History
The man who became the master assassin called Deadline started of as a small time hitman for one of America’s organized crime families. While details of his upbringing and career are sketchy, his uncanny aim has always made him a formidable foe.
When the alien Dominators unleashed a genebomb over Earth, the hitman who would become Deadline was a casualty, having his metagene activated. At first he grew extremely ill and thought he would die from the accident. Instead, he recovered and found that his body had bulked up and his skills and reflexes had dramatically improved. His skin became extremely dense making him impervious to pain.Topping off these powers was his ability to phase himself or any object he touched through solid materials.
Outfitting himself with high-tech gear and calling himself Deadline, he endeavored toestablish himself as America’s premier assassin.
He clashed with Starman (Will Payton) early in his career in Las Vegas, causing a great deal of damage to the Las Vegas strip and suffered a radiation burn on his left hand due to this battle with Starman. This fuels Deadline’s hatred for Starman and leads them to clash many times after.
Much later Deadline is vacationing in Bialya after it is opened up to super-villains. When the country is assaulted by the Justice League, Deadline is captured by Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Deadline then becomes a member of a more villainous version of the Suicide Squad, propping up the dictatorship in the Bermuda Triangle island of Diabloverde. His team is shown terrorizing civilians for fun. Amanda Waller and her Squad take out him and his colleagues while attempting to remove the dictator.
During “Underworld Unleashed“, Deadline meets fellow mercenaries Deadshot, Bolt, Merlyn, and Chiller, and forms the Killer Elite, a supergroup of assassins. He is then hired by King Thesily of Poseidonis to assassinate Aquaman, during the battle he manages to get Aquaman out of the ocean and into the sky, where Deadline has the advantage.But still he fails to kill him. He is also hired to kill Steel at one point but fails that as well.
While attempting to aid in an escape from Iron Heights with cohorts Deadshot and Merlyn, a jokerized Deadline is shot and apparently killed by Warden Wolfe. But because he was Jokerized at the time the chemical had healing properties and Deadline slowly recovered, only to be gravely injured once again when he and several other assassins stupidly went gunning for his former Killer Elite teammate Deadshot.
Deadline is seen handcuffed and bound to a chair while Ray Palmer is in his sinus cavaity looking for answers about who is hiring them.
Powers and Abilities
Intangibility
Due to having a dormant metagene which was activated during the Invasion! event, where the Metabomb that had been deployed by the Dominators activated dormant superhuman potential within Earth’s populace. While in DC: Rebirth publishing, Deadline’s abilities have since been retconned to being a product of experimentation by a malignant alien race. The human weapon is able to phase through solid objects by consciously moving his atoms and molecules around those of other forms of matter. He can even use this to phase through energy based attacks like those of Starman.
Tangibility Interplay: One of the unique qualities of Deadline’s ghosting power is that he can remain solid enough in order to interact with the rest of the material world around him. Making him that much more difficult to tag while in combat by enemy forces.
Superhuman Durability/Reflexes/Stamina and Healing
Deadline has enhanced physical abilities which are compounded by his munitions and equipment. Having taken on and best survived all out battle with some of the most deadly of adversaries ranging from Starman, Aquaman, the Suicied Squad and the like with little to nothing more than a radiation burn or two that he’d heal from a little while after.
Skilled Combatant/Expert Marksmen/Knife Specialist
Deadline is a master assassin whom excels in closed quarters combat. He’s also a crack shot with just about nay known form of gunnery he has on hand ranging from handheld pistols, high energy rifles, wrist mounted energy guns and more.
Weapons & Gadgetry
Aero-Discs: Anti-Grav flight technology supplied from Apokolips through intergang. Deadline makes use of these flying saucers for expedient traversal as well as aeronautical combat while on the job.
Variable Firearms: Deadline also make used of standard military grade weapons technology supplied to him either through various criminal outlets, black market gun smuggling, alien technology procured from his creators or various other means. Armaments such as custom Desert Eagles, AK-47 Semi-Automatic rifles, energized heavy munitions, etc.
Armored Suit: Deadline wears combat tested battle armor of unknown origin, this protective plating affords greater resistance against physical and energy attacks. Containing several covers and pouches for storage and armaments as well as onboard equipment to aid in his larceny.
Night Vision: helmet visor enables infrared and night vision reception.
Audio Communication: his suit can pick up and transmit along radio waves, amongst other communication spectrum feeds.
Energy Resistance: armor plating augments the wearers protection against energy based attacks.
Former Equipment
Infinity Rifle: A momento left to him by the aliens whom experimented on him. An energy rifle which uses a combination of electro-chemical induction to induce an atomic bond disruption that plows through anything along it’s line of fire. Including the physically impervious sort such as those with increased durability and/or invulnerability, such as the likes of Powergirl with nothing but two shots per round. Confiscated by Deathstroke.
Modular Rifle: A piece of equipment secured for assassination gigs by Dr. Moon. A specially made Rifle designed for the purpose of opposing and terminating metahumans, designed with technoshifting abilities and alternating munition types for the dispatching of varying kinds of obstacles which Deadline comes across.
Explosive Shell: explosive ammunition tailored for more powerful metahuman foes.
Particle Laser: standard ammo type, discharges energy beams that can sear through titanium steel.
Grenade Function: the rifle can be set on overload via cycling it’s reactor core to critical mass. Turning said firearm into an explosive.
Cadmium Knife: A coated jackknife created for his battle against Starman , Intended to disrupt his nuclear based powers but it backfired.
Wrist Mounted Blaster: Deadlines armor came equipped with a high yield energy caster. Powered with enough juice to blow holes through mountainous bedrock, or even wound some of the more resilient SPB’s with relative ease.
Incendiary: doubling as a flame thrower which expels redhot phosphorous.
Concussion Charges: a kinetic bolt is launched which releases a potent burst point slug with a high impact radius.
Blaster: natural setting, emits bright pink energy wave that can blast through solid concrete.
Weaknesses
Tangibility
For deadline to utilize his weaponry, and to have it connect with his intended mark, Deadline needs to remain solid while firing. Leaving him vulnerable to attack by an adversary.
Severed Hand
While fighting Deathstroke, Deadline tried to ghost his hand through his chest in order to make a killing blow during their battle. But interaction between his powers and Slade’s Ikon Suit caused a caustic feedback which separated his appendage from the rest of his arm.