Making her first appearance in 1986, Waller is one of the few non powered characters you don’t want to cross. She is usually seen as tasked with recruitment and assignments for the Suicide Squad, but has filled other roles in her various appearances throughout the DC Universe.
Her first appearance outside of the comics was in the Justice League Unlimited animated series as director of Project Cadmus. She was responsible for various plots to discredit the Justice League. She commissioned the creation of the Ultimen, a corporate sponsored superhero team, and also helped to engineer Galatea, a clone of Supergirl. Waller would end up assisting the Justice League at the end of season one and help them to defeat a merged Lex Luthor/Brainiac super entity. Also known as ‘The Wall’, she has made multiple appearances throughout various DC animated movies and a video game appearance in Batman: Arkham Origins.
Her prior live action appearances in the ninth season of Smallville, and currently in Arrow and The Flash have her as head of Checkmate and A.R.G.U.S. respectively. No powers, but all the stroke and influence she needs to get the job at hand done. One of her defining moments is during season one of JLU is when Batman asks who she is and her response is “I wouldn’t probe too much, rich boy”.
She has little problem telling the most powerful beings in the world what the score is, and has a penchant for getting them to do what she wants them to do, be it by leverage, blackmail, or other means.
If you would like to familiarize yourself with Amanda Waller prior to seeing Suicide Squad this summer, you can find her in Justice League Unlimited on Netflix, various episodes of Arrow or The Flash, season nine of Smallville, and the direct to video release Batman: Assault On Arkham
Suicide Squad releases nationwide on August 5, 2016
