Onslaught (DC Comics)
Onslaught | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Suicide Squad #1 (May 1987) |
Created by | John Ostrander (writer) Luke McDonnell (artist) |
In-story information | |
Base(s) | Qurac |
Member(s) | Roster below |
The Onslaught are a
History
The Onslaught is a team of super-powered international terrorists-for-hire operating out of the outlaw nation of
After their first clash with the Suicide Squad, Raza Kattuah now calling himself Rustam formed a second team based in an old
Agni assembled a small three-person team to free Quraci President Marlo from United States custody. He brought along Badb, and the Atlantean renegade known as Piscator, a self-styled Janissary. The Suicide Squad preemptively substituted Nemesis for President Marlo. At the same time, Israel's heroes, the Mossad superteam known as the Hayoth were involved in a covert mission on U.S. soil, a failed attempt to abduct Marlo.[1]
As revealed in Suicide Squad #50, Jess Bright had survived the
Agni assembled yet another Onslaught team with the help of Njara Kattuah son of Rustam. This new team's mission of vengeance against America was short-lived. After disposing of a team of
Njara later returned with a new team including Antiphon, Tolteca, Hyve and Digital Djinn (Suicide Squad (vol. 2) #10). They succeeded in kidnapping Amanda Waller as part of an elaborate revenge, and in killing Squad members Havana (slain by Rustam) and Modem (slain by Digital Djinn). They were no match for the Squad when members of the Justice Society of America were drafted to help. The second Rustam was killed by Deadshot and the other members escaped custody.[1]
Roster
Team one (Suicide Squad #1-2)
- Chimera - she was actually Suicide Squad member Nightshade.
- Djinn - his body was reduced to a binary code and stored in microchips within a magnetic bottle. Enchantress blew up his bottle, presumably destroying him.
- Jaculi - a young Bedouin with the ability of moving at super-speed in three second spurts. He carried an assortment of explosive javelins. Jaculi was slain by Captain Boomerang.
- Manticore - a super strong cyborg from Greece, he was slain by Deadshot. Manticore is named after the mythical namesake. During the events of Blackest Night, Manticore's corpse is reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps alongside several fallen Suicide Squad members.[3]
- Colonel Mushtaq - he was actually Nemesis in an undercover role.
- Ravan - last surviving thugee, his back was broken in single combat with the Bronze Tiger.
- Rustam - Raza Kattuah was the first team leader, named after Persian folklore. Rustam wields a scimitar artifact from Skartaris which could generate fiery plasma that could seemingly cut through anything, and open dimensional portals. The scimitar uses its wielder's life force as a power source. According to Raza he was a US covert operative in Qurac who was apparently betrayed by the United States, a situation which led to the deaths of his entire family.[4]
Team two (Suicide Squad #17-19)
- Agni - Agni is an Asian Indian pyrokinetic who could create progressively larger fireballs by snapping his fingers. He is named after Agni, the Hindu god of fire.
- Badb - a teenaged Irish telepath who could mentally instill panic and hatred. She is named after Celticgoddess of war.
- Ifrit - she was a new artificial intelligence, similar to Djinn, based on the brain patterns of Mindboggler, whose mental engrams were salvaged by Quraci scientists, and twisted to induce extreme aggression and hate; she was healed of this by sentient Israeli computer Dybbuk and fell in love with him. She is named after the Persian spirits known as Ifrits.
- Jaculi - the second Jaculi was a woman of unknown nationality with the speed and weapons of the original. She was slain by Deadshot.
- Koshchei The Deathless - Jess Bright, former member of the original Suicide Squad. He could animate the dead using specialized electronic implants, controlling them via Shade the Changing Man. In Russian folklore Koshcheithe Deathless is a powerful necromancer.
- Manticore - the second Manticore, also of unknown nationality, was tougher than his predecessor; he was slain by Duchess (Lashina).
- Ravan - master assassin now wearing a cybernetic harness because of his broken back. After being captured by the Bronze Tiger he joins the Suicide Squad.
- Rustam - team leader and the same operative.
Team three (Suicide Squad #59-62)
- Agni - team leader for this mission.
- Badb - the same operative.
- Piscator - an Atlantean (see Atlantis) renegade and self-styled Janissary.
Team four (Outsiders (vol. 2) #5-6)
- Agni - second in command for this mission.
- Dahak - a demon who used the body of an old Quraci woman as its host. In Persian mythology Aži Dahāka is the god of evil. This demon is killed when an airplane tail crushed it to death.
- Dervish - Nema, a female martial artist, she is romantically tied to Manticore III. Nema is named after the traditional dervishes. She later joined to Strikeforce Kobra.
- Djinn - the original Djinn restored by the group's technicians. He is presumably destroyed again after Sebastian Faust traps him in a hand-held TV that he throws into Agni's flames.
- Manticore - the third Manticore was Saied, who was romantically tied to Dervish. He was accidentally killed during a fight with Charlie Wylde of the Outsiders.
- Rustam - Njara Kattuah, team leader and the son of the original Rustam. Njara has demonstrated pyrokinetic abilities, but is unknown if they were internal, or if he had access to his father's scimitar.
Team five (Suicide Squad (vol. 2) #10-12)
- Antiphon - a super speedster from Greece. The name is based on the term Antiphon (opposing voice).[5]
- Digital Djinn - new more powerful creation based on the original Djinn.[5]
- Hyve - a hulking creature able to separate into smaller and smaller copies of itself.[5]
- Rustam - Njara Kattuah, team leader. He is slain by Deadshot.
- Tolteca - a powerful warrior woman and cannibal. Her name is derived from the
In other media
Television
Onslaught appears in
Miscellaneous
- Onslaught appears in the non-canonical
- The Young Justice incarnation of Onslaught appears in the tie-in comic Young Justice: Targets, with the addition of Match.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Cosmic Teams!". Mykey3000. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
- ^ John Ostrander, Kim Yale (w), Geof Isherwood, Luke McDonnell, Grant Miehm (p), Karl Kesel, Geof Isherwood, Luke McDonnell (i), McCraw, Tom (col), Klein, Todd (let), Raspler, Dan (ed). Suicide Squad, no. 50 (February, 1991). DC Comics.
- ^ Gail Simone, John Ostrander (w), Calafiore, Jim (p), Calafiore, Jim (i), Wright, Jason (col), Wands, Steve (let), Ryan, Sean (ed). Suicide Squad, no. 67 (January 6, 2010). DC Comics.
- ^ Suicide Squad: Raising the Flag #2
- ^ a b c d Cornwell, Jason (July 21, 2002). "Suicide Squad #11 Review". Comics Bulletin. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
- ^ Marc Guggenheim, Keto Shimizu (w), Kudranski, Szymon (a), Bennett, Joe (p), Yeung, Craig (i), Charalampidis, Jim (col), Bennett, Deron (let), Antone, Alex (ed). "Following" Arrow: Season 2.5, vol. 1, no. 5 (October 27, 2014). DC Comics.
- ^ Marc Guggenheim, Keto Shimizu (w), Kudranski, Szymon (a), Bennett, Joe (p), Yeung, Craig (i), Charalampidis, Jim (col), Bennett, Deron (let), Antone, Alex (ed). "Ascension" Arrow: Season 2.5, vol. 1, no. 4 (October 13, 2014). DC Comics.