Changes: Ghost Initiative

Latest revision as of 14:45, 7 December 2023

For the Arrow episode in which the group appears, see "Suicide Squad".

For other uses of Ghost, see Ghost (disambiguation).

"Give me a break, this ain't no task force. Let's call it like it is. Welcome to the Suicide Squad."

The Ghost Initiative,^[1] formerly known as Task Force X, and nicknamed the Suicide Squad by Floyd Lawton,^[2] is an off-the-books elite government strike force consisting of incarcerated criminals used when government agents weren't suitable for political reasons. Their sole purpose is to undertake high-risk missions for A.R.G.U.S. in exchange for parole, work release or reduced prison sentences.

The Ghost Initiative program has been terminated.

Overview

To ensure their cooperation, each member of the team is implanted with a micro-bomb in their spinal vertebrae, which will be detonated if they demonstrate insubordination, betrayal, etc. However, if members prove themselves to be loyal, they will be given degrees of freedom. One example is Carrie Cutter/Cupid, who roamed A.R.G.U.S. freely in exchange for her work.

Task Force X is shown to be fairly successful in rehabilitating criminals and even treating mentally unstable individuals, having turned Floyd Lawton/Deadshot and Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger into loyal comrades. Furthermore, Carrie Cutter's behavior became much more stable, even though she retained her obsession with the Arrow or whichever man would save her life, but her impulse control was much better refrained.

History

Beginnings

The team was first put together by A.R.G.U.S. director Amanda Waller, consisting of criminals who've been incarcerated.^[3]

Lyla Michaels was in charge of a team which included Digger Harkness, but the mission went wrong. Waller ordered Lyla to terminate the team, which she did, and A.R.G.U.S. came to believe all its members were dead. Unbeknownst to them, however, Harkness' microbomb malfunctioned and didn't kill him. He subsequently escaped and became a mercenary.^[4]

Some time after their defeats by The Arrow, Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger, and Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel were drafted by Waller to join the task force. Harley Quinn, Raven, and Torque were also recruited at some point.^[5]

Nerve agent and bombing

Waller notified John Diggle and Lyla Michaels of a nerve agent being held by Gholem Qadir. She introduced them to the team made up of Shrapnel, Deadshot, and Tiger, and they proceeded to execute a plan to appropriate the nerve chemical from Qadir. During a mission meant as an attempt to gain Qadir's trust, Shrapnel was killed while attempting to escape.

A while after, John and Lyla attended a party held by Qadir. They were able to find the nerve agent, but it was much bigger than they had expected. They evacuated the area above where the nerve agent was being held and Turner killed Qadir.

In an attempt to destroy the nerve agent, Waller sent a drone directed towards the mansion. However, it was discovered that the drone was instead coded to the GPS in Deadshot's explosive chip. While the squad was escaping, Lyla was able to cut out the chip, saving them from imminent explosion. After the prisoners were returned later, Waller suggested that they would put the chips in their spines from then on, to ensure they could not be removed again.^[2]

Weeks following, Amanda Waller ordered a drone strike on Starling City, prompting John and Lyla to let the squad (except for Quinn and Turner) out of their cells in order to threaten Waller.^[5]

Work in Kahndaq against Onslaught

This section is considered non-canon, due to the fact that it occurred in Arrow: Season 2.5.

Amanda Waller sent Task Force X to put an end to Onslaught and their leader Khem-Adam in Kahndaq. Lyla Michaels was pregnant, so John Diggle went in her place and lead the team which consisted of Deadshot and Bronze Tiger. Lyla Michaels was sent by Waller to recruit Ravan Nassar into the squad. Ravan joined the team. Task Force X fought Khem-Adam and his forces and saved the hostages, Bronze Tiger fought Khem-Adam but was killed in the fight. Khem-Adam escaped and the squad left to bury Ben Turner in America.^[6]^[7]

Taking advantage of King Shark

This section is considered non-canon, due to the fact that it occurred in The Flash: Season Zero.

