Amanda Waller's God-Tier Suicide Squad Don't Even Know They Work for Her
General Waller, the DKOS version of Amanda Waller, proves she is truly most dangerous when she is in proximity to power, but not wielding it herself.
Warning: spoilers for Dark Knights of Steel #6 ahead!
Everyone should fear the Suicide Squad's leader Amanda Waller in any reality she resides in, but her role in the medieval world of Dark Knights of Steel has confirmed that Waller is perhaps her most dangerous when she is not actually wielding power directly. As the right-hand advisor of Queen Lara Lor-Van, ruler of the powerful House of El, Waller has proved that she can do just as much damage as a silver-tongued whisperer.
The medieval world of Dark Knights of Steel is brutal and violent, casting iconic DC Comics characters in new roles that have forged unique and surprising alliances between them that might never happen in the Earth-0 continuity. After the horrifying murder of the King, Queen Lor-Van has taken over rule of the kingdom and has been forced to contend with the armies of both King Jefferson and Queen Hippolyta threatening her rule, and Amanda Waller has stood beside her throughout it all.
Dark Knights of Steel #6 - written by Tom Taylor with art by Yasmine Putri, Arif Prianto, and Wes Abbott - sees the House of El at its most precarious moment yet, on the verge of war with multiple enemies, and one of their greatest warriors Bruce Wayne missing in action. One of Bruce's Robins, Dark Knights of Steel's version of Tim Drake, has been outed as a spy to the late King Jefferson's daughter by John Constantine, and fled back to the court of El to give news of the impending assault by the Kingdom of Storms and Amazonia's forces. After Queen Lor-Van asks for time alone to ponder what her kingdom should do, Amanda Waller does what she does best: uses her skills of Machiavellian manipulation to push the Queen towards the outcome she desires. General Waller reminds the Queen that the love between Wonder Woman and her partner Zala, daughter of the House of El, cannot be broken, and if something happened to Hippolyta, causing Diana to become Queen of Amazonia, then war would likely be averted.
General Waller is not-so-subtlety hinting to the Queen that she thinks the best and only course of action is to murder Queen Hippolyta, which would be the third royal ruler to be slaughtered in this series, allowing Diana to ascend to the throne and stand with the House of El. This is classic Amanda Waller, showing that her ability to manipulate and change her employer's views is her most powerful and dangerous skill, much more than all of her recent shenanigans trying to rule other realities and worlds in Suicide Squad's main DC Comics continuity. Possessing the ear of the queen, Waller now wields the power of an entire nation backed by Kryptonian might, all from the shadows.
Amanda Waller and Task Force X, the first iteration of the Suicide Squad, literally got their start because then-president Ronald Reagan was afraid of Waller, and wanted to get her out of his hair, and her persistence as a thorn in the side of major politicians and agencies has continued to this day. Waller proves in Dark Knights of Steel #6 that her most dangerous weapon is her tongue, and that she can topple entire kingdoms with just a few words.
While Amanda Waller is always dangerous, and she is certainly scary when wielding a massive weapon or controlling an army of violent criminals, at the end of the day her most vicious and destructive acts come from when she has direct access to a person in power. General Waller of Dark Knights of Steel is clearly no different than her Earth-0 counterpart, and the Queen of the House of El should definitely watch her back, as the Suicide Squad's leader will do anything to remain close to power.
Dark Knights of Steel #6 is available now from DC Comics.