The Batman: Arkham Origins Files – Deadshot

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If you can see Deadshot, then bad news: You’re already dead. From the Suicide Squad through to the Secret Six, Deadshot has had his guns pointed at everyone from Superman through to the Batman himself throughout his career.

Biography

His real name Floyd Lawton, Deadshot didn’t grow up with the ebenfit of a stable childhood. His father was an abusive man, taking his frustrations out on the younger Lawton, his older brother and his mother.

Lawton idealised his brother, and was fed up with the beating he received his from his dad. Determined to end the abuse once and for all, Lawton scaled a tree with a rifle owned by his dad, ready to kill him. However, the branch that Lawton was perched on broke as he fired his rifle, with the bullet finding his brother instead and killing him.

A changed man, Lawton would eventually resurface in Gotham City as a potential hero, dressed as a dapper gentlemen who fought crime alongside Batman. It wasn’t long before Batman and Commisioner Gordon exposed his real agenda, as Deadshot was cementing his position as a crime king of the Gotham underworld, before he attempted to rid himself of the caped crusader.

Captured and thrown in jail, Lawton served out his sentence and re-emerged as an assassin for hire and dressed in his more familiar and trademark uniform. Lawton would later find himself serving in the Suicide Squad, where his desire to die a spectacular death was revealed as the explanation for him taking on impossible missions.

Equipment and Skills

Marksmanship – Lawton is one of the best shots in the DCU, able to hit targets that would be impossible for lesser men to take on.

Weaponry – If it can fire a bullet, then Lawton can handle it. Anything from a revolver to a sniper rifle becomes even more dangerous under the expert marksmanship of Lawton, although his preferred weapons are two wrist-mounted guns that are fitted with silencers.

Hand to hand combat – Lawton is an accomplished fighter, and can hold his ground with season CQC fighters such as trained soldiers and mercenaries. But he’s no Batman when it comes to trading blows, preferring to rely on his arsenal of weapons instead.

Targeting system – Built into his bullet-proof helmet, Deadshot’s targeting system relays up to date information that helps further augment his marksmanship.

Essential Reading

Deadshot (2005 mini-series)

Discovering that he has a daughter, Deadshot sets out to reconnect with her, and instead finds a neighbourhood under siege from various gangs and hoodlums. Risking everything to do right by his child, Deadshot murders the crime rate down, a move that eventually brings him into conflict with resident vigilante Green Arrow.

Secret Six (2008 series)

Deadshot takes a more prominent role in Secret Six, joining the team of morally grey villains as they encounter other villains, jobs and missions. Lawton’s character gets further developed, as his twisted code of honour makes itself known, alongside his terrible sense of fashion.

Last Updated: October 22, 2013