The Suicide Squad, consisting of Cupid, Captain Boomerang and Floyd Lawton, surveyed King Shark from destroying an aquarium. King Shark was later trapped in by the Suicide Squad. Captain Boomerang threw a boomerang, but King Shark simply bit through it. Deadshot shot him, knocking him over, followed by Cupid shooting a trick arrow, which expanded in to a net, trapping him.^[8]^[9]

Work in the Republic of Kasnia

After John and Lyla Diggle were married again, Deadshot met them at their wedding and told them that they had another mission. Back at A.R.G.U.S. headquarters, Waller briefed them on the meeting - save senator Joseph Cray, who has been taken hostage in the Republic of Kasnia. John, Lyla, Deadshot, and new member Cupid landed in Kasnia and staked out the hospital the insurgents were operating from. Deadshot saved Cupid from being shot by the senator, who had orchestrated the whole operation, and she fell in love with him. The Squad then noticed that the hospital had been rigged with explosives and made a plan. That evening, the Squad took down most of the terrorists, and got the hostages and themselves out, with Deadshot providing cover fire from the hospital's roof. However, Lawton sacrificed himself and stayed behind to allow John and Lyla to get back to their daughter, dying in the hospital's explosion.^[10]

Disbandment

During an attack by Shadowspire, Waller was killed and Lyla then became the new director of A.R.G.U.S, reforming the agency;^[11] one of her objectives included the disbandment of Task Force X, although she held on to King Shark^[12] to use as a sort of guard dog.^[13]

Reactivation

Lyla later reactivated the team, now referred to as the "Ghost Initiative", starting with Ricardo Diaz.^[14] A short time later, Chien Na Wei and Joe Wilson were also recruited into the group, as well as the returning Cupid.^[1]

Ultimately, Diaz decided to turn against the team during a mission to catch Dante. After being subdued, he was sent back to Slabside Maximum Security Prison, and the program was suspended.^[15] Diaz was later murdered^[15] by Emiko Adachi.

Known members

Former members

John Diggle/Freelancer/Spartan (field agent)
Lyla Michaels/Harbinger (leader and field agent)
Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang (field agent; defected; deceased)
Floyd Lawton/Deadshot (field support; deceased)
Chien Na Wei/China White (released)
Ravan Nassar (incarcerated)
Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel (field support; betrayed team; deceased)
Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger (field support; transferred to Slabside Maximum Security Prison)
Ricardo Diaz/Dragon (field support; transferred to Slabside Maximum Security Prison; deceased)
Amanda Waller/Mockingbird (leader; deceased)
Carrie Cutter/Cupid (field support)
Joe Wilson
Harley Quinn (rejected member)
Raven
Torque
Cheetah
Grodd
Shay Lamden/King Shark (non-canon)

Appearances

Arrow

Season 2

"Suicide Squad"
"Unthinkable"

Season 3

Season 7

"My Name is Emiko Queen" (mentioned)
"Past Sins"
"Star City Slayer" (mentioned)
"Brothers & Sisters"
"Inheritance" (mentioned)

The Flash

Season 3

"Infantino Street" (mentioned)

Comics

Arrow: Season 2.5

The Flash: Season Zero

Gallery

Promotional images

Arrow

Season 2

Behind the scenes

In DC comics, Task Force X, better known as the Suicide Squad, is an elite government strike force called upon when more traditional government agents are unfeasible. Members are deemed expendable and as a result are sent on life-threatening missions. There have been several versions of the team, with the version appearing in Arrow being based on a team of incarcerated super-villains serving under Amanda Waller in exchange for reduced prison sentences.

References

[Past_Sins-1] 1.0 ^1.1 "Past Sins"

[Suicide_Squad-2] 2.0 ^2.1 "Suicide Squad"

[Tremors-3] "Tremors"

[4] "The Brave and the Bold"

[Unthinkable-5] 5.0 ^5.1 "Unthinkable"

[6] "Ascension"

[7] Blood #12

[8] "Fish Fry"

[9] "Blood Loss"

[10] "Suicidal Tendencies"

[11] "Code of Silence"

[12] "King Shark"

[13] "Infantino Street"

[14] "My Name is Emiko Queen"

[Brothers_&_Sisters-15] 15.0 ^15.1 "Brothers & Sisters"

