You got to love that in the realm of super powers things like “really great aim” can be on par with “lift cars one-handed.” Some characters can just do that though. Deadshot is one such individual. He has the aim to put him in league with some strange allies. So who is Deadshot and and how did he come to be? Let’s find out!
Floyd Lawton was born to wealthy parents, George Lawton and Genevieve Pitt. He would worship his older brother, Edward, as would his parents. While love was shown for his brother, disappointment was shown towards Floyd. His father was abusive which united mother and sons in their hatred. There are several accounts as to what happened next. Either Genevieve was tired of the abuse and Edward took up arms to kill his father or George was ready to brutally beat Edward to death. Either way, the outcome is the same, Floyd would take up his own gun and miss his shot, killing his brother.
Vowing to never miss again, Floyd would take to training in deadly force from David Cain, one of the world’s greatest assassins. Now a grown man, Floyd would go to Gotham and live as a wealthy man and take up being a vigilante. That city is a popular place for such an idea. He would go by Deadshot and become so well liked, Commissioner Gordon would create a Deadshot signal in Batman’s absence. Floyd would never miss and disarm his opponents with trick shots. Things were not as they seemed though, Batman uncovered that Floyd was actually working with other criminals to distract the police from larger heists and get a take of the theft. Batman would rig Floyd’s guns to miss and take him in.
While in prison, any bit of Floyd’s care for nonlethal shots dissolved. Now willing to kill, he’d steal a targetting monocle from the Penguin while in prison and break out. Using this monocle would increase his already impressive accuracy. He would again attempt to take on Batman several times only to fail at shooting him. Realizing that obsessing over Batman was getting him nowhere but frustration, Floyd did what few of Batman’s enemies have ever done, move on from Batman.
Eventually, Floyd would find himself in prison again after being caught by the Flash. Instead of having to break himself out, he’d be confronted with an offer by Amanda Waller and Rick Flag to join the Suicide Squad. Joining the team, Floyd would become a crucial member not just for his shooting skills but with his knowledge of languages.
It turns out at some point, Floyd had a wife and son, this comes back to him when his ex-wife alerts him that their son has been kidnapped. Killing all who get in his way, Floyd arrives too late to save his son. This all is revealed to be his mother’s vengeance for what he did to his brother and for causing his brother’s shot to only put his father in a wheelchair instead of the grave. Floyd decides not to kill her but cause her to have to use a wheelchair too.
Along with the rest of the Suicide Squad, Floyd is blackmailed by a Senator. He is tasked by Waller to stop Flag from killing the Senator by any means necessary. Floyd achieves this mission by killing the Senator himself. As police come to take them away, Floyd pleas with Flag to get out while he can, going into a gunfight with the police. Surviving, Floyd would recover from many gunshot wounds in the hospital.
Back with the Suicide Squad, Floyd would have his suit stolen and the thief would use it to commit crimes, leaving Floyd to have to shoot the criminal who looked just like him. Cult leader, Kobra, would pay Floyd one million dollars to kill Deathstroke the Terminator and Peacemaker, he would learn upon his defeat by them that he was the intended target with the hopes the two men would kill him in his attempt to assassinate them. To help him gain vengeance, Peacemaker would pay Floyd one million and one dollars to work with them instead. Their rampage is bloody and deadly but Kobra still survives to lead his cult another day.
The demon Neron offers many villains the chance at more power for their souls, Floyd accepts this offer. This is all so he can better stop them himself, Floyd isn’t a big fan of most people let alone villains. Time away from the Suicide Squad would find Floyd in Gotham City again looking for work. Getting hired as a bodyguard by the Penguin and getting to shoot Batman off a building. He’d even face off with Batman again in an old west style duel, which would end with Floyd’s jaw broken by a batarang.
Learning he had a daughter named Zoe who lived in a very rough neighborhood in Star City, Floyd went to find her to help her out. He’d wipe out most of the criminal organizations in her home area and realized that he was just as bad for her as the other criminals. He’d make sure Green Arrow would patrol the area more now that he’d cleaned it up a bit.
If a team of villains turned anti-heroes is formed, chances are, Floyd will show up for a while. He would join the Sinister Six and work with them befriending Catman and working with Knockout who had been on the Suicide Squad before. What money he earned with the team was sent to Zoe and her mother. The team disbanded and working with this team would find him wanting to work with the Suicide Squad again and return to help them round up many criminals to be launched into space. He’d end up getting shot into space with them and was able to escape. Upon returning to Earth, he would rejoin the Sinister Six. He’d go on several more adventures with them such as going to hell.
In the New 52, Flowd Lawton only has a daughter and was in prison for his attempted assassination of a U.S. Senator. He’d be brought into the Suicide Squad project by Waller. Here he would have a tumultuous relationship with Harley Quinn and when she went A.W.O.L. on the team, he was sent to get her and got slashed in the face with a knife trying to get her back. He would appear to die stopping a cult from killing Waller, but he was somehow resurrected by Waller. When it’s time to make a new Suicide Squad team, he is tasked with offering a spot on the team for Harley.
There you have it! Deadshot is an interesting villain, he knows what he’s about and is good at what he does. He wasn’t good at killing Batman so he moved on. He has a cool mustache. He’s to be played by Will Smith in the Suicide Squad movie in a rather true to comics costume. How will that go? Who knows? Maybe it’ll be a lucky shot. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Batman #59
Suicide Squad
Deadshot
Sinister Six
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
