Floyd Lawton (Earth 1)

Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot, is an assassin and mercenary. After his capture by Batman, Lawton was imprisoned in Belle Reve, where he was later recruited by Amanda Waller to join the government-sanctioned Task Force X.
While on a mission in Midway City, Lawton was tasked with the defeat of Enchantress, who built a doomsday device in the city, and her brother Incubus. His success served to reduce his prison sentence and allowed Lawton to visit his daughter.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Floyd Lawton was born on April 12, 1978 and was the child of an unhappy marriage. In his youth, Lawton was known to go in and out of prisons fairly frequently due to his criminal nature. By the time he reached his 20's, he had become a hardened gangster. Lawton idolized his older brother, who he accidentally shot as a teenager. As a result of this event, several factors came into play: he began to form deep affiliations with surrogate brothers, training in arms and display an inability to kill the vigilante known as Batman. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts at some point.
He began his vigilante career in Gotham City, New Jersey, but gradually evolved into a high-cost assassin and mercenary. Lawton's incredible skills eventually made him the most wanted hitman in the world with an elite clientele. At some point, Deadshot was paid a significant amount to perform an unusually twisted assassination. As part of the request, he carved out the man's heart and sent it to the client.
==== Mission in Gotham City ====
When Deadshot was on hire to kill an informant in police custody who was about to testify against his client, he set up a hardened reflective panel in front of the courthouse at the Gardener Building. Days before the informant's arrival, Deadshot had set up his equipment and uniform on the roof of the building in preparation for the assassination. On the day of the hit, Deadshot passed a group of homeless people on Courthouse Alley. Deadshot then scattered a few dinner coupons among the homeless partly out of charity but also to distract attention from his setup. He managed to enter the Gardener building by pretending to be a handyman while on-guard US Marshals checked off his 'name' on the approved list. After arriving at the rooftop, Deadshot quickly assembled his weapons and changed into his uniform. Deadshot called his client Angelo and demanded that he get paid immediately before killing the informant. As the convoy arrived and Deadshot threatened to call off the hit, he received his payment of $1 million upfront. However, for being rude to him, Deadshot then demanded that Angelo double the payment.
Through manipulation, Angelo begrudgingly doubled Deadshot's payment to $2 million. Satisfied, he cocked his wrist-mounted gun and fired a bullet from atop a tall building, perfectly striking the reflective panel and killing the informant. With his job complete, he put on his white mask and fled the scene by rappelling down the building.
==== Captured by Batman ====
On December 17, 2014, Amanda Waller becomes a situational ally of Batman, giving the latter some crucial information on how to track the assassin down. Hence, while Deadshot is walking down the street with his daughter Zoe, Batman suddenly glides down and seizes Deadshot, telling the latter to surrender, not wanting to do anything in front of Deadshot's daughter.
Deadshot attempts to fight off the vigilante, but Batman swiftly gets the better of him, knocking Deadshot to the ground. Deadshot then promptly pulls out his gun and attempts to shoot Batman, but Zoe stands in the way, crying because she did not want her father to kill anyone else. After a moment, Deadshot surrenders his gun and himself to Batman, who cuffs him to a gate and leaves him for the GCPD, who find him being hugged by a saddened Zoe who proclaims she loves her father while he says nothing. He is subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment at Belle Reve in Louisiana where he is subjected to abuse from the prison guards there including Captain Hunter Griggs.
=== Saving the world ===
==== Recruited into Task Force X ====
In 2020-2021, nine months after Griggs took over as his main guard at Belle Reve, Lawton is incarcerated in a prison where he is often mistreated by the guards of Belle Reve especially Griggs who feeds him disgusting food and beats him regularly.
While alone in his cell, he thinks about the last words his daughter spoke to him that "She loves him, even though he does bad things." Later, Amanda Waller gathers skilled individuals and metahumans for Project Task Force X. While being coerced into joining the team, Lawton personally displays his sharpshooter skills in front of Rick Flag, Waller, Griggs, and others in an attempt to negotiate that he be released and his daughter Zoe Lawton should be well provided for including a free ride to an Ivy League University in exchange for his services.
==== Deployment in Metropolis ====
With the attack in Metropolis by The New Toyman, Deadshot, along with the other members of the Suicide Squad (such as Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, Cheshire, KGBeast, and King Shark), are implanted with explosive nanotechnology provided by Dr. Van Criss and transferred to an evacuation point outside of the city, where they are joined by Slipknot. As the villains suit up for their mission, Harley asks if Deadshot is hesitant to put on his gear because it will no longer fit due to weight gain, He replies "No," and says that every time he puts it on "somebody dies" and that he "likes putting it on." They are given instructions by Waller via an electronic tablet that they are under Flag's direct command and extracting a highly valued asset known as HVT1 from the besieged city and will receive 10 years off of their life sentences as a reward.
Flag warned them if they annoy him or try to escape, he will kill them by using his touchpad to detonate their implanted nanobots - blowing their heads off. Deadshot informs Flag his motivational skills are lacking, citing he's no Phil Jackson and that even Waller's technique is superior to his. Deadshot states Task Force X is essentially just a "Suicide Squad". Flag's bodyguard Katana joins them at the last moments before take-off, with another helicopter carrying Squad B escorting them.
