Aside from Storm from the Marvel Comics universe, not many can name another Black female superhero.

Enter Amanda Waller…

Most would’ve been introduced to Waller through Viola Davis‘ portrayal of her in the movie Suicide Squad. This site captured her 10 Most Bad Ass Suicide Squad Moments.

However, there were many adaptations of Waller through animated series, video games, and of course, comic books.

I first got wind of Waller through a friend of mine. He posted a video of her from the animated series, Justice League Unlimited, voiced by C.C.H. Pounder. I watched it and noticed that Batman was nervous around Waller. And he never gets nervous around anyone.

Take a look at this clip:

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Waller’s only super power is her cunning intelligence…

Here’s a bit of background on Waller:

• She grew up in a housing project in Chicago
• She has a doctorate degree in political science (call her Dr. Waller please)
• She is the mother of two murdered children and the wife of a murdered husband (which movie does that line come from?)
• After two failed attempts by the government, Waller became head of the Suicide Squad
• She serves time in prison for her questionable practices while leading the Suicide Squad
• She’s released from prison after some time and is put in charge of various organizations, including Checkmate, Salvation Run, and secretly runs Suicide Squad

There was an attempt to change Waller’s appearance…

Waller is a plus-sized Black woman. Although the creators of her character never explain why they made her heavy set, my guess is that her size amplified her ruthlessness.

Well, there was an attempt to make Waller more thin. And to give her guns. Like, handguns.

That did not go over well. Fans of the Waller character questioned why she was made thin. Even one of the creators of the Waller character, John Ostrander, says in a column he wrote for ComicMix, that Waller’s sexy redesign was “misguided.” In particular:

There were and are reasons why she looked the way she did. I wanted her to seem formidable and visually unlike anyone else out there. Making her young and svelte and sexy loses that. She becomes more like everyone else. She lost part of what made her unique.

Waller is unique…

She’s Black, heavy set, short, and strong-willed. A welcomed change to the typical superhero character – male or female.