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-:''For the eponymous'' {{S|Arrow}} ''episode in which the group appears, see {{Ep|Suicide Squad}}.''
+:''For the'' {{S|Arrow}} ''episode in which the group appears, see {{Ep|Suicide Squad}}.''
+:''For other uses of Ghost, see [[Ghost (disambiguation)]]''.
 {{Group
 |name= Ghost Initiative
-|image= Suicide Squad promotional image.png
+|image= Ghost Initiative.png
-|base= [[A.R.G.U.S. headquarters]]; [[United States (Earth-1)|United States]]
+|base= [[A.R.G.U.S. headquarters (Earth-1)|A.R.G.U.S. headquarters]]; [[Star City (Earth-1)|Star City]]
 |aim= Suicide missions
-|leader= [[Amanda Waller]] <small>(deceased)</small><br/>[[Lyla Michaels]]
+|leader= {{F|Amanda Waller|(deceased)}}<br/>{{F|Lyla Michaels|(formerly)}}
 |show= Arrow
 }}
 {{Quote|Give me a break, this ain't no task force. Let's call it like it is. Welcome to the Suicide Squad.|[[Floyd Lawton]]|Suicide Squad}}
-The '''Ghost Initiative''',<ref name="Past Sins"/> formerly known as '''Task Force X''', nicknamed the '''Suicide Squad''' by [[Floyd Lawton]],<ref name="Suicide Squad" /> is a team mostly consisting of incarcerated criminals who undertake high-risk missions for [[A.R.G.U.S.]] in exchange for reduced prison sentences.
+The '''Ghost Initiative''',<ref name="Past Sins" /> formerly known as '''Task Force X''', and nicknamed the '''Suicide Squad''' by [[Floyd Lawton]],<ref name="Suicide Squad" /> is an off-the-books elite government strike force consisting of incarcerated criminals used when government agents weren't suitable for political reasons. Their sole purpose is to undertake high-risk missions for [[A.R.G.U.S. (Earth-1)|A.R.G.U.S.]] in exchange for parole, work release or reduced prison sentences.
+The Ghost Initiative program has been terminated.
 ==Overview==
@@ Line 19: / Line 22: @@
 ==History==
 ===Beginnings===
-The team was first put together by A.R.G.U.S. director [[Amanda Waller]], consisting of criminals who've been incarcerated.<ref name="Tremors">{{Ep|Tremors}}</ref>
+The team was first put together by A.R.G.U.S. director [[Amanda Waller]], consisting of criminals who've been incarcerated.<ref name="Tremors">{{Ep|Tremors (Arrow)}}</ref>
 [[Lyla Michaels]] was in charge of a team which included [[Digger Harkness]], but the mission went wrong. Waller ordered Lyla to terminate the team, which she did, and A.R.G.U.S. came to believe all its members were dead. Unbeknownst to them, however, Harkness' microbomb malfunctioned and didn't kill him. He subsequently escaped and became a mercenary.<ref>{{Ep|The Brave and the Bold}}</ref>
-Some time after their defeats by [[Oliver Queen|The Arrow]], [[Floyd Lawton|Floyd Lawton/Deadshot]], [[Ben Turner|Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger]], and [[Mark Scheffer|Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel]] were drafted by Waller to join the task force. [[Harley Quinn]], [[Raven]], and [[Torque]] were also recruited at some point.<ref name="Suicide Squad" />
+Some time after their defeats by [[Oliver Queen|The Arrow]], [[Floyd Lawton|Floyd Lawton/Deadshot]], [[Ben Turner|Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger]], and [[Mark Scheffer|Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel]] were drafted by Waller to join the task force. [[Harley Quinn]], [[Raven]], and [[Torque]] were also recruited at some point.<ref name="Unthinkable"/>
 ===Nerve agent and bombing===
 Waller notified [[John Diggle]] and [[Lyla Michaels]] of a nerve agent being held by [[Gholem Qadir]]. She introduced them to the team made up of Shrapnel, Deadshot, and Tiger, and they proceeded to execute a plan to appropriate the nerve chemical from Qadir. During a mission meant as an attempt to gain Qadir's trust, Shrapnel was killed while attempting to escape.
