Absolute Power: Origins

by John Ridley

The definitive history of one of the DCU's deadliest villains is at last revealed!

Academy Award-winning writer John Ridley tells the tragic backstory of Amanda Waller, in a vital part of DC's Absolute Power blockbuster!

Since the earliest days of the Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller has operated behind the scenes of the DC Universe, manipulating superpowered heroes and villains in service of her own rise to power. Over the years, the character has permeated pop culture, and been adapted across film, television, animation, and video games. But what truly motivates this enigmatic figure?

Absolute Power: Origins is the untold story of what led Amanda Waller to form the Trinity of Evil in DC's Absolute Power blockbuster, and take down Earth's Super Heroes! It's the Suicide Squad's founder as you've never seen her before, in a grounded, emotional companion to Absolute Power.

Amanda Waller's catastrophic attack on the metahumans of Earth has rendered both hero and villain powerless, and now readers will learn what truly drives "The Wall," courtesy of Academy Award-winning writer John Ridley and fan-favorite artist Alitha Martinez.

It's the tale about how one woman lost everything she held dear...powerless beneath the forces of senseless acts of chaos. The path of vengeance would bring her to two simple words that would change her life--and the lives of the entire DC Universe--forever: never again.

This volume collects Absolute Power: Origins #1-3.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2025

About the author

John Ridley IV (born October 1965)[2] is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for 12 Years a Slave, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed anthology series American Crime. His most recent work is the documentary film Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992.


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Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Year One that no one particularly asked for, but one that does its job. Waller gets a fair bit of character development thanks to a rich backstory that highlights motivation and dynamics. However, it never strays from being just fine. There are no glaring flaws, nor are there any standout moments. Short and to the point, pick it up if Amanda Waller interests you.

[Pruett · Rating 3 out of 5]

So aggressively fine. This is like the one backstory episode of a season of TV. It happens before the penultimate episode, you kind of like it, you guess, but it's also a drag.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many colons can you shove into a title? Absolute Power: Origin: Amanda Waller: Year One is a decently engaging bit of backstory for perennial anti-hero/outright villain, Amanda Waller. I guess her husband and kids died sorta kind because of vigilante heroes so now she hates all supers? The better bits feature Waller using dark arts to run a successful political campaign which, honestly? I would read that series in a heartbeat.

There's an old Suicide Squad issue at the end which is a fun time machine for when comics were boring.

[Alek Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an origin it's not bad but unfortunately it doesn't really fit with the main event.

Everything leading up to Absolute Power has Waller believing that meta humans, especially heroes, are a danger to humanity because they put a target on the world. Every crisis has been the result of our heroes, and during them they make unilateral decisions for humanity. Her attitude during Beast World put it eloquently, we shouldn't trust the fate of the cosmos to a 20 year old in a mask.

But this origin doesn't have her motivations set on that frame of logic. Instead she views those that take the law into their own hands as dangerous because they cant be held responsible for their actions. That allowing vigilantes and heros was a slippery-slop to giving away our own right to uphold justice. But the first issue of this book sets her up with an origin that should have her in favor of someone like Batman. Literally three of her children and her husband get killed by a drug dealer on three separate occasions. Each time the police do nothing about it and she later learns that a corrupt politician allowed the drug dealler to operate above the law. The literal systems of law and order failed her, but it's when she sees the news about a Batman cleaning up Gotham she goes thats not fair?!!

I think John Ridley thought that Waller was going to get redeemed by the end of Absolute Power which is why he focused a lot on her family and how "she was only doing whatever it takes to protect democracy". But Mark Waid made her a full villain so instead this origin just didn't fit the narrative.

I think had the Brainiac Queen and the Amazos taken her vision to far and had begun subjugating the world. And that after seeing the heroes, even depowered, protecting innocent civilians. She would have seen the error in her ways and realized that the world needs heroes. Thus making these three origin issues necessary.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down. This is a very “What it says on tin” story. It tells the tale and origins of Amanda Waller. It's a bit boring and repetitive but the highlight of how far she'll go for her aims, how she'll push away anyone for her family including pushing her family away, and her drive that leads her to the bureaucratic extreme of “The ends justify the means” is fine enough. It still is a bit repetitive though. And the art is just serviceable. It has some highlights but I don't know if the artist really excels at the human drama the writer is going for. There's little action which I think might be more in the artist's wheelhouse.
The add-in of an old Suicide Squad issue where Batman breaks in was sort of neat. A big part of the third issue is when Batman breaks in and the impact it has on Waller. So it's fitting to show the original issue that inspires that.
One nitpick is just how this story sort of feels like it doesn't fit DC. I get Amanda Waller's whole deal is pushing people to do it themselves and rely on official government and federal help rather than giving power and authority to a nation-less group of super powered individuals. But also goo's heroes are pretty firmly rooted in being good. I would understand it a bit more if we had ambiguity to their actions but by and large the heroes are unanimously good. The fight for autonomy and government independence from them does help soften that incongruity (as well as Batman being fine to exact revenge while Waller's husband can't) but it still creates a bit of ideological issue with Waller's stance in the DC universe.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the other Absolute Power tie-in mini-series, which is basically just the latest origin for Amanda Waller. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, or the character - there's an added focus on family which fits with the way she's been portrayed lately, but there are only really so many times we can see The Wall betray people for her own ends before it gets a little tiresome. Nothing is said here that hasn't been said before elsewhere, as far as I can see, and if you're not a fan of the character, these three extra-sized issues aren't going to change your mind.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, the origin story of Amanda Waller.

