WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Suicide Squad #2, by Robbie Thompson, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, Marcelo Maiolo and Wes Abbott, on sale now.
As the Infinite Frontier era presents a bold, new future for the Suicide Squad, longtime Task Force X overseer Amanda Waller reveals she has not one but two different squads operating under her supervision. And as one ensemble led by Peacemaker faces a disastrous outcome in the toxin-filled halls of Arkham Asylum, Superboy Conner Kent leads a back-up team to their rescue.
Where Suicide Squads often feature familiar DC villains and antiheroes, the team introduced in Suicide Squad #2 is comprised largely of entirely new faces point instead. Now, here's every member of Amand Waller's newest team and everything we know about their origins and abilities.
Superboy
Superboy, the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor developed by Cadmus, is the field leader of the backup Suicide Squad, with Conner Kent forced to comply with Waller's orders after being kidnapped by her. Created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett in 1993's The Adventures of Superman #500, Conner originally surfaced to potentially replace Superman while he was dead.
Future State revealed Waller intended Conner to lead the Suicide Squad as she expanded her mission beyond the main DC Universe to alternate worlds. At the start of Infinite Frontier, Superboy appears openly defiant to Waller and her lackey Peacemaker, immediately forming a feud with the latter, but controlled by Waller by the threat of kryptonite in his bloodstream.
Culebra
The team's resident powerhouse is Culebra, a woman named Alejandra Cortez who sports armor not unlike Granny Goodness. Culebra is listed as having superhuman strength and endurance, though Peacemaker observes that she truly has an annoying sense of humor that she employs on the field.
Culebra swaps out William Cobb with the corpse of a John Doe and is able to carry the incapacitated Superboy back to headquarters at the mission's conclusion. With Superboy suffering from acute kryptonite blood poisoning endured from the mission, only Culebra has the strength necessary to break Conner's skin with a syringe and deliver a cure that saves his life.
Mindwarp
Peter Howard is a supervillain with the ability to manipulate other people's minds, taking on the alter ego Mindwarp; Peter has no discernible links to the other DCU Mindwarp Jay Young who was introduced with Justice League Dark and possessed the ability to astrally project himself.
Fitted with a helmet by Waller to prevent him from affecting individuals like herself and Peacemaker, Mindwarp is noted to be a true psychopath and should be not be trusted. As the team makes their escape, Mindwarp's gas mask cracks resulting in him succumbing to the Joker toxin.
Nocturna
Nocturna, Natalia Mitternich, was originally introduced as a burglar with a photosensitive skin condition and the ability to secrete pheromones to affect the emotions of those around her before she was revised to become more of a traditional vampire. Introduced as Natalia Knight in 1983's Batman #363, revisions to the character made Natalia more of an outright supervillain under the alter ego Nocturna.
Conner has to rein Nocturna in rather than allowing her to give into her bloodlust, insisting she not employ lethal force against the Arkham security staff to her visible annoyance. Nocturna survives returning back to headquarters, not requiring a gas mask like her teammates to evade the Joker toxin.
Exit
Jason Phillips is a low-level thief that gained the ability to create portals in shapes that he draws in the air. Taking on the supervillain moniker Exit, Jason turned to crime before being busted and drafted into the Suicide Squad.
Helping the backup team arrive at Arkham, Jason is perhaps the most sincere in his attempts to achieve redemption. As Conner moves to save innocents caught in the Joker toxin, the unexpected prolonged time in Arkham exposes Exit to the toxins and, with his apparent dying act, he opens a portal to help his teammates return to headquarters.