Deadshot

Origin

The younger son of a wealthy couple who hated each other, Floyd Lawton idolized his elder brother, Edward, although he lived in his shadow. When he was a teenager his mother Genevieve convinced Floyd to try to kill his abusive father. He climbed a tree with a rifle, but somehow his aim went astray and he accidentally killed his brother instead. Floyd made two promises to himself that night: When he becomes an adult, he will kill his father next time he gets a chance, and to never again miss a shot. Keeping that second promise, he began training as a sharpshooter. As an adult he joined the Marines and spent some time with the League of Assassins before seeking independent employment as a mercenary and assassin.

After his daughter was kidnapped by agents of Kobra in an effort to force him to perform work for them, Deadshot sought the assistance of Batman, who agreed to assist provided Deadshot did not kill anyone during the rescue. Deadshot killed a man who was directly threatening his daughter’s life, and allowed himself to be arrested by Batman. He was ultimately sent to Belle Reve, where he was invited to join the Suicide Squad.

Creation

Deadshot was created by David Vern Reed and Lew Sayre Schwartz. He made his first appearance in Batman #59. The character was significantly expanded upon by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell. He was rebooted for the New 52 by Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio.

Character Evolution

Golden Age

In his initial Golden Age appearances very little was known about Deadshot or his origins. The character remained relatively undeveloped through subsequent ages.

Modern Age

The Modern Age introduced his expanded origin and psychology. Floyd Lawton was the younger son of an unhappy and abusive wealthy family. He idolized his elder brother, Edward, although he lived in his shadow. When they were teenagers their mother Genevieve asked them to kill their abusive father. Edward agreed while Floyd resisted, so Edward locked Floyd in the boathouse and went to kill their father himself. Escaping, Floyd climbed a tree with a rifle, planning to shoot the gun from his brother’s hand. Just as he took the shot the branch broke, sending his shot astray and accidentally killing the brother he loved to save the father he hated.

This version of the character also introduced his death wish, typically manifested as unconcern as to whether he will live or die. He had two children, Edward, who was murdered, and Zoe. He had no known association with the military or Kobra.

Post-Flashpoint

The New 52 introduced Deadshot’s massively rewritten backstory, in which he was the son of poor parents, raised in Gotham’s Narrows. He was orphaned as a child when stray bullets from nearby gang violence flew through his house, killing his parents and sister but leaving him remarkably untouched. Vowing to seek revenge and to never waste a bullet, he began training as a sharpshooter.

This origin was later retconned as having been a lie on his part. Much of his original Modern Age backstory was reintroduced as his true origin, though with some minor alterations, and his family was reintroduced to canon. He had only one known child, Suchin; his son Edward and daughter Zoe were erased from continuity. Following an attempted hit on a senator that was interrupted by Batman he was sent to Belle Reve, where he was asked to join the Suicide Squad.

Rebirth

Following Rebirth, the events leading to Deadshot’s arrest and imprisonment were retconned to their current status. His daughter Zoe was reintroduced as his presumed only child.

Major Story Arcs

The Man Who Would Be Batman

Arriving in Gotham, Deadshot takes up as a vigilante, using his sharpshooting abilities to fight crime, though he never kills. He becomes incredibly popular with the people during Batman’s vacation. Batman soon discovers that he is secretly working alongside criminals and using his position as beloved vigilante to distract the police. Batman tampers with his gunsights so that he will miss, and arrests him. He is sent to prison for some time.

Strange Apparitions

Escaping prison, Deadshot returns to Gotham where he seeks revenge against Batman. Hardened by prison and wearing a new suit with wrist-mounted guns, he attempts to kill Batman regardless of the innocent bystanders. He is captured and put back in prison by Batman.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

During the Crisis on Infinite Earths he is one of the members of the super-villain army. He is fought and defeated by Creeper.

Legends

Recently imprisoned, Deadshot is recruited by Amanda Waller into her newly-formed team of convicts designed to carry out suicide missions, Task Force X. He agrees and travels with the team to Mount Rushmore, where he is able to destroy Brimstone with an experimental gun. When Captain Boomerang threatens to expose the team, Deadshot is ordered to assassinate him, but is prevented from doing so by Rick Flag.

Suicide Squad

Deadshot elects to remain with the Suicide Squad and begins operating out of Belle Reve. He carries out several successful missions with the team. During these missions he proves himself to be one of the most efficient and useful team members. He is integral to several infiltration missions, particularly those in Russia, as he is fluent in Russian.

Beginnings

His ex-wife Susan contacts him when their son Eddie is kidnapped, and he goes on leave from the Squad to find him. He learns that old associates of his are holding the boy until he carries out an old contract, ultimately revealed to be the contract his mother had taken out on his father. Deadshot refuses and instead begins systematically killing those who are holding his son.

