Deadshot is a<!--Do not add "fictional" as it is tautological; characters are by definition implied to be fictionalized to some extent.--> supervillain<!--Do not replace with "character" or "antihero"; just because a supervillain has had his own comic book title or temporarily allied with heroic characters, it does not make their motives just or morally right in any sense. Deadshot is primarily depicted as a supervillain, and his occasional role as an antihero is mentioned in the next paragraph.--> appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer David Vern Reed and artist Lew Sayre Schwartz based on a concept from Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #59 (1950). Introduced as a gun-toting criminal in a tuxedo, top hat, and domino mask, Deadshot was only intended to be a one-off villain for the superhero Batman, but writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers revived, redesigned, and popularized the character in Detective Comics #474 (1977), which featured the debut of his wrist-mounted guns, reticle emblem, and mask with a built-in targeting sight that have since become Deadshot's visual motif. This revamped depiction of the character has endured as one of Batman's most recurring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

Deadshot is the alias of Floyd Lawton, a mercenary with a death wish who possesses uncanny, near-superhuman accuracy and regularly boasts of never missing a shot. Regarded as the greatest marksman and one of the deadliest assassins in the DC Universe, Deadshot has come into conflict with various heroes, including Batman, Green Arrow, and the Justice League. The character has also been depicted as an antihero as a core member of the Suicide Squad, a task force of supervillains coerced by the U.S. government into executing black ops missions and neutralizing more dangerous threats in exchange for reduced prison sentences and, in Deadshot's case, support for his estranged daughter Zoe.

The character has been adapted in various media incarnations, having been portrayed in television by Bradley Stryker in Smallville and Michael Rowe in Arrow, and in film by Will Smith in Suicide Squad. Michael Rosenbaum, Jim Meskimen, and Christian Slater, among others, have provided Deadshot's voice in animation.

Publication history

Deadshot was created by writer David Vern Reed and artist Lew Sayre Schwartz, based on a concept from Batman creator Bob Kane, and first appeared in Batman #59 (1950). The character was introduced as a wealthy crime lord posing as a gun-toting vigilante in a tuxedo, top hat, and domino mask. This debut marked Deadshot's only appearance in the Golden Age of Comic Books, as he was intended to be a one-off villain for Batman.

Deadshot was revived 27 years later by writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers in Detective Comics #474 (1977). The character's design was completely changed, and his new costume included wrist-mounted guns, an emblem of a reticle on his chest, and a mask with a targeting sight over his right eye. The core aspects of this redesign would remain throughout the Bronze and Modern Age of Comic Books, as Deadshot was recharacterized as an assassin-for-hire and member of Batman's central rogues gallery in his subsequent appearances.

The character gained further prominence after being featured in writer John Ostrander's version of the Suicide Squad, which debuted in Legends #3 (1987). Deadshot became one of the squad's best-known and longest-serving members, and has appeared in almost all of its media adaptations.

Due to his popularity, Deadshot received his own self-titled limited series that ran from 1988 to 1989. Written by Ostrander and Kim Yale and illustrated by Luke McDonnell, it expanded on Deadshot's past and established his "death wish"—a self-destructive desire to die in a spectacular fashion—suggesting why he decorated his second costume with a crosshair on his chest.

Fictional character biography

Origin

thumb|upright|Deadshot in his debut in [[Batman (comic book)|Batman #59 (June 1950). Art by Lew Sayre Schwartz, Bob Kane, and Charles Paris.]]

In his debut appearance, Floyd Lawton is introduced as an independently wealthy man with a trusted staff member and valet named Stevens. Gotham's wealthier citizens, including Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne, refer to Lawton as someone "new" to Gotham City.

Following his recruitment to Task Force X (the "Suicide Squad"), Lawton's past is further explained by therapist Dr. Marnie Herrs. As a member of the League of Assassins, who sometimes take private contracts but are also available as operatives of the terrorist Ra's al Ghul, Cain is an expert in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat techniques, martial arts, and military tactics, and he trains Floyd Lawton in all these areas. Floyd later remarks that Cain was his "best teacher". At some point, Floyd Lawton marries a woman named Susan and they have a child together, a boy named after Floyd's deceased brother. Floyd later divorces Susan and removes himself from her and Edward's life. He later claims he did this because Susan saw him not as who he is but who she thought he could be, and that his presence endangered the lives of happiness of her and Edward.