Longer than it needs to be and yet not enough to give her much depth besides her 'win at all costs' attitude. I still don't quite get how she can go from caring mother and wife that has suffered a loss to, 'blackmail is cool. do what i say or pay the price'.
========
Bonus: So THAT's how the bombs in their brains' came to be? Ehhh...
Bonus Bonus: Surprised that Waller didn't end up with a cape after THAT origin...

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sine the nu52, Amanda Waller has been more Machiavellian than ever, possibly evil. I expected this mini-series to continue the character assassination, but that's before I realized it was written by John Ridley. Instead we get a really nuanced look at the Wall's backstory, from her time as a young mother through his creation of the Suicide Squad. It's a great little origin that offers a lot of the motivations behind the Wall's recent actions.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

I'm a big Batman fan and I must say, I'm cool with and actually intrigued by how Absolute Power Origins frames Bruce Wayne's vs Amanda Waller's origin stories. The racial divide and white privilege at play is a really interesting route to go down that doesn't besmirch Batman but does recognize the social reality of our times. It's also always cool to see the moment Amanda Waller flips from normal concerned citizen to authoritarian psychopath. It's a fun little origin story.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really quite good.
Shows Waller's motivations and inspiration however it skips over her rise to power.

I guess you're meant to extrapolate yourself how she went from helping a local council person to being in charge of ARGUS but seeing wouldhave been better.

[London Heady · Rating 3 out of 5]

First issue is awesome. Loved that one. Quickly diminishes into just being decent. This should have probably just been like an oversized special in all honesty. There just isn't a ton to work with. That first issue is really worth a read though.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never needed an origin story for Amanda Waller, but I've loved John Ridley's writing over at Valiant, so I gave this a try, and it was actually riveting work on a woman spiraling into self-justified villainy. What a great surprise!

[Alex A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terribly good 'year one' or an essential part of the Absolute Power event. Worse, this series drags despite only being three issues.

A missed opportunity as Ridley doesn't really humanize nor show Waller's descent into villainy. Waller simply is who she is with no real change or growth and her reason for hating vigilantes/superheroes doesn't really add up.

Martinez's art is probably the best I've seen it thus far.

The inclusion of a 1987 reprint, a story which inspired part of issue #3, just to justify a full price paperback also doesn't win me over.

[Jacob Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amanda Walker’s origin is entertaining but she’s only entitled to like half of her biases and problems. There’s not really a good reason that she hates/fears the costumes/supers the way she does.

The origin of the Waller Suicide Squad head bomb is fun though

[PedroFN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.45

[Belfry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very true to the Ostrander backstory and sharpens the motivation for what’s to come.

[David Akeroyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who wanted this? I disliked everything about Absolute Power tbh and this maybe more than anything. The Flanderization of Amanda Waller has been painful to read.

[Federico Kereki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice touch is the reprinted 1988 SUICIDE SQUAD story!

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, I mean, we see how Amanda Waller got to her position and why she started her journey. But...it's not terribly relevant to Absolute Power.

[Rickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Waller. She is one of the greatest villains in DC history and showing her origins here before her big play is just amazing.

[Henni · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 / 10

[David Palazzolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically it should just be 3 1/2 stars, but the system doesn’t seem to allow for fractional stars, so I rounded up. The whole series was a bit of “Two Steps Forward, One Step Back” all throughout. I honestly think John Ridley is the only person outside of John Ostrander who has a handle on Ananda Waller, even if he makes her a bit more Machiavellian earlier on than in Ostrander’s original timeline. This miniseries could have been the foundation of an incredible Suicide Squad series, but they wasted it all so it could serve the Absolute Power crossover event, where Waller is simply a scenery chewing, moustache twirling Big Bad who will be done in at the end. I’m grateful he kept her backstory more or less intact, not so happy he kept that “original Suicide Squad” story from the Justice League vs Suicide Squad event from some years ago. Having said that, the twist at the end with her gaining previously unknown new tech at the end of that encounter was a well played plot point—but it would have been nice to work in the fact that Ridley was retelling an established adventure so I didn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to find out how various characters survived Cyclotron’s self immolation.