DC Comics continues its pattern of race and gender swaps in the Absolute Universe as Kelly Thompson debuts an all-female Suicide Squad in Absolute Wonder Woman, complete with uninspiring designs that strip away everything that made the concept work.
Thompson revealed the lineup and Hayden Sherman’s designs: Doctor Poison, Cheetah, Giganta, Zatanna, Ara the Men-Fish Queen, Aphrodite, and Cuca. The team assembles under Veronica Cale, Director of National Security, operating out of Area 42 where metahuman threats are imprisoned.
“DOCTOR POISON 2.0. She got her suit!” Thompson announced. “This was actually a funny design challenge because I don’t think Hayden or I really wanted to change her perfect first costume, but since I’d written into the narrative that she was demanding a new suit (and subsequently basically forced Cale’s hand into giving her one) — our hands were tied.”
The Cheetah design drew particular attention. “This is obviously not Barbara, but her identity will be revealed in issue 17,” Thompson explained. “Obviously, people have a lot of feelings and ideas about Cheetah and there’s not much I can say for fear of spoilers, except that if you feel this design feels ‘unfinished’... it is, and that’s by design.”
Thompson praised Giganta’s role: “She has been incredibly fun to write (and I think Hayden would agree fun to draw — though in that case — A LOT of work). Her big issue for this arc is #17, out next month if ‘harder they fall’ wasn’t enough of a clue for GIGANTA.”
The Zatanna design features a face mask reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter, with Thompson noting, “Obviously Zatanna is the very big design here — and we’ve already showed that off.”
Thompson gushed over the Aphrodite design: “I just... could not love this one more. It’s probably neck and neck with Hecate for my favorite Gods design from our run. This was, I believe, the very first sketches Hayden sent in for the concept of the character and the email thread just exploded with everyone going ‘okay. that’s genius. that design is locked.’”
The designs themselves lack the gritty, desperate edge that defined the Suicide Squad concept. Sherman’s aesthetic leans toward a throwback 90s indie-style with a modernist sanitizing rather than the prison jumpsuits and explosive collars that communicated the team’s expendable nature.
The Absolute Universe has established a clear pattern. Barbara Gordon became a black woman. Catwoman underwent a race swap as well. Absolute Green Lantern transformed into a black woman. Now the Suicide Squad becomes an all-female roster, continuing DC’s commitment to diversity quotas over creative integrity.
The original Suicide Squad concept emerged in 1959 as a team of non-powered adventurers tackling dangerous missions. Writer John Ostrander revolutionized the concept in 1987, creating the definitive version: convicted supervillains forced into black ops missions for reduced sentences, with explosive devices ensuring compliance. The team’s appeal came from its moral ambiguity and expendable roster, where any character could die at any moment.
Ostrander’s run featured a diverse cast including Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, and Rick Flag. The gender and racial diversity emerged organically from character selection rather than mandated quotas. The team balanced male and female members, with Waller’s ruthless leadership driving the narrative.
Even the 2016 film, despite its flaws, maintained a mixed-gender team with Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, El Diablo, Captain Boomerang, and Katana. The 2021 sequel added Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and King Shark to the mix.
Thompson’s all-female roster abandons the concept’s fundamental appeal. The Suicide Squad worked because it threw together incompatible personalities and forced cooperation through coercion. An all-female team selected for gender rather than character dynamics undermines that tension.
The Absolute Universe promised fresh takes on DC’s icons but delivered predictable identity politics. Every major character receives the same treatment: race swap, gender swap, or both. The creative bankruptcy becomes obvious when every “bold new direction” follows the identical playbook.
Absolute Wonder Woman has featured Thompson’s Squad across multiple issues, with the team operating under Cale’s direction against Diana. The run positions them as antagonists to Wonder Woman’s mission, though their effectiveness remains questionable given the designs and characterization.
What do you think about DC’s all-female Absolute Suicide Squad?
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One must admit that it takes a certain level of skill to make things that deliberately ugly. It's guaranteed to not entice me to buy it, but that was rather unlikely anyway.
Now, in fairness, running a mission with an all-female squad like that is the very definition of suicidal. So... I guess, well done, ladies!