One aspect of the world of DC Comics that is always fun to see is when villains are given the chance to be heroes. Villains who are known for their vile actions and crimes against the world are shown the way to redeem themselves and show the world they can be more than their past.
Yet there are also times when this path is hard-fought, especially when the path to redemption is a hellish one. That is the road many villains know thanks to the Suicide Squad, aka Task Force X. Here are the ten most powerful female members of the government-sanctioned task force, the Suicide Squad.
10 Amanda Waller
The first member of the squad that is responsible for the formation of Task Force X to begin with is none other than Amanda Waller. The woman who coldly and boldly asserts control over the powerful villains of the DC Universe whom she uses for the Suicide Squad.
A government operative, Amanda Waller was a woman who escaped a dangerous area of Chicago after her husband and two of her children were slain. Since then she dedicated herself to protecting the world through any means necessary, becoming a shadowy figure in the United States government and becoming a master of manipulation.
9 Katana
The next powerful member of the Suicide Squad is a skilled warrior and Japanese ninja who took on a mission of vengeance after the loss of her husband and two children, only to begin a campaign against corruption and injustice. That hero is Katana, aka Tatsu Yamashiro of Batman’s Outsiders.
Over the years Katana has also been a member of the Suicide Squad, as a member of the government side of the operation working alongside Rick Flagg and begrudgingly serving under Amanda Waller. Her skills as a ninja and warrior combined with the powerful Soultaker Sword make her a formidable opponent.
8 Nightshade
The next member of the Suicide Squad is quite interesting, as she began as a part of the Charlton Comics universe as a part of Captain Atom’s story, but after Crisis on Infinite Earths she was merged into the DC Universe and became a super spy who worked alongside King Faraday.
That member is Nightshade, aka Eve Eden. Once the Princess of the Land of Nightshades, Eve has the ability to control shadows and darkness, and teleport by traveling into the Land of Nightshades. She was also June Moon’s handler and Amanda Waller’s liaison between Task Force X and Project Atom, which brought her into contact with Captain Atom.
7 Plastique
The next member of the Squad is unique in that she originally only had one appearance in the team’s history, but has since made reappearances throughout her career. The member and villain in question is none other than Plastique, aka Bette Sans Souci. The villain is a well known mercenary and villain who can turn anything into explosives with a touch, a power that has appeared since her initial appearance.
Bette has been linked to heroes like Firestorm and Captain Atom for years. Originally part of a plot to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada, she has gone back and forth between borderline heroism and villainy.
6 Poison Ivy
The next member of the Squad is not known to be a regular member of the team, but has had a couple of appearances on the team and is quite powerful in her own right. That member is none other than Batman’s most powerful plant villain, Dr. Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy.
Poison Ivy is one of Batman’s biggest rogues, with the ability to talk with and control plant life on Earth. She has gotten so powerful she managed to control everyone on Earth at one point using spores. She has gone back and forth over the years between villainy and heroism.
5 Duchess
The next villain and member of the team is unique because her name is not immediately familiar, but her true identity is. The villain in question is called Duchess amongst the members of Task Force X for years, but her true identity is known as Lashina, one of the Female Furies hand-selected by Darkseid on Apokolips.
The powerful, long-lived villain with electrical metal whips was betrayed by a teammate during a mission to Earth, and she infiltrated the Suicide Squad until she managed to lead the team back to Apokolips for revenge. She was ended by Darkseid for bringing humans to his world but later resurrected to lead the Furies once more.
4 Black Orchid
While this next character has had many different people take on her mantle, the original and most connected to the Suicide Squad as a whole is Susan Linden-Thorne, aka Black Orchid. A character with the ability of flight, super strength and invulnerability to bullets, she also had the ability to become a master of disguise.
Joining the team for several issues, Black Orchid was usually relegated to spy work or to help in a rescue, but it was her actions in Issue #19 that brought her to the Squad’s attention when it was discovered she had managed to gain access to the Squad’s main servers.
3 Harley Quinn
The third most powerful villain and member of the Suicide Squad is also one of the team’s most recognizable female members, Harley Quinn. The former sidekick of the Joker and girlfriend of the mad clown prince of crime turned into a bonafide villain and later vigilante in her own right.
Her hold no punches approach to combat, her giant mallet and her loose grasp on sanity have made her a wildcard in the team’s lineup, but have also shown her capability to rise above the madness so to speak and become a leader on the team, and quite possibly a hero.
2 Killer Frost
The second most powerful member of the team is also one of the more complex members, as her history has shown her to be both a villain and a hero. That member is Killer Frost, aka Caitlin Snow. Once a scientist at STAR Labs, Caitlin was transformed during an attack on her lab into a heat vampire, giving her the ability not only to generate cold and ice but to take the heat from individuals as well.
While originally tasked with being a member of Task Force X, recent comics saw Batman see the potential for heroism in her, and he gave her the chance to join his Justice League of America team.
1 Enchantress
The most powerful female member of the Suicide Squad may very well be the most powerful member overall and also one of the most terrifying, and that is the Enchantress. A powerful sorceress possessing the body of human freelance artist June Moon, the Enchantress has gone between an antihero and true villainess.
Enchantress is a truly powerful sorceress, with the ability to manipulate and control many different magical energies. One of the unique things about her power besides the ability to heal and teleport is her ability to connect with and control other forms of magic, including connecting to Eclipso’s power.