Batman becomes suspicious of Deadshot and eventually learns his true motives and identity. Later, Deadshot reveals himself and attempts to kill Batman but is shocked when each of his shots miss. Batman taunts that Deadshot has no nerve to properly face and kill an opponent. In truth, Batman had gotten to Deadshot's weapons ahead of time and altered their sights to throw off his aim, hoping to shake the villain psychologically. His children from the previous timeline, Edward and Zoe, are not mentioned.

Before joining the Suicide Squad, Lawton is described as a Batman villain and a rival of Mad Dog, a bounty hunter. He also is bitter enemies with Captain Boomerang. In the New 52 stories, he no longer sports his trademark mustache except at one point to grow one to cover a scar.

Deadshot is arrested for a failed assassination of a U.S. Senator by Batman and is sentenced to life in prison. Later, he is recruited to be part of the Suicide Squad in exchange for early release. Deadshot is made team leader due to his skill under pressure. He develops a casual relationship with new teammate Harley Quinn. Deadshot later grows disillusioned with the group after a planned visit with his daughter, his first since his arrest, is withheld from him.

Deadshot ultimately sacrifices his life to kill the evil cult member Regulas. Deadshot is later resurrected, possibly through genetic material taken from Resurrection Man during an earlier mission.

During the 2013–2014 "Forever Evil" story line, the Justice League teams are seemingly killed. To ensure Earth is protected, Amanda Waller pays Deadshot to reunite the Suicide Squad. Deadshot's first visit is to Harley Quinn.

DC Rebirth

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Deadshot's pre-New 52 history is restored. When a character mentions having heard that Deadshot grew up in poverty, Lawton now remarks that this was a lie he told.

In the story "The War of Jokes and Riddles," it is retroactively revealed that soon after his first defeat at Batman's hands, Deadshot sided with the Joker in a gang war against the Riddler and other criminals. During this time, he sustained head trauma and was hospitalized after a battle with Batman.

Powers and abilities

Deadshot possesses no superhuman powers but is regarded as the greatest marksman in the DC Universe. His uncannily accurate aim has been described as near-superhuman, and he regularly boasts that he never misses his target. Deadshot is so proficient with firearms and projectiles that he can make his shots ricochet off of structures and around corners, and kill multiple targets at the same time. He once shot an apple off of Captain Boomerang's head with his eyes closed. He was also able to graze the skull of a flying Enchantress when asked to subdue her non-lethally.

Deadshot is also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having held his own against the likes of Batman and Green Arrow on several occasions. He has also fought the rival assassin Deathstroke to a standstill.

Equipment

Deadshot's mask is equipped with a telescopic sight over his right eye lens that enhances his aim. His primary weapons are two guns mounted on each wrist and a sniper rifle, although he possesses an expertise with all firearms and projectiles. Deadshot is bilingual, and learned to speak Russian in his youth.

Collected editions

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Title

! Material collected

! Published date

! ISBN

|-

| Deadshot: Beginnings

| Deadshot (vol. 1) #1-4, Batman #369, Detective Comics #474, 518

| November 2013

|

|-

| Deadshot: Bulletproof

| Deadshot (vol. 2) #1-5, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #214

| April 2015

|

|-

|Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot

|Material from Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #1-6

|August 2016

|

|}

Other versions

  • Deadeye, a composite character based on Deadshot and Marvel Comics character Bullseye, appears in the Amalgam Comics universe.
  • Deadshot appears in Tiny Titans.
  • An alternate timeline version of Deadshot appears in The New 52: Futures End. This version is an inmate of Belle Reve Penitentiary who lost an arm under unspecified circumstances before being freed by Amanda Waller. He is later killed while battling a clone of Deathstroke.
  • A second version of Deadshot named Will Evans appears in the main DC universe with Brian Buccellato and Viktor Bogdanovic influenced by the character's reinvention in the DC Extended Universe. His parents and sister were killed by drug dealers' stray bullets before becoming a mercenary protégé of his idol and ultimately gets recruited by Amanda Waller's Task Force X. The second Deadshot went off script by killing a crime syndicate's members that his teammates were meant to kidnap so he returned to being a killer for hire and kidnapped Suchin Lawton to lure out the original in an even match between the two Deadshots, but the original Deadshot killed him.

