LogFAQs > #967338105

Roz'etta would awaken in a world ruled by the Society and by Darkseid. She would soon find herself under the ice of Antarctica, in front of the tower of Z'onn Z'orr, staring into the eyes of Amanda Waller once more. Waller commands every room she's in, she commands every situation. But Roz'etta took a step forward and introduced herself.

For perhaps the first time in their relationship, it was Waller who was left shocked, if only the slightest bit. And so the curtain rises on campaign two, and these two sharing the stage together, something built to since before campaign one, would finally occur in earnest.

Roz'etta, more than any other character, had reason to doubt Waller, to try to foment something against her within the organization of Checkmate. Yet she didn't, as much as Waller suspected Roz'etta, the feeling was not mutual. The reason for this is threefold. One, given the state of the world, the list of people Roz'etta believed could lead humanity through this is limited. On a list with the Martian Manhunter, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the fifth name is Waller. The second is purely by accident. There are, undeniably, two sides in this war. One is Waller. The other is Lex Luthor. For some this seemed like a choice to support Waller as best one can. For Roz'etta it wasn't. Waller was not Luthor, and that should be that. The third, however, is what pushes Roz'etta from siding with Waller to fully prepared support. Nightshade, back in campaign one, told Roz'etta about Waller, about what kind of person The Wall was. It could be summarized in one sentence. The worst part about Amanda Waller is that she's always right. Meant to damn Waller, perhaps instead it had the opposite effect.

So it's time to explore how, when dealing with Roz'etta, Amanda Waller is right. Recall how Waller turned Roz'etta into Reese Witherspoon? This is for two reasons, one is that white women have a better time in American prisons than non-white women. This bluntness is especially biting coming from someone who was at that point in time, probably the most or second most prominent black woman in the country. She might be undisputed number one given that Condi was actually a Green Martian.

Recall the fear Waller instilled in Roz'etta? She needed Roz'etta to fear, to be cautious, to be careful around humanity. Humanity is dangerous, and Waller knows that as much as anyone. She's seen all the evils humanity can do. For better or worse, if Waller hadn't harmed Roz'etta, someone else would have, someone with worse intentions, someone who lacked the self-control Waller did. If you know someone is going to die, and you can save their life by breaking their legs, do you do it? Amanda Waller knows what the right all is, and has the stomach to go through with it, and defend it. Sometimes it feels like she's only justifying it to herself, but...even if you want to make the case she isn't right, she's right enough.

Every action, every misdeed, it's all calculated against the alternatives. It's a heavy burden, and Waller carries it. Some hate her for it, and not just people sharing similar outlooks on life. Deadshot, Nightshade, and Oracle hate Waller. The latter two don't understand what Roz'etta sees in Waller, how Roz'etta can look past their history.

The truth is that Roz'etta and Waller aren't entirely different. Roz'etta looks towards the future, she pictures victory, and this war being won but in a way that leads to a larger one is not a victory. Saturnians used to be servants of the Martians, and their rebellion only led to war amongst themselves. In her mind, the leadership that formed the rebellion was poor. They won the battle, but so many more would die as a result of the flaws in their plan. This attaches her to Waller's way of thinking, of accepting that some losses now are better than greater ones later. A view that so many others see as proof of Waller the monster.

The other thing is that Roz'etta sees a side of Waller that others simply don't. Roz'etta saw Waller at her most used, in the Oval Office. She sees Waller the person, the woman weighed down by carrying humanity's fate on her shoulders. She sees Waller struggle sometimes, to justify how she treated Roz'etta in the past, how it was necessary, and instead of judging Waller, she lets Waller's reasoning hold, instead of challenging it as she would have every right to.

All of this has led to the most recent revelation, that Amanda Waller did act when Lex Luthor had captured and harmed the Prince of Saturn. Waller spoke to Jemm, and they came to an agreement. If Roz'etta wanted it, if she was going to work for it, she would be Waller's heir. Waller had been answered Roz'etta's questions for years, providing guidance. In many ways, Roz'etta was Waller's student for years, and now she's in position to be the next Black Queen, to take the reins of Checkmate.

Waller's leadership style, perhaps, is what most makes Roz'etta respect her. Waller commands rooms, but she does not conquer them. She gives agents freedom, encouraging people to work their way up the ranks, to pursue their passion projects. So long as they deliver results, there's no need for her heavy hand to watch over them. This is needed, because it is our individuality that separates us from Darkseid, whose presence weighs over every action the Society takes. It's funny to think about it that way, that Waller's presence hung so heavy over Roz'etta in campaign one, but in campaign two Waller is a source of freedom.

This is not to say that Waller does have not the potential to weigh down on us. When we say something that she truly finds wrong, she will let us know, and it is the fact that she has given us so much freedom that gives her criticism such weight. When it is time to celebrate, she is the one to insist we enjoy our accomplishments. When she suspected Brennus was too trusting, she plotted with The Thinker to train that out him. When she thought Saoirse felt underappreciated, she personally told her how valued she was. When Fire needed answers about Max Lord, Waller provided them, and saw her seen out of her office in a secretive way. It's possible not even any of the other four on my list could truly accomplish what Waller has here, because what truly makes Waller such a special is knowing exactly what personal touch to put on any situation.

Even Roz'etta is not immune from Waller's criticism. Roz'etta promised to keep the identities of our White Martians a secret, and when she tried to keep that from Waller, she was furious. She cursed up a storm and told Roz'etta, in no uncertain terms, that attempting to protect the White Martians without her help would result in failure. Perhaps it is because Waller is the most personal with Roz'etta, most experienced with Roz'etta, that she holds Roz'etta to the highest standards. But Waller is never unfair. She's still Waller, she always has to be right, and in this, she was most certainly right.

Waller even has a great deal of comedy to her. She made the incredibly obnoxious robot L-Ron her secretary, both to keep a close eye on him and to discourage anyone from attempting to bother her unless they had something very important to say, for L-Ron will get his pound of sanity before you get in her door. When Paul McCartney showed up in Z'onn Z'orr, Waller got a bit hot under the collar. Horne calls Waller Mandy, and Waller's casual request for respect makes both characters all the funnier. It happens very rarely, and is gone in a moment, but it's a nice reminder sometimes that Waller is, at the end of the day, not a superhuman.