-A while after, John and Lyla attended a party held by Qadir. They were able to find the nerve agent, but it was much bigger than they had expected. They evacuated the area above where the nerve agent was being held and Turner killed Qadir. In an attempt to destroy the nerve agent, Waller sent a drone directed towards the mansion. However, it was discovered that the drone was instead coded to the GPS in Deadshot's explosive chip. While the squad was escaping, Lyla was able to cut out the chip, saving them from imminent explosion. After the prisoners were returned later, Waller suggested that they would put the chips in their spines from then on, to ensure they could not be removed again.<ref name="Suicide Squad">{{Ep|Suicide Squad}}</ref>
+A while after, John and Lyla attended a party held by Qadir. They were able to find the nerve agent, but it was much bigger than they had expected. They evacuated the area above where the nerve agent was being held and Turner killed Qadir.[[File:Diggle and Lyla are introduced to the Suicide Squad.png|thumb|250px|left|Diggle and Lyla are introduced to the Suicide Squad.]] In an attempt to destroy the nerve agent, Waller sent a drone directed towards the mansion. However, it was discovered that the drone was instead coded to the GPS in Deadshot's explosive chip. While the squad was escaping, Lyla was able to cut out the chip, saving them from imminent explosion. After the prisoners were returned later, Waller suggested that they would put the chips in their spines from then on, to ensure they could not be removed again.<ref name="Suicide Squad">{{Ep|Suicide Squad}}</ref>
-Weeks following, Amanda Waller ordered a drone strike on [[Star City|Starling City]], prompting John and Lyla to let the squad (except for Quinn and Turner) out of their cells in order to threaten Waller.<ref name="Unthinkable">{{Ep|Unthinkable}}</ref>
+Weeks following, Amanda Waller ordered a drone strike on [[Star City (Earth-1)|Starling City]], prompting John and Lyla to let the squad (except for Quinn and Turner) out of their cells in order to threaten Waller.<ref name="Unthinkable">{{Ep|Unthinkable}}</ref>
+====Work in Kahndaq against Onslaught====
+:''This section is considered non-canon, due to the fact that it occurred in'' {{S|Arrow: Season 2.5}}.
+[[File:Deadshot, Bronze Tiger and Ravan Nassar.png|thumb|230px|Deadshot, Bronze Tiger and Ravan Nassar.]]
+Amanda Waller sent Task Force X to put an end to Onslaught and their leader [[Khem-Adam]] in Kahndaq. Lyla Michaels was pregnant, so John Diggle went in her place and lead the team which consisted of Deadshot and Bronze Tiger. Lyla Michaels was sent by Waller to recruit Ravan Nassar into the squad. Ravan joined the team. Task Force X fought Khem-Adam and his forces and saved the hostages, Bronze Tiger fought Khem-Adam but was killed in the fight. Khem-Adam escaped and the squad left to bury Ben Turner in America.<ref>{{Com|Ascension}}</ref><ref>{{Com|Blood part 12}}</ref>
+===Taking advantage of King Shark===
+''This section is considered non-canon, due to the fact that it occurred in'' {{S|0}}.
+[[File:Digger Harkness, Floyd Lawton and Carrie Cutter.png|thumb|left|220px|Digger Harkness, Floyd Lawton and Carrie Cutter.]]
+The Suicide Squad, consisting of [[Carrie Cutter|Cupid]], [[Digger Harkness|Captain Boomerang]] and [[Floyd Lawton]], surveyed [[Shay Lamden (The Flash: Season Zero)|King Shark]] from destroying an aquarium. King Shark was later trapped in by the Suicide Squad. Captain Boomerang threw a boomerang, but King Shark simply bit through it. Deadshot shot him, knocking him over, followed by Cupid shooting a trick arrow, which expanded in to a net, trapping him.<ref>{{Com|Fish Fry}}</ref><ref>{{Com|Blood Loss}}</ref>
 ===Work in the Republic of Kasnia===
@@ Line 41: / Line 54: @@
 Lyla later reactivated the team, now referred to as the "Ghost Initiative", starting with [[Ricardo Diaz]].<ref>{{Ep|My Name is Emiko Queen}}</ref> A short time later, [[Chien Na Wei]] and [[Joe Wilson]] were also recruited into the group, as well as the returning Cupid.<ref name="Past Sins">{{Ep|Past Sins}}</ref>
-Ultimately, Diaz decided to turn against the team during a mission to catch [[Dante]]. After being subdued, he was sent back to [[Slabside Maximum Security Prison]], and the program was suspended.<ref name="Brothers & Sisters">{{Ep|Brothers & Sisters}}</ref> Diaz was later murdered<ref name="Brothers & Sisters"/> by [[Emiko Adachi]].
