Movies News Talk
Clock King's Reign of Terror: The Suicide Squad's New, Unexpected Leader!
Big changes are hitting the DC Universe, and Amanda Waller's recent downfall leaves the Suicide Squad leaderless! Enter Clock King, an unexpected candidate and previously considered an underrated member from the Suicide Squad; he's taking the reins! It's totally wild! This is shown in Titans #16 (by John Layman, Pete Woods, and Wes Abbott), demonstrating that not all great developments always involve heroes but also villains stepping up.
The Titans and the Justice League team up– creating an amazing, brand new era – but things get seriously weird, causing these vivid, traumatic flashbacks among the heroes. Guess who's pulling the strings? Clock King; demonstrating that the villains can totally wreak just as much havoc as any of the superheroes – and are capable of generating plotlines of equal significance. He then declares this amazing moment that totally changes his future, saying this epic line that solidifies just why he’s now in charge of everything. He proclaims, "Before I'm done with you, you'll wish it was Waller still calling the shots."
Clock King's last appearance? The Suicide Squad: Dream Team miniseries (by Nicole Maines and Eddy Barrows), shows his surprising loyalty towards Waller. It even highlights how this changes now that Clock King now decides. He mentions “we can follow orders, or we can die,” and now– he’s the one giving orders!
His new, upgraded power is completely insane! It showcases a new skill, capable of manipulating time itself! Introduced way back in World's Finest #111 (Ed Herron and Lee Elias), his tricks involving time just went to a completely insane new level! He’s shown manipulating minds and making others relive awful, traumatic memories – the kind that breaks heroes – which serves as a testament toward just why he’s now in charge!
Waller's lies are exposed in Absolute Power #4 (Mark Waid and Dan Mora). This public reveal completely implicates her in crimes against superheroes and humankind. This imprisons her. The twist is ironic! This same method she used on underlings–now used on her. It highlights this classic DC-universe irony. This changed context created a totally open path toward a successor for Waller. And who's better than this newly improved Clock King to lead?
Clock King’s rise showcases an important detail often neglected by DC– the villain's capacity to deliver amazing stories. He's not just some random guy who got lucky! He demonstrates some serious capability and the insane new power is totally deserved, really making the upgrade completely fitting and showcasing exactly what a great villain actually looks like! That power upgrade perfectly complements his position; making this perfectly fitting for his assumed role which becomes his position now that Waller’s been deposed! He's definitely got the skill to maintain that leadership! Those dramatic and unexpected changes totally rock the status quo; completely disrupting previously-held norms that completely reshapes this well-known DC group into an entirely different and new experience; completely altering and creating another layer and dimension to those aspects within the previously understood elements!