Warning: Spoilers for Absolute Power #4!For nearly four decades,Amanda Wallerhas run theSuicide Squadwith an iron fist, ruthlessly executing countless ne’er-do-wells under her command with her signature brain bombs. AsAbsolute Powerconcludes, however, Waller receives a taste of her own medicine in a deliciously ironic way - albeit one with sinister implications for one of DC’s brightest heroes new heroes.
Absolute Power#4 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sánchez, and Ariana Maher brings DC’s Absolute Power crossover event to a dramatic conclusion with the destruction of Task Force VII and Amanda Waller’s capture. Waking up as a prisoner in her own Belle Reve facility,Waller is confronted by the unlikeliest of heroes: Dreamer.
Dreamer not only reveals that she has used her powers to block Waller’s inside knowledge of the superhero community but alsoinsinuates that she’s left a psychic bomb in Waller’s mindshould Waller re-learn too much, finally giving her a taste of her ownSuicide Squadmedicine.
Amanda Waller Has Her Own Explosive Implant, Courtesy of Dreamer
For decades, theSuicide Squad has been infamousfor the team’s lethal failsafe method:an explosive device implanted inside each squad member’s head that will detonate if they disobey orders. Waller’s deadly countermeasures first appeared as explosive bracelets inLegends#3, courtesy of iconic Suicide Squad writer John Ostrander. Ostrander continued to write stories for the Suicide Squad for the next several decades and was still on the title with 2007’sSuicide Squad: Raise The Flag#1, which updated the explosive bracelets and collars into the explosive implants contemporary readers know today.
John Ostrander, Lein Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel, Tom Ziuko, and Steve Haynie’sLegends#3 debuts the contemporary version of the Suicide Squad, pitting them against the machinations of Darkseid in 1986. Ostrander returned in 2007, alongside Javier Pina, Robin Riggs, Jason Wright, and Rob Leigh, to revolutionize the team he helped to make a DC classic withSuicide Squad: Raise the Flag#1.
The beautiful irony of Waller receiving the same punishment she has inflicted on countless others is thatit happens at Dreamer’s hands. Out of all the heroes Waller has manipulated in the lead-up toAbsolute Power,Waller has arguably abused Dreamer the most, coercing her into the Suicide Squad inSuicide Squad: Dream Teamby Nicole Maines and Eddy Barrows by holding Nia Nal’s parents hostage and using her as a weapon against the heroes. Waller’s “recruitment” of Dreamer culminated in Nia physically dying inAbsolute Power#2, though Dreamer eventually regains her body thanks to her connection to Superman Jon Kent.
There’s No Telling What Nia Nal Will Do Next
While Dreamer returns to life through the dreams of Jon Kent,Nia’s time under Waller’s thumb seems to have broken something within her. Dreamer seems to relish torturing Waller by withholding Waller’s memories from her in the final issue ofAbsolue Power, and she credits this cruel new use of her abilities to Waller’s influence. Since her fairly recent debut, Dreamer has been one of DC’s more optimistic new heroes, but as ofAbsolute Power#4, she shows no remorse about clandestinely using her powers to torture those who have wronged her.
The First Suicide Squad Roster Was Built To Kill The Justice League Vision (Complete With Its Own Superman)
Amanda Waller shaped the original iteration of Task Force X with every intention of taking on the Justice League - no explosives necessary.
The conclusion ofAbsolute Powerhas shaken the status quo of the Suicide Squad to its core. There are plenty of avenues to explore from here: will Waller be able to wrestle her way back into control? Will Dreamer escape the Suicide Squad’s legacy, or will her new powers be a factor for future versions of the Squad? All fans know for now is thatAmanda Wallerhas finally received the same mercy that she has shown theSuicide Squadfor the past 37 years - none at all.