+Ultimately, Diaz decided to turn against the team during a mission to catch [[Dante]]. After being subdued, he was sent back to [[Slabside Maximum Security Prison]], and the program was suspended.<ref name="Brothers & Sisters">{{Ep|Brothers & Sisters}}</ref> Diaz was later murdered<ref name="Brothers & Sisters" /> by [[Emiko Adachi]].
 ==Known members==
-===Current members===
-*[[Carrie Cutter|Carrie Cutter/Cupid]]
-*[[Chien Na Wei|Chien Na Wei/China White]]
-*[[Joe Wilson|Joe Wilson/Kane Wolfman]]
 ===Former members===
+{{Scroll|
-*[[John Diggle|John Diggle/Freelancer/Spartan]]
+*[[John Diggle|John Diggle/Freelancer/Spartan]] <small>(field agent)</small>
-*[[Lyla Michaels|Lyla Michaels/Harbinger]]
-*[[Digger Harkness|Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang]] <small>(deceased)</small>
+*[[Lyla Michaels|Lyla Michaels/Harbinger]] <small>(leader and field agent)</small>
-*[[Floyd Lawton|Floyd Lawton/Deadshot]] <small>(deceased)</small>
+*[[Digger Harkness|Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang]] <small>(field agent; defected; deceased)</small>
+*[[Floyd Lawton|Floyd Lawton/Deadshot]] <small>(field support; deceased)</small>
+*[[Chien Na Wei|Chien Na Wei/China White]] <small>(released)</small>
 *[[Ravan Nassar]] <small>(incarcerated)</small>
-*[[Mark Scheffer|Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel]] <small>(deceased)</small>
+*[[Mark Scheffer|Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel]] <small>(field support; betrayed team; deceased)</small>
-*[[Ben Turner|Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger]] <small>(transferred to [[Slabside Maximum Security Prison]])</small>
+*[[Ben Turner|Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger]] <small>(field support; transferred to [[Slabside Maximum Security Prison]])</small>
-*[[Ricardo Diaz|Ricardo Diaz/Dragon]] <small>(transferred to [[Slabside Maximum Security Prison]]; deceased)</small>
+*[[Ricardo Diaz|Ricardo Diaz/Dragon]] <small>(field support; transferred to [[Slabside Maximum Security Prison]]; deceased)</small>
 *[[Amanda Waller|Amanda Waller/Mockingbird]] <small>(leader; deceased)</small>
+*[[Carrie Cutter|Carrie Cutter/Cupid]] <small>(field support)</small>
+*[[Joe Wilson]]
 *[[Harley Quinn]] <small>(rejected member)</small>
 *[[Raven]]
@@ Line 64: / Line 76: @@
 *[[Cheetah]]
 *[[Grodd]]
+*[[Shay Lamden (The Flash: Season Zero)|Shay Lamden/King Shark]] <small>(non-canon)</small>
+}}
-===Non-canon===
-*[[Shay Lamden (The Flash: Season Zero)|Shay Lamden/King Shark]]
-==Gallery==
-===Promotional images===
-<gallery>
-Suicide Squad promotional image.png
-</gallery>
 ==Appearances==
@@ Line 82: / Line 87: @@
 ====Season 3====
-*{{Ep|Draw Back Your Bow|(mentioned)}}
+*{{Ep|Draw Back Your Bow|m}}
-*{{Ep|The Brave and the Bold|(mentioned)}}
+*{{Ep|The Brave and the Bold|m}}
 *{{Ep|Suicidal Tendencies}}
@@ Line 96: / Line 101: @@
 ===''The Flash''===
 ====Season 3====
-*{{Ep|Infantino Street|(mentioned)}}
+*{{Ep|Infantino Street|m}}
 ===Comics===
@@ Line 102: / Line 107: @@
 *{{Com|Ascension}}
 *{{Com|Outnumbered}}
-*{{Com|page=Haunted (issue)|Haunted}}
+*{{Com|Haunted (issue)}}
 *{{Com|Awakenings}}
 *{{Com|Gone}}
@@ Line 115: / Line 120: @@
 *{{Com|A Minor Setback}}
 *{{Com|A New Home}}
+==Gallery==
+===Promotional images===
+====''Arrow''====
+=====Season 2=====
+<gallery>
+Suicide Squad promotional image.png
+</gallery>
+==Behind the scenes==
+*In DC comics, [[w:c:dc:Task Force X|Task Force X]], better known as the [[w:c:dc:Suicide_Squad_(New_Earth)|Suicide Squad]], is an elite government strike force called upon when more traditional government agents are unfeasible. Members are deemed expendable and as a result are sent on life-threatening missions. There have been several versions of the team, with the version appearing in ''Arrow'' being based on a team of incarcerated super-villains serving under [[Amanda Waller]] in exchange for reduced prison sentences.
 ==References==
+{{Reflist|2}}
-<references/>
 [[es:Escuadrón Suicida]]
 [[pl:Grupa zadaniowa X]]