While mid-flight en route to their destination, Deadshot sees Harley communicating by text to the Joker with a phone that was given to her by a coerced Griggs. Harley signals for Deadshot to be quiet about it and he decides to comply. When Harley notices the otherworldly disturbance caused by The New Toyman, Deadshot asks Flag what happened and the latter lies calling it just a terrorist attack. This causes Deadshot to call him out as a bad liar. Lawton states he is a killer and hitman and he is not in the business of saving people.
Flag remarks Lawton will do anything for pay. After Lawton snaps back Flag "knows the dark places, too." Flag proudly declares he is a soldier and that Deadshot is a serial murderer for hire and that when the shooting starts Lawton will "just cut and run." as he thinks nothing of the hitman. When their helicopter is shot down, the squad is forced to travel the rest of the way on foot, splitting up with Squad B, who safely lands their helicopter nearby. After Captain Boomerang talks Slipknot into a foolish attempt to escape, getting the latter killed in the process by Flag, he asks who will die next and threatens Lawton. Afterward, Deadshot and Harley bond (with her referring to him as her "Friend" and he called her "Doll Face") and plot against Flag to turn the odds in their favor the first chance they get.
==== Battle of Metropolis ====
Soon after, the group encounters weird looking creatures in the Toyman's toys, Flag again threatens to blow Lawton's head off if he runs away when Deadshot inquires about the toys. When Deadshot and Flag, and the others approach them, the toys become hostile and attack. The squad is initially overwhelmed as the toys capture Flag, much to Harley's delight. Knowing the Squad members are as good as dead if the colonel is injured or killed, Deadshot reminds her of what Waller had said about that and leads his teammates to rally and turns the fight in their favor as Flag is recovered. By himself, he stands on a car and guns down many creatures, leaving even members of the US Army in awe of his skills.
Saying that is how he "cuts and run" to Flag, the proud hitman stops Harley from beating up the broken toys when she claims to have seen them move. He then asks Flag if the toys "terrorists" were once kids toys (which the latter admitted), having seen one of the toys wearing a $3,000 watch. While moving on with the objective, the determined Colonel then contacts Waller when all contact with Squad B fails and learns the other squadron was engaged with another group of Eyes at the same time, but were all taken as prisoners and brought to the Enchantress herself.
About halfway to the building where HVT1 is located, Deadshot stops to look through the window of a children's clothing store. There, he sees a child-size mannequin of a winter parka similar to the one Zoe wore the day he was captured. After witnessing Deadshot's abilities in combat situations and seeing how the other members of Task Force X interact with and respect him, Flag asks Lawton to help him lead and keep the group in line so they have better odds of surviving the mission. He promises to pull strings for Deadshot if he complies, stating Waller is not the only one with connections. Deadshot keeps Harley in line when she begins to taunt Croc and Katana asking her to "play nice with the other children."
==== Retrieving Waller ====
When they reach the John F. Ostrander Federal Building, Deadshot goes ahead of the rest of the group despite protest from Flag. Flag and company immediately follow him into the building, and when Harley breaks away from the others Lawton, Flag, and the others go after Harley together. When Flag is given the heads up the group is surrounded by hostile toys, Deadshot puts on his trademark protective mask, prompting Harley to mock him as a "pussy" and Lawton to admonish her and threaten to knock her out despite her being a girl. When the group is under attack from the evil toys, Lawton gets Harley, Boomerang, Croc, and Katana to circle Flag to protect him from the army of the evil toys.
He then aggravates El Diablo enough by taunting him, that he kills the hostile toys around them. Lawton apologizes to Santana afterward stating he was just trying to motivate like Phil Jackson. As they advance up to the higher levels of the building, using the stairs, Deadshot has a gun pointed in his face by Harley who is lost in thought about the night of her transformation physically at Ace Chemicals. When she regains her focus, she lowers the gun she had pointed at her friend. Harley then asks Deadshot point blank if "he's ever been in love?" To which Deadshot reply's "Naw. Never" stating he doubts he'd be able to sleep so well at night having killed as many people as he has and could feel deep emotions like love. Harley refers to Deadshot as "another textbook sociopath" possibly comparing him to her lover the Joker.
Once the group reaches the intended floor, Flag asks to continue into a secured room alone to retrieve the target, Deadshot states their rescuee better "cure cancer" after all the trouble they've gone through. Initially, Flag and the target revealed to be Waller herself, talk but are soon joined in conversation by Deadshot. Lawton is present as he and Flag witness Waller murder every single member of her FBI special ops team because they didn't have "clearance." He calls Waller "a mean lady" for the cold-blooded murders.
