Warning: SPOILERS for Suicide Squad #46
DC's Atlantis is under threat, which means it's time for Aquaman to team up with the Suicide Squad to save his kingdom. In recent issues of both Suicide Squad and Aquaman, there have been some major changes to the underwater kingdom. For starters, Atlantis has risen above the surface (at least, most of it has), thanks to some unleashed magic.
As the US government begins to see the newly risen kingdom as a threat, the fallout of the Atlantean civil war has put Mera on the throne as Queen, instead of Aquaman. In the midst of all this chaos, Amanda Waller and her Task Force X have stepped in to try and send Atlantis back to the depths. Waller created a new Suicide Squad for the despicable job, misleading them into thinking a "magical bomb" would simply reverse the rise without harming anyone.
If that sounds a little too nice for one of Waller's plans, that's because... it is. The 'magical bomb' is essentially just a nuke, and the Suicide Squad are divided on whether or not to complete the mission. Guess which side Aquaman takes?
Related: Aquaman Forms His Own Atlantean Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad #46 opens with Harley Quinn and Deadshot captured by Aquaman, while Lord Satanis, Master Jailer, and Killer Croc are heading deeper into the roots of the city to complete their mission. At first, Aquaman has no patience for his captives, knowing the kinds of jobs they do for Amanda Waller on the surface. But when he discovers that these two apparent villains will draw the line at wholesale slaughter (especially when children are involved), they agree they're all on the same side. Having been given permission to create his own Atlantean Suicide Squad (including King Shark), Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and Deadshot team up and race off to stop the other Suicide Squad members - and save Atlantis.
Things are made even more complicated when it's revealed that the Squad's neck bombs are no longer functional, thanks to all the magic swirling around Atlantis (and that Lord Satanis is trying to steal the magic of Atlantis before destroying the city). Readers are treated to an epic battle between King Shark and Killer Croc, as well as a throw down that pits Suicide Squad members against each other, but this story isn't over yet. By the end of the issue, Lord Satanis has thrown up a magical barrier between himself and Aquaman's team and gone to destroy the kingdom, and Mera has gone to the US government to expose Task Force X - and promise to destroy the entire coastline if the plan goes through.
'Sink Atlantis' will come to a conclusion in next week's Aquaman #40, and while we'll have to wait and see how this ends, it's clear that Aquaman and the Suicide Squad will continue to work together to try and save the kingdom. It's certainly an interesting team-up, and one that regular readers might not expect... but fans of the DCEU may be a little less surprised at the twist. On the big screen, Aquaman appears to share the attitude of many of the Suicide Squad members - one that is self-serving, heavy drinking, and enjoying the occasional violent battle.
These versions of the characters would probably work together surprisingly well, and who knows, maybe we'll see Harley, Deadshot and Aquaman join forces again in the DCEU.
Suicide Squad #46 is available now from DC Comics.