Task Force X Retirement Files 020-023

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Subject: Black OrchidProfile: Obscure hero/Suicide Squad semi-regular
Powers: Mistress of disguise. Flight, strength and force fields.
Mission: Fight back alien invasion. May also be following own agenda.
Chance of survival going in: Good. As a regular AND a character whose mysteries had yet to pay off, it was highly unlikely that Black Orchid would be killed. Especially since she appeared only briefly in her farewell story.
Retirement: ASSOCIATION MYSTERIOUSLY ENDED (PRESUMED DEAD). Black Orchid disappeared from the Squad as mysteriously as she showed up. Though Task Force X never knew where she had gone, readers found out her ultimate fate in a 1988 mini-series penned by Neil Gaiman. (Invasion #2)
Final report: The Squad's loss of Black Orchid seems to have been mandated by DC editors at the request of rising star Neil Gaiman who fleshed out the character before killing her off and replacing her with a Vertigo-ready version. The new Black Orchid would go on to star in her own book (not by Gaiman) for 22 issues in the early-to-mid 90s. Her Squad-related subplot was never truly paid off.

Subject: Nemesis
Profile: Suicide Squad regular
Powers: Master of disguise. Superspy.
Mission: Rescue a high-profile humanitarian nun out of the war torn African country of Ogaden. MISSION REFUSED
Chance of survival going in: High. Since Tom Tresser did not go on the mission, he didn't have much to lose, though one could imagine Amanda Waller putting out a hit on him.
Retirement: QUIT. Disenchanted with Amanda Waller's policies, in particular her allowing him to rot in a Russian jail for an important length of time, Nemesis left. (Suicide Squad #24)
Final report: To be continued! Tom Tresser's activities after this point remain unrecorded until he joins the Squad again for one last mission. OPEN FILE

Subject: Shrike II
Profile: Lame Justice League villain
Powers: Sonic scream. Wings.
Mission: Rescue a high-profile humanitarian nun out of the war torn African country of Ogaden.
Chance of survival going in: Low. An original member of Overmaster's Cadre, she was an obscure member of an obscure super-villain team and had not been seen since that first appearance. She had since found God in prison, which was just enough character development to give her death pathos.
Retirement: DECEASED. Shrike is shot down by the Ogaden military. (Suicide Squad #25)
Final report: Shrike briefly returned as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night. Her place in the Cadre was filled by the similar Starshrike.

Subject: Rick Flag
Profile: Suicide Squad regular
Powers: Military training.
Mission: Destroy Jihad headquarters and meta-creating labs code-name Jutenheim. THIS MISSION HAS BEEN DISAVOWED BY TASK FORCE X.
Chance of survival going in: Fair. Though it was hard to imagine the Squad without Rick Flag - his father had been a member of the original WWII team, after all - he had been MIA since he'd killed whistle blower Tolliver a few issues earlier. The odds of his surviving a solo mission into a Jihad stronghold weren't good, and after more than two years into the series, we were due for a shocker.
Retirement: BELIEVED DECEASED. Delayed by Jihad leader Rustam, Rick Flag was seemingly killed when the explosives he set went off. (Suicide Squad #26)
Final report: Rick Flag was well and truly dead, showing up as his own ghost in Captain Atom and later in Day of Judgment, but he controversially showed up alive in the new Checkmate book, spinning off into a new Suicide Squad mini-series where it was revealed that he and Rustam were merely shunted into Skartaris. Writers connected with the controversy have stated that reality punches were not responsible.

I'm still unpacking these Freedom of Information Act boxes, folks. See you next week!