Amanda Waller: The New Team-Maker in the DCU

The Rise of Superhero Teams in the DCU

When it comes to superhero teams, the Avengers is the most prolific, with four movies in sixteen years compared to the DCEU Justice League's one - but the DCU could be about to produce a lot more. Aside from the Avengers, the MCU has also introduced teams like the Revengers, the Guardians, and, soon, the Thunderbolts. Meanwhile, the DCEU's Justice League and Suicide Squad are the most prominent teams from DC Comics that have made big screen appearances, with the person responsible for creating the latter poised to play a much more central role in the DCU.

Amanda Waller stands in front of mug shots of the Suicide Squad in their titular movie

The DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters will comprise several lesser-known characters, something which James Gunn is now known for. Confirmed shows will include Booster Gold, and Waller, a solo series about the government agent behind the creation of the Suicide Squad as portrayed by Viola Davis, one of the few DCEU actors set to reprise their roles in the DCU. Yet the Suicide Squad - whose future looks uncertain, following Peacemaker season 1 - isn't the only super-team that the no-nonsense agent is responsible for creating.

Amanda Waller Can Replace Batman's DCEU Team-Maker Role In The DCU. Batman is responsible for DC's foremost superhero team, the Justice League, which he proceeded to create in the DCEU. This is par for the course with the Dark Knight, who in the comics is responsible for a handful of teams, including the Gotham Knights and the Outsiders. The latter team was created as part of the Brave and the Bold comic run, opening the possibility for their introduction in the DCU movie of the same name. Whether Bruce Wayne will decide to do so remains to be seen, but he could easily be alleviated of his team-making responsibilities with Waller in the picture.

Amanda Waller's Role in Creating Superhero Teams

Amanda Waller is associated with far more teams than the Suicide Squad, having a hand in creating various other task forces, including Checkmate and Shadow Fighters. Waller has also historically been affiliated with the Justice League and Crime Syndicate, acting as the government liaison to metahumans in myriad situations that have seen her aligned with both heroes and villains alike. As such, forming or joining up with various teams is more central to Amanda Waller's narrative identity than Batman's, freeing Waller to embody that role for upcoming DCU releases and opening the franchise up to a whole host of opportunities that its world-building focus seems likely to capitalize on.

Checkmate team from DC Comics

Details are scarce on Waller, but the eponymous antihero could take plenty of routes now that she is possibly starting from square one. The Suicide Squad has taken on many guises in the comics, and there is no reason she could not go on to reform the group with new members. The chess-themed Checkmate team, for example, is another variation of Task Force X that Waller is heavily involved with in the comics. Plus, she has even helped to create superhero teams such as the Shadow Fighters. Already, this places Waller in a prime position to roll out several iterations of super-powered teams from the get-go in the DCU.

Alternatively, the Waller series may delve into Waller's past and her tenure as a more active member of the black ops team dubbed Team 7. This would, after all, be the team that would later inspire Waller to create her career-defining Task Force X. Whatever the case, Waller's constant proximity to clandestine team-based operations will no doubt place her at the center of one or two by the time she is established as a DCU main player.

What DCU Teams Waller Is Already Set To Create

Details are scarce on Waller, but the eponymous antihero could take plenty of routes now that she is possibly starting from square one. The Suicide Squad has taken on many guises in the comics, and there is no reason she could not go on to reform the group with new members. The chess-themed Checkmate team, for example, is another variation of Task Force X that Waller is heavily involved with in the comics. Plus, she has even helped to create superhero teams such as the Shadow Fighters. Already, this places Waller in a prime position to roll out several iterations of super-powered teams from the get-go in the DCU.

Alternatively, the Waller series may delve into Waller's past and her tenure as a more active member of the black ops team dubbed Team 7. This would, after all, be the team that would later inspire Waller to create her career-defining Task Force X. Whatever the case, Waller's constant proximity to clandestine team-based operations will no doubt place her at the center of one or two by the time she is established as a DCU main player.