When Amanda Waller shows up, you know that something serious is about to go down. Since 1986, Waller has been one of the most complex female characters in the DC Universe. As the brains behind Task Force X, better known as the Suicide Squad, Waller has the fate of the world in her hands. And that sense of responsibility pushes her to do things that can only be described as unconscionable. With the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, this week’s Suicide Squad: Dream Team and the upcoming comic book event Absolute Power, Amanda Waller has never been more pertinent to the state of DC storytelling.

Part of what makes Amanda such a dynamic character is that she doesn’t fit into existing archetypes for female comic book characters. She is neither a superhero, nor a superhero’s mother (though she is the mother of Danielle Brooks’ Leota Adebayo on Peacemaker), nor a temptress trying to crack a superhero’s resolve. In fact, she doesn’t even have a gripe against any particular superhero to begin with. Unlike Lex Luthor or Black Manta, Waller’s raison d’être has nothing to do with a specific individual. Instead, Waller is a government agent whose strength lies in her ability to control those with powers beyond her own.

Amanda Waller is unquestionably a villain, but she doesn’t draw the same sense of ire that other human, non-powered villains do. In fact, her commitment to her mission makes us want to root for her, as twisted as she can be. Even though she doesn’t hide her scorn for people, she commands respect from us.

Waller has a standout moment in The Suicide Squad thanks to Viola Davis, where she cooly tells Bloodsport (Idris Elba) that his sixteen-year-old daughter could be sentenced to Belle Reve prison. Belle Reve happens to have the highest prison mortality rate in the country. She lightly chastises him for getting the age of his daughter wrong, calling him, “father of the year” with a hint of contempt. Her taunting Bloodsport isn’t her being sadistic, it harks back to the fact that she herself is a mother. Beneath her immoral actions is a human quality.

Moreover, the fact that one of the world’s greatest assassins has a pen lethally aimed at her neck doesn’t faze her. She is able to manipulate him into accepting a leadership role on the Suicide Squad, all without having to lift a finger. At the end of the day, Waller’s words are mightier than any weapon. And she has plenty to spare.

Despite her often indefensible actions, there’s something relatable about Waller’s personality. As my fellow DC.com contributor Alex Jaffe excellently points out, there’s a sense of tired energy to Waller that is believable in a universe where Earths regularly explode in and out of existence. Most heroes can’t afford to pretend like they aren’t also exhausted by the constant “fate of the multiverse” stakes, but Waller doesn’t need to keep up a façade. In this sense, there’s an honesty to her character that is refreshing. Though she manipulates people at every turn, Waller’s emotional core remains true. In this sense, you’re made to wonder what she would be like if she didn’t live in a world full of threats.

Like Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller is a powerful character because she isn’t so different from us. It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine how someone could end up in a position like hers. She’s not motivated by ego like so many villains are, but rather by what she believes is right for the world. The only thing that makes her different from so many ordinary people is the lengths she will go to in order to achieve her goals.

And this is precisely what makes Amanda Waller so compelling across media. She challenges our expectations for what a villain acts like. Lex Luthor’s condescending personality and hate for Superman, everyone’s favorite guy, makes him a clear bad guy. But Waller’s concern towards global threats, along with her solution-oriented mindset and self-awareness makes her more nuanced than your average megalomaniac. Amanda Waller enhances the DC Universe as a whole by expanding the types of roles that women can have in comic books. At the very least, Amanda Waller is the hero of her own story, regardless of the sacrifices that she must make to keep the plot moving forwards.
 

Jules Chin Greene writes about comics for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.