EPISODE

16. Suicide Squad

Following Slade's return and his promise to make good on his threat to destroy Oliver's loved ones, Oliver focuses all his energy on preparing for battle with his former friend. Sarah tries to help but, fearing for her safety, Oliver pushes her away. Meanwhile, Diggle is recruited by Amanda Waller and A.R.G.U.S. to stop a warlord he knew from his time in Afghanistan. Always the solider, Diggle agrees to help. However, he's not prepared when Amanda introduces him to the rest of the team - Deadshot, Bronze Tiger and Shrapnel, all criminals he and Arrow helped put away. Lyla defends the team and explains the world is a complicated place, but Diggle isn't sure he agrees. When the mission takes a dangerous turn, Diggle is forced to make a difficult decision.

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THIS ENTRY’S STORY

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

In a flashback to years prior in Afghanistan, Diggle and Lyla are leading a group of Afghan villagers when a wanted man, Gholem Qadir, is identified among them. During an ambush by the rebels, Diggle saves Qadir's life. In the present, Diggle and Lyla are called upon by Waller to lead her "Task Force X", also known as the "Suicide Squad", which consists of Floyd Lawton, Ben Turner, and Mark Scheffer being used as expendable assets. The Squad is sent after Qadir, who has developed a deadly nerve agent. Scheffer attempts to escape and is killed. After saving Qadir's life again through a faked assassination attempt, Diggle is invited to Qadir's home for a party. Once there, Lawton locates the agent and is used as the target marker for a drone strike on the house. Diggle decides to save Lawton while Turner murders Qadir; as a result, the drone misses the house and a Navy SEAL team is forced to destroy the agent. Oliver goes to Waller for help, revealed to have interacted with her in the past. She tells him that A.R.G.U.S. has been tracking a new mercenary called "Deathstroke", whom the pair realize is actually Slade.

Sources and content license

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