In other media

Television

Live-action

thumb|right|[[Michael Rowe (actor)|Michael Rowe as Deadshot in Arrow]]

  • Deadshot appears in the tenth season of Smallville, portrayed by Bradley Stryker. This version is a member of the Suicide Squad who sports long hair and western-steampunk attire.
  • Floyd Lawton / Deadshot appears in Arrow, portrayed by Michael Rowe. This version is a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who is estranged from his wife and daughter. Introduced in the first season as an assassin who laces his bullets with curare, Deadshot attains a cybernetic monocle from China White after Oliver Queen injures his right eye. Deadshot is recruited into A.R.G.U.S.'s Suicide Squad in the second season, and he seemingly sacrifices himself to save them in the third season, though John Diggle states that Deadshot's body was never recovered.
  • Lawton's Earth-2 counterpart appears in the spin-off series The Flash episode "Welcome to Earth-2". This version is a detective for the Central City Police Department who is mockingly nicknamed "Deadshot" for his poor marksmanship.

Animation

thumb|right|240px|Deadshot in [[Justice League (TV series)|Justice League]]

  • Deadshot appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Michael Rosenbaum. Introduced as a recurring villain in Justice League, Deadshot returns in Justice League Unlimited as a member of Project Cadmus' Task Force X after Rick Flag Jr. has him spared from death row and released into his custody.
  • Deadshot appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Night of the Batmen!", voiced by Tom Kenny. and by Jovan Jackson in the English dub. This version is an African-American hitman who is apprehended by Batman, incarcerated in Belle Reve Penitentiary, and blackmailed into joining Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad.
  • Deadshot makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
  • Deadshot appears as a background non-player character (NPC) in the Stryker's Island stage of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Additionally, the DCEU and Arkham Origins incarnations of the character are playable in the mobile version.
  • The DCEU incarnation of Deadshot appears as a playable character in Suicide Squad: Special Ops.
  • Deadshot appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
  • Deadshot appears as a playable character in Injustice 2, voiced by Matthew Mercer. This version is a member of Gorilla Grodd's "Society".

Lego

  • Deadshot appears as an unlockable character in the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.
  • Deadshot appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.
  • Deadshot appears in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Matthew Mercer. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
  • Deadshot appears as a non-player character (NPC) in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

Batman: Arkham

Two incarnations of Deadshot appear in the Batman: Arkham franchise.

  • The first incarnation of Deadshot is introduced as a boss in Batman: Arkham City, voiced by Chris Cox.
  • The second incarnation of Deadshot appears as a playable character in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, voiced by Bumper Robinson. This version is African-American and claims that the first Deadshot is an impostor. In-game dialogue implies that he's the original, while the other is speculated to be a multiversal variant.

Miscellaneous

  • Deadshot appears in the Young Justice tie-in comic book.
  • The Arrowverse incarnation of Deadshot appears in the Arrow tie-in comic book of the same name, the non-canonical tie-in comic Arrow: Season 2.5, and The Flash: Season Zero.
  • The first incarnation of Deadshot from the Batman: Arkham franchise appears in the Batman: Arkham Knight prequel comic book.
  • A character loosely based on Deadshot named "The Killer" appears in Mark Millar's Wanted.
  • A character based on the Killer called "Cross" appears in the film adaptation (portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann) and Wanted: Weapons of Fate.
  • Deadshot appears in the Batman: The Telltale Series tie-in comic "The Sins of the Father". This version is a wealthy socialite who killed his parents and inherited their fortune from real estate and moved into private security and military contracting.

See also

  • List of Batman family enemies
  • Bullseye, a similar assassin from Marvel Comics

References

  • Deadshot at DC Comics' official website
  • Deadshot on the DCUniverse Guide