Deadshot
General Information
Real name:	Floyd Lawton
First Appearance:	Batman #59 (June, 1950)
Created by:	Bob Kane David Vern Reed Lew Schwartz
Affiliations:	Suicide Squad Task Force X formerly Secret Six Killer Elite
Abilities:	Expert Marksmen
Portrayed by:	Bradley Stryker Jim Meskimen (Voice) Tom Kenny (Voice) Michael Rosenbaum (Voice) Chris Cox (Voice)

Floyd Lawton, better known as Deadshot, was a gun for hire, and known to be the second most lethal assassin in all of DC Comics. (The first being Deathstroke)

History

Origin

As a child, Lawton idolized his brother. His mother convinced his brother to kill their father. His brother locked Floyd outside, but Floyd, wishing to save his brother from a grim future, took a rifle to shoot the gun out of his brother's hand. He was sitting in the tree branch when it broke and Floyd accidentally shot his brother in the head. Lawton inadvertently kills the brother he loves to save the father he hated.

Deadshot is a hired assassin, regularly boasting to "never miss." He is capable of using a large variety of weapons, but prefers using a pair of silenced, wrist-mounted guns. He initially appeared in Gotham City as a new crimefighter, but was revealed to be an enemy of Batman when he attempted to replace the Dark Knight. When this plan failed, he attempted to become king of Gotham's Underworld. Batman and Commissioner Gordon publicly exposed his plot, and he went to jail.

After serving his jail time, he went out in the world and hired out services as an assassin and joined the Suicide Squad. He strived to die in a spectacular way, the main reason he joined the Squad. He feels he has no reason to continue living, and, while he does not want to commit suicide, he simply does not care if he dies. Various reasons have been cited for this, but the most common thread in them is his parents' peculiar hatred for one another, so much so that Lawton's mother tried to hire both her sons to kill their father. During a hiatus from the Squad, his son was murdered by a pedophile, upon whom Deadshot later took revenge.

Deadshot's death wish has been curtailed somewhat in recent years by the discovery that he has a daughter, Zoe, who lives with her mother in Star City. His personality has also been influenced by his involvement with the mercenary group known as the Secret Six. Founded in protest of the massive villain group known as the Society, the Secret Six were originally gathered by Lex Luthor (under the alias of Mockingbird). Since then, they have gone into business for themselves. Deadshot has formed a reluctant bond with his fellow members of the Six, particularly Catman (who he shares a friendly rivalry with) and the banshee Jeannette (with whom he has been romantically involved). Deadshot is still primarily out for himself however and is not above betraying his teammates if it suits him.

DCnU

As of the company-wide reboot Deadshot is sent to Belle Reeve prison after a failed hit on a senator and is later forced into the Suicide Squad by Amanda Waller. The new Suicide Squad consists of El Diablo, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Black Spider, and new character Voltiac. Deadshot is the Squad's field leader and leads them on their first mission to save a baby in a football stadium filled with nano-genetic zombies, killing Voltiac to cover up the incident. He and the Squad are later attacked by bounty hunters seeking the child, who ultimatley fail but seriously wound Black Spider. During this time Harley Quinn attempts to sleep with Deadshot, which also fails. At the end of the third issue, a new character named Yo-Yo joins the team, and Deadshot's position as leader is taken over by new member Captain Boomerang, who was given the trigger for the bombs in the Squad member's heads by Waller as insurance should the Squad betray him. This is proved a ruse in the next issue when the trigger fails to work, and that Boomerang's involvement in the Squad was simply a bargaining tool as he had killed the friend of a terrorist sect leader whom the Squad infiltrated to capture one of their scientists. Upon returning to Belle Reeve the Squad is put in isolation and Harley Quinn orchestrates a massive breakout and the remaining four members of the Squad put down the revolt, though Yo-Yo is killed by King Shark in the process. As a reward Deadshot earned a visit with his daughter, but Waller ends the meeting early to have him head to Gotham and capture Harley Quinn with a new Squad she is assembling.

Powers and Abilities

• Master Marksman
• Expert Assassin: He knows every pressure point and vulnerable spot on the human body.
• Espionage
• Hand to Hand Combatant (Basic)
• Tracking

Equipment

• Deadshot Suit: Floyd wears a very durable suit, able to withstand large explosions, gunfire at close range and electric shocks.
• Deadshot Helmet: The helmet is strengthened to be able to resist almost all physical attacks, the display has night vision, infrared, binoculars and thermal anemometer. The helmet also has hearing sensors, which enhance his senses to the point that he can hear a humming bird's wings flapping.

Weapons

• Wrist-Mounted Guns: a pair of compact and silent wrist rifles with interchangeable barrels, allowing him to quickly recharge his weapon. The gun fires projectiles at high speeds, being able to penetrate resistant materials.
• Various Weapons: Including Grenades, Rifles and Automatic Handguns.

In other media

Television series

• Deadshot appears in the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He first appears as a man hired to assassinate Aquaman. He is foiled and captured by the Justice League and forced by Batman to tell who hired him. He returns in another episode along with Kalibak, Copperhead, Star Sapphire, Volcana, and Livewire. In yet another episode he appears about to get the electric chair when he is chosen to be in Task Force X, an elite outlaw group. He worked alongside Rick Flag Jr., Captain Boomerang, Clock King, and Plastique. On a mission Plastique is wounded (or possibly killed), and the other members, including Deadshot, are pressed into service to Task Force X to atone for their crimes.

• Deadshot made a special guest appearance in two episodes of Season 10 the final season of Smallville along with some members from the Suicide Squad.
• Deadshot made a cameo appearence in the television show Batman: The Brave and the Bold on the episode "Night of the Batmen!"

Films

Batman: Gotham Knight

Main article: Deadshot (Batman: Gotham Knight)

• He appears as a gun for hire in Batman: Gotham Knight. He is hired to assassinate Lt. Gordon in an attempt to drive out the Batman. Batman outsmarts and defeats Deadshot.

Video Games

Batman (NES)

• Deadshot appears as an enemy in the loosely-movie-based Batman game for Nintendo. He attacks by waiting and shooting.

Batman: Arkham City

Main article: Deadshot (Batman: Arkham City)

See Also

• Deadshot/Gallery