The paedophile Wes Anselm escapes with Edward, and rapes and accidentally kills the boy before Deadshot arrives. Deadshot kills him and tracks down his mother, the impetus behind the recent events, but is prevented from killing her by Marnie Herrs. He paralyzes his mother, and returns to Belle Reve.

Final Round

Massively unstable due to his son’s death, Deadshot is nonetheless sent by Waller on a mission to stop Rick Flag, who has taken the defence of the Squad into his own hands and is seeking to assassinate a politician who is threatening to reveal their existence. Deadshot successfully prevents Flag from killing the senator– by killing the senator himself. When the police arrive, he allows himself to be shot several times, though he survives.

Back on the Squad

Deadshot returns to the Squad, but is placed for some time in Arkham Asylum due to his mental instability. He remains there until he is called up by Bronze Tiger to help rescue Waller and other members of the team on Apokolips. He remains with the team and continues carrying out missions with them until the team is dissolved by Waller.

Kobra Kronicles

Operating as an independent assassin, Deadshot is hired by Kobra to kill Deathstroke and Peacemaker. They stop him and reveal that he himself was intended to be the next target. Peacemaker instead hires him and they work against Kobra together. He is captured by Gennifer Devereaux and used as bait by Kobra, but manages to escape, and joins the other two, Doctor Light, and Katana in destroying Kobra’s base.

Watery Grave

Rejoining the Suicide Squad, Deadshot is sent to recruit Knockout into the fight against the Silicon Dragons. When the team is gassed and captured he is one of the first to escape confinement. He helps the team defeat Stinger and his army of Silicon Dragons, and nearly kills Stinger before being stopped. When Captain Boomerang is revealed as the traitor, Deadshot shoots him in his hands, causing Boomerang to release his hold on the cliff face they are dangling from, though Superboy saves him. He escapes the facility along with all other members of the team

Underworld Unleashed

Deadshot is one of the prisoners released from Belle Reve and taken to Hell by Neron. He accepts the deal offered to him, giving up his soul and agreeing to spread chaos and mayhem for Neron in exchange for more bullets to kills his targets. He becomes a member of the villain team Killer Elite and is told to perform his dream assassination. He chooses to blow up a kindergarten as an ultimate statement on the futility of life. He is stopped by Obsidian and the Justice League.

Identity Crisis

Deadshot is in a safe house with several other assassins when they are raided by Justice League members searching for the murderer of Sue Dibny. He is imprisoned in an energy construct box by Green Lantern, and shoots himself in the neck to get Green Lantern to let his guard down so he can escape. He manages to blind Lantern briefly and escape, but is captured by Superman. He is released from custody due to his Suicide Squad connections.

War Games

During the gang war that breaks out in Gotham’s underground Deadshot is hired as a bodyguard by Penguin. He successfully defends Penguin during a shootout at a gang summit. He is subdued by Hush and Prometheus when they come for the Penguin, and later disarmed and defeated by Tarantula.

Urban Renewal

Learning that he has a daughter being raised in one of the worst parts of Star City, he travels there and assumes the role of unlikely vigilante. He engages in a one-man war on the three gangs that have themselves been warring over the territory, successfully driving them back. He is targeted by the leaders of the gang, who send several metas against him. He fakes his own death in the attack, allowing the gangsters to save face and to decide to leave the area alone.

Villains United

Deadshot is one of several villains and anti-heroes brought together by the mysterious Mockingbird to counter the growing influence of the Secret Society of Super Villains. He is kept in line with threats against his daughter. He and the other Secret Six are captured and tortured by Society members for some time before managing to escape. They carry out several missions together against the Society. In the final assault on the House of Secrets he fights Deathstroke, and is shot several times in the chest.

Countdown

Returning to the Suicide Squad following the dissolution of the Secret Six, he is one of several Squad members who are sent to round up supervillains to send to the planet Salvation. He is sent to try to capture Pied Piper and Trickster, and succeeds in killing Trickster.

Salvation Run

Deadshot is one of several Suicide Squad members who are betrayed by Waller and sent to Salvation despite their work with the government. He joins Team Lex for the duration of his time on the planet. He escapes the planet through Lex Luthor’s teleporter.

Cacophony

Deadshot breaks into Arkham Asylum to fulfill a contract taken out on the Joker’s life. Before he can kill him he is attacked by Onomatopoeia. He is shot in the head, but manages to survive thanks to his helmet. He feigns death, and later reveals what occurred to Batman before being taken into custody.

