Secret Six

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The original Secret Six debuted in May 1968 with seven issues running until May 1969. The premiere story began on the cover and continued on page one, featuring August Durant, Lili de Neuve, Carlo di Rienzi, Mike Tempest, Crimson Dawn, and King Savage. Created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Frank Springer, the series ended with Mockingbird's identity unrevealed, though writer Martin Pasko later revealed in Action Comics Weekly #601 (May 24, 1988) that Durant was the leader. This revived team included Mitch Hoberman and Dr. Maria Verdugo but died entirely by issue #612, with DiRienzi succeeding Durant before his own death in issues #619–630.

In Their Own Story

In July 2005, Villains United introduced a villainous version featuring Catman, Deadshot, Cheshire, Rag Doll, Scandal Savage, and a Parademon. The Fiddler was killed by Deadshot on Mockingbird's orders, while the Parademon died later; Cheshire betrayed the group to the Secret Society of Super Villains but survived. Lex Luthor was revealed as this team's Mockingbird. In the 2006 ongoing series, Knockout joined Scandal Savage, and Mad Hatter was rejected by Rag Doll in favor of Harley Quinn, who also quit. The team faced Doctor Psycho's attacks, battled the Birds of Prey over Tora in Russia, and later retrieved a 'Get Out of Hell Free' card from Alcatraz Island. Tarantula sacrificed herself to destroy the card and Junior (Rag Doll's sister), while Bane eventually took leadership after Deadshot killed slave trader Mr. Smyth.

Reader's Guide

The team operates with rotating rosters across distinct eras, always maintaining six members under a hidden Mockingbird. The 2014 New 52 relaunch featured a new lineup with Gail Simone returning as writer, retaining only Catman from previous iterations. Key storylines include 'Depths,' where the Six freed Amazon slaves and Bane replaced Scandal with Black Alice, and 'Danse Macabre' (Suicide Squad #67), where they were trapped by Amanda Waller to fight a Black Lantern invasion. Other crossovers saw them hired by Lex Luthor to kill Vandal Savage in Action Comics #896, and clashing with the Doom Patrol over Oolong Island. Their final mission involved an ill-fated assault on Gotham City against Green Lantern, the Justice League, and Teen Titans.

Did You Know?

• The original series premiere story began on the cover and continued directly onto interior page one.
• Writer E. Nelson Bridwell revealed Mockingbird's identity to letterer Clem Robins years after the book was cancelled.
• Gail Simone's run was rated by IGN as the fourth Best Comic Run of the Decade in 2012.
• Junior, a major villain in the 2008 series, is actually Rag Doll's sister and daughter of the first Rag Doll.
• The New 52 relaunch in December 2014 kept only Catman from the previous Gail Simone lineup.