Warning! Spoilers ahead for Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5!As if things weren’t bad enough for the DC Universe’s heroes right now, the Justice League’s terrifying counterparts from another Earth have re-appeared. Amanda Waller is going all out to make sure that she is victorious over DC’s metahumans, even if that means making a deal with some powerful criminals.
Fans may recall that shortly before Waller re-emerged to de-power and imprison the world’s metahuman population, she traveled to Earth-3 to conquer it and liberate it from the Crime Syndicate. Now the team has come back as part of a final desperate gambit to ensure Waller wins her war by any means necessary.
Amanda Waller Retrieves the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3
In Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5 by Alex Paknadel, Pete Woods, and Dave Sharpe, Wonder Woman’s long-time ally Steve Trevor is still on Gamorra, determined to discover what Waller is up to and bring any information back to the heroes. Steve has stolen Task Force agent gear and is sneaking around through Waller’s metahuman prison. He makes his way back to where Waller is holding every villain that Task Force VII has imprisoned as the antagonists continue to build a large and curious-looking device.
The device is on and Waller stands in front of it as a technician adjusts the dimensional harmonics. It turns out Waller has had a multiversal bridge constructed and it’s working perfectly. A woman comes through the glowing portal created by the bridge and begins talking with Waller. Though Steve can’t make out who the second figure is, he recognizes something about her voice. Waller and the unknown figure come to an agreement that the metahumans who haven’t been dealt with need to be removed.
…it’s not the Donna Troy he knows, but rather, her Earth-3 doppelganger, Superwoman.
Steve finally recognizes who the voice belongs to, but to his horror, it’s not the Donna Troy he knows, but rather, her Earth-3 doppelganger, Superwoman. Superwoman’s associates Etrigan the Brainiac 666, Superman, Nocturna, Emerald Knight, Black Siren, and Johnny Quick all emerge from the portal. This twisted version of Donna Troy promises that any metahumans who continue to evade Task Force VII will be dealt with by the Crime Syndicate. Waller shakes hands with Superwoman and gives her the authority to do what she must to take care of the remaining metahumans.
Waller’s History with the Crime Syndicate Finally Comes Full Circle
During the Infinite Frontier era, Amanda Waller decided to go for bigger and better things and extend her reach into the multiverse. She sent her operative Bloodsport to Earth-3, a world of reversed moralities, to build a more powerful Suicide Squad. Bloodsport needed to be rescued, so Waller sent her squad to rescue him from the evil Earth. The team was successful and one thing became clear to Amanda Waller, Earth-3 needed to be liberated from the Crime Syndicate’s control. After spending weeks preparing, Waller and her team traveled to Earth-3.
The Crime Syndicate attacks Waller, but she manages to convince several of their members to join her side. A war breaks out between the Crime Syndicate, Waller’s Suicide Squad, and even the Titans as they fight all across the multiverse. When all was said and done, Waller was victorious and she took over the Crime Syndicate, not to mention cutting Earth-3 off from the rest of the multiverse. But it wasn’t long before Waller desired to return home, which she managed to accomplish thanks to Brainiac’s assistance.
Waller’s past with the Crime Syndicate can be seen in the 2022 crossover event “War for Earth-3”!
Waller re-emerged in the wake of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, but she was still very much affected by what she saw on Earth-3. The sight of Ultraman alone instilled a fear of metahumans in Waller, causing her to propose plans to rid the Prime DC Universe of superhumans. It took her some considerable time, but she collected all the assets she needed to see her goals through. With Failsafe, the Brainiac Queen, and Task Force VII, Waller managed to de-power nearly every metahuman on the planet.
What Does the Crime Syndicate Mean for DC’s Remaining Heroes?
Waller has made it perfectly clear that she does not like or trust metahumans. But there are a few who just can’t seem to be taken down by Task Force VII, and that presents a real threat to her. Waller doesn’t like it when there’s a small chance her plans could go wrong. With people like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman still running free, Waller’s plans could go up in smoke any second. So like it or not, Waller had to strike a deal with the few metahumans she trusts.
While there is a small contingent of heroes who have stayed out of trouble so far, most of them are powerless. Wonder Woman’s been sapped of her might and Superman was nearly felled by a couple of gunshots. Superwoman, Johnny Quick, or Emerald Knight would be able to capture them in an instant. Of course, one must consider that this is one of the most twisted versions of the Justice League in a second. If they find any heroes who evaded Task Force VII, the Crime Syndicate is almost certainly going to kill them.
Waller’s a pragmatic person, but this move speaks to her desperation. She wants metahumans gone, yet she’s bringing in quite literally some of the worst metahumans in existence to contain or eliminate genuine heroes. But Waller’s come too far to give up now. She’s closer than she’s ever been to getting what she wants and if that means striking a deal with the Crime Syndicate, so be it. But in her desperation to win, Waller could be causing a much bigger problem instead.
Waller’s Deal with the Crime Syndicate is Only Going to Hurt the DC Universe
Waller has literally made a deal with the devil in partnering up with the Crime Syndicate. Sure, they might be content to take care of a few problems for her, but who says they’re going to stop once Waller’s enemies are gone? The Syndicate might like the idea of an Earth with no heroes to stop them and even turn on Waller. It’s a huge gambit and one that could wind up biting Amanda Waller hard. Anything could happen now that this evil Justice League is back, but whatever happens, it’s not going to be good.
Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5 is available now from DC Comics.
|
Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5 (2024) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