Secret Six

Deadshot rejoins the Secret Six and accompanies them on several successful mercenary missions. He grows increasingly close to the team during their time together, several times nearly sacrificing himself for their sake. During one mission he and the team are lured to Belle Reve as part of Amanda Waller’s plot to reacquire him for the Suicide Squad.

This is interrupted by the Blackest Night, and after the teams join forces to defeat the risen dead, he refuses to rejoin the Squad. He remains a member of the Six until they are defeated by an army of heroes in Gotham.

Suicide Squad

Deadshot is one of the first people inducted into the Suicide Squad, and is frequently the de facto leader of the team. He works with the team on several largely successful missions, and proves himself willing to do anything to achieve the objective. When the team is captured by the terrorist organization Basilisk, he shoots himself in the chest in order to kill their leader, Regulus.

He is resurrected by Amanda Waller, and returns to working with the Squad. In the course of his duties he is killed and resurrected again.

Forever Evil

Following the arrival of the Crime Syndicate, Deadshot is one of the few villains who refuses to join up with their new Secret Society. Instead, he is hired by Waller to go with a few other Squad members to retrieve OMAC. He does so, and fights against the second Squad who have been sent by the impostor Waller. He and the remaining Squad members join forces to return to Belle Reve, now under attack by the Thinker in OMAC’s body.

He and Harley Quinn locate “magic bullets” which grant them brief superhuman powers to combat OMAC. Following Thinker’s defeat, Waller reveals that the magic bullets have again tagged them with nano bombs.

New Suicide Squad

Once again a member of the Suicide Squad, Deadshot largely cedes leadership of the group to Black Manta. He accompanies the team on several covert missions. Having been shot in the shoulder and thus impaired in his shooting, he struggles to carry out assignments. He is with the team when Waller takes them dark to combat the growing influence of Vic Sage.

He returns with the team to Belle Reve, and joins in the fight against Black Manta, who shoots him in the shoulder. Lying wounded on the ground, Deadshot is nonetheless able to shoot Manta through the wrist, saving Waller.

The Revolutionaries

As a member of The Suicide Squad, Deadshot is sent after The Revolutionaries, a terrorist group that is secretly made up of victims of the Suicide Squad’s collateral damage. The group’s leader, Osita, reveals to Deadshot that they baited the squad into recruiting them to take the team down from the inside.

Deadshot empathized a little with their cause. However, he was frankly fed up with Waller and her empty promises, so, with fellow teammates Harley and Zebra Man, defected to the side of The Revolutionaries.

Unfortunately, this led to Floyd’s untimely death. It was revealed that Black Mask was behind the squad’s missions in Badhnesia, disguised as Ted Kord and using Kord Industries’ resources. After securing his team’s exit, Floyd was shot by Black Mask for interfering, inspiring the team to get justice for his sacrifice.

Task Force Z

His dead body was eventually recovered by Project: Halperin and injected with a substance called Lazarus Resin that brings his body back from the dead. In his new zombie form, he is placed on Task Force Z, an undead metahuman wetworks team led by Jason Todd.

However, when Amanda Waller tried to burn the team, Deadshot took a bullet to the head meant for Jason.

Alternate Versions

Arrow: Season 2.5

The version of the character from the television series Arrow appears as a member of the Suicide Squad in this digital comic. He is sent along with several other characters to battle the Onslaught in Kahndaq.

The Flash: Season Zero

The version of the character from the television series The Flash appears in this digital comic. He is a member of the Suicide Squad sent to incapacitate King Shark.

Characteristics

• Height: 6’1″
• Weight: 202 lbs
• Eyes: Brown
• Hair: Brown

Status

• Identity: Public Identity
• Occupation:, Assassin, Contract Killer, Mercenary
• Citizenship: American
• Marital Status: Single
• Known Relatives: George Lawton (father, deceased), Genevieve Lawton (mother, deceased), Edward Lawton (brother, deceased), Suchin Lawton (daughter), Eddie Lawton(son, deceased), Zoe Lawton (daughter)

Powers and Abilities

Deadshot has no superhuman powers or abilities.

Expert Marksman

Deadshot is an expert marksman, well known for never missing a shot; he is accounted the greatest sniper in the world, and has been known to make seemingly impossible shots. He possesses this perfect aim with all known weapons and projectiles, from knives to paperclips.

Expert Tactician

Deadshot is an incredible tactician. He has knowledge of the human anatomy, therefore he can expose the weaknesses of his foes, making him an incredibly lethal assassin and marksman.

Trained Soldier

Deadshot has extensive experience and training with many weapons and has a very quick draw with them. He is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and as said above, Deadshot has knowledge of anatomy and pressure points that makes him a formidable opponent. He has excellent stealth, and is skilled in espionage and undercover work.

