- Love is a bullet in the brain.
- — Deadshot src
Floyd Lawton was a mercenary and assassin, nicknamed "Deadshot" by Interpol.
History
Floyd Lawton is a United States Army veteran who served multiple tours in the Middle East. After receiving an honourable discharge he returned home to his wife Susie and daughter Zoe, who had never seen him before. Lawton suffered from PTSD following his experiences and was unable to readjust to normal life. His family became afraid of him and he eventually had a breakdown where he threatened Susie with a gun and was arrested. Susie filed for a restraining order which prevented him from ever seeing her or Zoe again. The H.I.V.E. offered to free him from prison if he assassinated Andrew Diggle. Having nothing to live for Lawton agreed, becoming an assassin for hire. He placed all his earnings in a trust for Zoe to receive when she turned eighteen.
A master sniper, his calling card is to lace his bullets with curare, a deadly poison. He also has the names of his victims, (which include Andrew Diggle) tattooed onto his torso.
He first comes into conflict with the Arrow (then The Hood) when he is hired by businessman Warren Patel to kill his competitors, some of whom Arrow had been targeting himself. He nearly succeeds in killing the Arrow with one of his poisoned bullets. Equipped with a wrist mounted machine gun and a face-mounted targeting device, Deadshot attempts to kill Walter Steele, but instead engages Arrow in a parking garage. Deadshot is defeated when an arrow pierces his targeting device. He is assumed dead, but he survived, and managed to escape capture by unknown means.
Several months later, he is laying low in Bludhaven Apartments, when he is found by China White. Deadshot claims that he has retired, but White says that the Triad needs his ability to kill a target and disappear. As payment, Deadshot is given a new cybernetic targeting device to replace the one that Arrow destroyed. Deadshot attempts to assassinate Malcolm Merlyn, who survives due to the timely intervention of Arrow and Malcolm's son. Deadshot escapes, taking a contract in another country. He is soon pursued by Lyla Michaels of A.R.G.U.S., and John Diggle, who is obsessed with avenging his brother's death. Diggle and Michaels eventually set a trap for Deadshot, which was contingent on the Arrow taking him down. However, with the Arrow preoccupied on other matters, Deadshot easily dispatches the ARGUS agents and corners Diggle. Deadshot spares Diggle only because he had not been paid to kill him, then escapes again.
Lawton was captured by ARGUS and drafted into Task Force X, or as he called it, the Suicide Squad. He went on a number of missions with the Squad, including some where John Diggle accompanied them, and the two men gained an understanding of each other.
The Squad, including Diggle, were sent to Kaznia to rescue Senator Cray, who was seemingly being held hostage in a hospital by terrorists. In fact Cray was the mastermind and had set up the incident to boost his profile for a presidential run. Cray hadn't expected the Squad to show up and rigged the hospital to explode to cover his tracks. In order to allow the others to escape, Deadshot provided covering fire from the hospital. He was killed in the explosion, looking at a photograph of himself with his family. Lawton was scapegoated as the leader of the terrorists to protect the well-connected Cray, despite Lyla's attempt to set the record straight.
It was later revealed that Andrew Diggle had survived the assassination and been recruited by HIVE. John later killed Andy when he threatened his family. When John was framed for murder and imprisoned in the United States Disciplinary Barracks, he hallucinated that Lawton was his cellmate. The imaginary Lawton told John that he should hate himself as much as he had hated Floyd, and John decided not to fight the charges and accept imprisonment to atone for Andy's death.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Other Characteristics
- Missing Eye: His eye was severely damaged in his first confrontation with the Hood, requiring him to use his high-tech eyepatch to keep up his work.[1]
- PTSD
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series The Flash, its tie-in comic book series, and its related television series. It is an adaptation of Deadshot. The original character was created by David Vern Reed and Lew Sayre Schwartz and first appeared in Batman #59.
- Floyd Lawton was portrayed by Michael Rowe.
Related
- 28 Appearances of Floyd Lawton (Arrowverse)
- 7 Images featuring Floyd Lawton (Arrowverse)
- 4 Quotations by or about Floyd Lawton (Arrowverse)
- Character Gallery: Floyd Lawton (Arrowverse)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Lone Gunmen"
Suicide Squad member |
Green Arrow Villain(s) This character is or was primarily an enemy of Green Arrow, or his supporting cast including Black Canary and Team Arrow. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Arrow Villains." |