34 Years Ago, One DC Comics Legend Was Literally a Suicide Squad Member (And Even Died)

When it comes to strange DC Comics facts, it doesn’t get much stranger than a real-life legend serving as a member of the notorious Suicide Squad. Over the years, Task Force X has had dozens of unexpected characters join the often ill-fated crew. From forgotten B-list rogues to fan-favorite comedic oddballs, there always seems to be a place for everyone in the Suicide Squad (probably because spots open up with alarming frequency). The real appeal of the Suicide Squad is that the team pulls from all corners of the DC Universe, including, apparently, the people who helped build it

Let’s rewind a bit, first. If you’ve ever read Animal Man (spoilers ahead, obviously), you’d know that Grant Morrison, who had a legendary run on the title in the late ’80s, actually appears in the series’ final several issues. They have a heart-to-heart with Buddy Baker before giving Animal Man the happy ending he deserves. But that amazing ending aside, that was not Morrison’s last appearance in the DC Universe. Not even a year later, they’d appear again as part of a tie-in to a big comic book event in the worst and most ironic role possible: Cannon fodder for the Suicide Squad.

Grant Morrison Went from DC Comics God to Sacrificial Suicide Squad Member

After Morrison’s run on Animal Man ended in 1990, there was no more need for their avatar in the series, and they quietly disappeared when a new writer took over the series. But a year later, DC Comics published Suicide Squad #58, a story designed to tie into “War of the Gods” event. Black Adam seeks out Amanda Waller, asking for assistance in taking out Circe, who Adam sees as his biggest threat to world domination. Also wanting to stop Circe, Waller recruits a new batch of Suicide Squad members to assist in Adam’s mission.

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One such recruit is a person simply referred to as ‘the Writer’, and yes, it’s Morrison’s avatar from Animal Man. They explain to their teammates that when they wrote themselves into Animal Man, they became a part of DC canon. Now they’re being controlled the same way they controlled Animal Man. They still have a limited degree of power, using a computer to write out what’s going to happen, unless, of course, the writer writing them decides to go in an unexpected direction. All-powerful or not, the Writer is sent to invade Circe’s fortress with the Suicide Squad.

The Suicide Squad holds their own, but the combination of Amazon fighters and Bestiamorphs proves to be too much for some. The Writer types as fast as they can, writing out lucky saves and outlandish coincidences to save themselves. However, the Writer is hit by writer’s block of all things. Before they can overcome it, their computer is taken by a werebeast, who rips the Writer to shreds. I have to say, I knew about Morrison writing themselves into DC Comics for years, but it was only recently that I discovered how violently they were taken out.

Grant Morrison’s Fate is the Ultimate Ironic Fate

I am a huge Animal Man fan, and one of the best elements of that story is Morrison’s metafictional commentary on the role of suffering in fiction. During their final conversation with Buddy, Morrison tells the hero that they put Animal Man through so much pain with the loss of his wife and children because stories need drama. It’s an amazing conversation that dives into the ethics of storytelling and what creators owe to the things they create. To their credit, Morrison does revive Animal Man’s family since the story was over, as was the need to make Buddy suffer.

But that’s what makes Morrison’s inclusion in Suicide Squad so interesting. Now Morrison was the fictional character subject to the whims of a writer, and it was they who were subject to pain and suffering to enhance the impact of the story. John Ostrander could have picked any other minor DC character to take the Writer’s place, but I think Ostrander was trying to make a point by unceremoniously killing off the Writer. Possibly to reinforce Morrison’s idea that suffering makes for interesting stories (that, or just having a gag at Morrison’s expense).

Whatever the reason behind the Writer’s inclusion in the Suicide Squad, it’s a neat little addition to one of Morrison’s best stories. The avatar they used to discuss the relationship between the creator and the fictional character ends up experiencing even worse suffering at the hands of another writer. It would have been easy to just make an original character and kill them off. But by adding Morrison into Task Force X, Suicide Squad continued the conversation started by the iconic DC writer, even if it did kill them off in an incredibly gruesome manner.