Warning: contains Spoilers for Suicide Squad #12!
Despite their many years as allies, Amanda Waller has long considered Rick Flag surprisingly expendable, and the newest issue of Suicide Squad just unveiled why. Ever since Flag and Waller teamed up to run Task Force X, Waller has doubted Flag’s commitment, even as she used his skills as team leader to assemble team after team of supervillains for the common good. While it seemed that the two had reached a point in their relationship where Waller would see Flag as an out-and-out ally, Suicide Squad #1 saw Waller imprison Flag so he wouldn’t be able to stand against her radical new plan to claim an entire reality as her own personal fiefdom, with Flag subsequently escaping and forming his own task force to stop her.
In issue #12 of the current Suicide Squad series – from Dennis Hopeless, Robbie Thompson, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira and Dexter Soy – Rick Flag is determined to put an end to Waller’s endgame of sealing Earth-3 off from the rest of the multiverse. Things don’t go as planned at the very end though. After managing to prevent her from detonating the explosives implanted in any Squad members, Flag and his team finally confront her… only to find they’ve been led into a trap. The ground opens up and swallows them whole, with Earth-23’s Clayface waiting for them and enveloping the whole team.
Waller then begins her plan to conquer Earth-3 and reveals why she sees Flag as someone to dispose of rather than a valuable ally to win to her cause at all costs. Speaking in an internal monologue, she states “Flag only [ever] saw the mission. I see the endgame. And that’s where we are now. And I’ve broken every law and burned every bridge to ensure I have the last, best, and winning move. Nothing stops the Wall.” This devious revelation shows that Waller has always been more concerned about the big picture rather than the day-to-day practicalities of the Squad handled by Flag. While Rick Flag does what he feels is best for his team members, Waller plans numerous steps ahead to stay on top. Ultimately, he was useful for keeping the team together but inconsequential to Waller’s larger goals, making him surprisingly replaceable despite his history with the Squad.
This is exactly why Flag’s dedication and loyalty to Waller over the years ultimately means nothing. Sure, he may have a kind heart wanting to be sure the mission succeeds and he can get his team out alive, but Waller doesn’t let the human side interfere. She has no care for what happens to those carrying out her plans, regardless of their devotion. To her, they’re all just pawns on a chessboard. She’ll sacrifice them if it means that she stays on course to an ensured victory. To Amanda Waller, everyone is expendable, and Rick Flag is no different.
Under Amanda Waller’s watch, it doesn’t matter how far up the ladder someone climbs. She’ll push it down if she needs to, which is something that Flag sadly learns too late by the end of Suicide Squad #12. It’s currently unclear if Rick Flag and his team have survived their encounter with Clayface. Still, if they manage to escape, they know now that they’ll need to come back with a smarter strategy. Amanda Waller thinks multiple steps ahead, so her view on human life and the expendability of those that work for her are things Rick Flag and his new Suicide Squad will need to keep in mind if they truly want to get ahead of her and put an end to her reign of terror.
