Content warning: this article includes discussion of suicide.

Amanda Waller's Task Force X brings together some of the DC Universe's deadliest criminals, offering them the chance to earn their freedom by taking on missions so dangerous, death is almost guaranteed - hence the unit's nickname of the Suicide Squad. But it turns out that the first iteration of the Suicide Squad wasn't actually named for the fact that not every member was expected to make it home, but for an even darker element of their mission.

The group in question is Squadron S, a unit who served in a WWII operation known as the 'War That Time Forgot,' with missions taking place around Dinosaur Island. Led by Rick Flag Sr. - whose son would lead future versions of the Suicide Squad, including the quartet introduced in 1959's The Brave and the Bold #25 (from Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru) - Squadron S was a dumping ground for soldiers considered too damaged or difficult to serve elsewhere, and therefore seen as expendable by their superiors.

Related: How Suicide Squad's Captain Boomerang Was Resurrected in the Comics

But while Squadron S took on dangerous missions, Secret Origins #14 (from John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell) reveals that the team named themselves the Suicide Squad not merely because they didn't expect to make it home, but because the missions they were asked to perform were so terrifying, being assigned to the unit was itself "considered grounds for suicide." While later teams would embrace the idea that death was almost guaranteed as a member of the Suicide Squad, the original members considered death preferable to their posting. This idea makes a little more sense in the context of the War That Time Forgot, which saw Squadron S faced with the very real possibility of being eaten alive by giant predators.

Secret Origin of the Suicide Squad Name

While later teams would eschew this concept for the idea that they take on only the most dangerous missions, fans of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad can perhaps understand Squadron S's logic. In the movie's opening minutes, Waller's first team are massacred on the beach of Corto Maltese, with some truly disgusting and disturbing final moments. Hardened criminal Savant even flees the battleground in terror despite knowing Waller will punish his disobedience by triggering the bomb in his neck, killing him - a quick death that's preferable to the agonizing ends experienced by teammates Mongal and the Detachable Kid.

Despite the grim origin of the name, Rick Flag Sr. and his son would carry it forward through time, christening future teams such as the Mission X quartet and Amanda Waller's Task Force X. It's understandable that they'd choose to fudge the origin of the name, allowing it to stand for the bravery of team members risking life and limb rather than the promise of the horrible deaths that await them. Still, even if they knew where the group really got its name, it wouldn't help, as Amanda Waller now takes the sensible precaution of threatening the families of those who resist being drafted onto her team, ensuring the Suicide Squad is always well staffed and easily coerced into serving her personal agenda.

To anyone having negative thoughts, reaching out to loved ones or calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be incredibly helpful resources.

Next: Suicide Squad Was Right Not to Use Waller’s Hated Comic Redesign