Peak Physical Condition

He is in peak physical condition, and has excellent agility, stamina, and reflexes.

Leadership

Despite disliking leadership, he is a competent and ruthless leader when called upon, and is very adaptable in the field.

Demolitions

In the story The War of Jokes and Riddles, on the third day of Deadshot fighting Deathstroke, Deadshot bombed a building that ended with 28 civilians dying.

Mechanical Engineering

Deadshot is a skilled mechanical engineer and he built his own wrist guns.

Weapons and Equipment

Body Armour

Deadshot wears a highly durable suit that can protect him against many forms of injury, including weapons fire and small explosions. His helmet is similarly protective, and also enhances his senses, particularly his vision and hearing.

Wrist-Mounted Machine Guns

He typically carries two wrist-mounted machine guns, which can take modified rounds which are often designed by Deadshot himself, including incendiary or explosive bullets. They are also capable of firing grappling hooks.

Other Weaponry

Deadshot has proficiency of possibly every firearm in the world. He has most notably used Sniper Rifles, Assault Rifles, Pistols, and explosives.

Other Media

Films

Batman: Gotham Knight

Deadshot appears in the “Deadshot” segment, where he is presented as a sort of anti-Batman who is contracted to kill Batman. He is voiced by Jim Meskimen.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Deadshot appears as one of the villains seeking to collect the bounty on Superman and Batman. He does not speak in his appearance.

Batman: Assault on Arkham

Deadshot is one of the main characters in this film, which focuses on an attempt by the Suicide Squad to infiltrate Arkham Asylum. He is the leader of the group. He is voiced by Neal McDonough.

Suicide Squad

A character loosely based on Deadshot is a main character in this film. He is portrayed by Will Smith.

Television

Justice League

Deadshot appears as a minor antagonist in this show, making his first appearance in “The Enemy Below, Part 1” where he is hired to kill Aquaman. He is voiced by Michael Rosenbaum.

Justice League Unlimited

Deadshot appears in the episode “Task Force X” as one of the members of the titular group. Michael Rosenbaum reprises the role.

Smallville

Deadshot appears in two episodes in this series as an assassin and later Suicide Squad member, making his first appearance in “Shield.” He is portrayed by Bradley Stryker.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Deadshot appears as one of the many villains wreaking havoc in the episode “Night of the Batmen!” He is voiced by Tom Kenny.

Arrow

Deadshot, a retired soldier turned mercenary, appears as a recurring villain and later member of the Suicide Squad in several episodes of this series. He makes his first appearance in “Lone Gunmen.” He is portrayed by Michael Rowe.

The Flash

The Earth 2 version of Deadshot appears in the episode “Welcome to Earth 2.” This version of the character is a police officer, and so poor a shot that he is ironically nicknamed “Deadshot.” Michael Rowe reprises the role.

Video Games

Injustice 2

Deadshot appears as a playable character in this game. He is voiced by Matthew Mercer, and his multiverse is about him defeating Brainiac and Gorilla Grodd and taking both to the authorities. His nano-bomb is disabled by Bruce Wayne, meaning he can finally see Zoe on a daily basis again.

Batman

Deadshot appears in two levels of this video game. He does not speak in his appearance.

Batman: Arkham City

Deadshot is hired by Hugo Strange to assassinate political prisoners. He must be tracked down and captured by Batman. He is voiced by Chris Cox.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Deadshot is an unlockable character on the Brawl at City Hall level in the 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions of the game. He does not speak in his appearance.

DC Legends

Deadshot has two versions of himself in this game: Hired Gun & Suicide Squad Hitman. He does not speak in this appearance.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Deadshot makes a cameo appearance on Stryker’s Island. He takes cover behind a pillar and exchanges shots with the guards occasionally. He has a second appearance, but this time unseen, he launches grenades and rockets to Harley Quinn in order to stop her from finding out who killed Joker. He does not speak in either appearances.

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Adventure

Deadshot appears as a minor antagonist in this video game. He does not speak in his appearance

Batman: Arkham Origins

Deadshot is one of several assassins sent after Batman. He takes a hostage at a bank, where he is defeated by Batman. Chris Cox reprises the role.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Deadshot is an inmate at Blackgate who escapes during a riot. He works for several villains as a bodyguard. He is recruited to the Suicide Squad in the post-credits scene. Chris Cox reprises the role.

Infinite Crisis

Deadshot appears in this video game. He does not speak in his appearance.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Deadshot is a playable character in this game. He is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.

LEGO DC Super-Villains

Deadshot appears as a playable character in this game. He is unlocked during the middle of Chapter 3: The Harley and the Ivy. Matthew Mercer reprises this role.