Having acquired Waller, Lawton, Flag, and the rest of the Suicide Squad escort her to the roof for a helicopter pick up. When it's revealed the Joker hijacked Waller's rescue ride and opens fire on the Suicide Squad he tells Harley to use this moment for her escape as the others duck for cover. When a captive Dr. Van Criss jams the signal that allows Flag to detonate the nano explosive in her neck, Waller approaches Deadshot with a bounty for Harley. Waller tempts a hesitant Deadshot with freedom for himself and real-life for his daughter if he kills Harley. He promises to do it, but refusing to be just a pawn Deadshot, the man that never misses, intentionally aims off-target and spares a vulnerable Harley. His refusal to kill one of their own further earns him the respect of his fellow Task Force X Members, especially Captain Boomerang.
It appears to be for nothing when Waller orders the hijacked helicopter by Jokers gang shot down and Joker and Harley are killed. Lawton becomes further disheartened when Waller's freshly arrived Helicopter shortly after is also shot down by the Eyes of the Adversary army, and Flag admits Lawton has no deal if they do not rescue Waller. Outside the building on the street level once again the Suicide Squad is reunited with Harley who thinks her lover is now dead. Grateful that Harley is still alive and that his act of defiance wasn't for nothing, Deadshot grabs Harley into his arms from on top of a car roof and lowers his friend safely onto the ground.
==== Drowning sorrows ====
With Amanda Waller her valuable captive for top secret information about Earth's defenses, Enchantress's machine neared completion. As the group advanced closer on what Deadshot called "A big swirling ring of trash in the sky," he grew more concerned about what the squad was getting itself into and demanded answers. When Flag blew him off, Waller's binder of classified information caught Deadshot's eye at the helicopter crash site where Incubus attacked. Upon reading it and finding out the truth that all the chaos is being caused by all-powerful fellow squad member went rogue and her brother, and that Waller is inadvertently responsible, Deadshot demands Flag tell the group. When Deadshot gives up hope and states Flag needs a miracle, he abandons the mission to go get a drink at a nearby bar. The other Squad members follow him including Flag's bodyguard Katana.
Inside the bar, the Suicide Squad drowns their sorrows about the end of the world. Deadshot makes a toast to " honor among thieves" prompting Katana to declare she's not one. Deadshot reminds everyone that they will be blamed for everything. When Harley asks what his deal was with Flag was, he admits to being offered his freedom and his daughter. An angry El Diablo explodes and says Lawton allowed himself to be used by Flag. Lawton states he knew but allowed it so he could have hope. El Diablo states that hope doesn't stop karma and that it's coming to him and asks Deadshot how many victims he's killed. Along with the rest of the squad, a defensive Lawton listens as Santana admits to killing his wife and kids in a fit of anger when he burned down their house. Shocked and horrified, Deadshot tries to get Harley to back off Santana when she proclaims it was destined to happen because people like them do not get a normal life.
As the group continues to talk and drink as the world ends, they are joined by Flag who extends an olive branch to the group by smashing the nanodevice. He shows Deadshot what he was saving for after their mission was successful, letters from his daughter Zoe who writes him daily. Angry about that being kept from him, yet inspired and wanting to show his daughter he's a worthwhile person and not just a killer for hire, Deadshot vows to help Flag complete the mission and save Waller along with the rest of the world. As Deadshot rejoins the mission, Harley follows his lead, stating that she too will help and urges Katana, King Shark, Cheshire, and El Diablo to do the same, they are even rejoined by Boomerang soon after he initially bolted.
==== The Final Fight Against Toyman ====
The Suicide Squad and Special Ops team come up with a tentative plan to take on Toyman, deciding to take out the former first with a demo charge. As they make their way to the final confrontation, Flag joins Deadshot to the end. The squad attack Toyman, while King Shark and Flag's platoon of Navy SEALs plant a bomb beneath the subway to kill Incubus. El Diablo embraces his pyrokinesis, sacrificing himself to maneuver and keep the toy soldiers in the right spot. Toyman invites the squad to join him, and Harley pretends to be tempted to get close enough to steal the device from Toyman. Flag shuts down the force shield around Metropolis.
However, Waller reemerges with a functional nano detonation device and informs everyone the only place they are going is back to Belle Reve. Deadshot wants more than just 10 years of his prison sentence and demands to see his daughter again. Waller agrees to Lawton's request and accepts special requests from the other Suicide Squad members as well in return for them saving the world.
==== Brief reunion ====
Later on, Lawton is back in Gotham City in an apartment using his skills to help his daughter with her homework. Rick Flag, who is also there, stops U.S. Marshals from putting Deadshot back into shackles before he can say goodbye to his little girl properly. Zoe hugs her father goodbye saying she loves him. Finally feeling worthy of his daughter's love after everything he's been through recently, Deadshot mutters "I love you too" back to Zoe. Back at Belle Reve, Deadshot is seen in his cell using his punching bag, with a big pile of his daughter's letters by the window.
As Waller promised, Deadshot continues to have regular visits with Zoe.
==== Legacy ====
Deadshot's success in helping shepherd Task Force X's maiden mission allowed A.R.G.U.S. to arrange several more missions for the group, albeit composed of different combinations of members in certain missions. At least one member, Savant was known to have heard of the phrase "Suicide Squad" coined by Deadshot, referring to the name upon joining the team.
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Father
* Older brother
* Unidentified - ex-wife
* Zoe Lawton - daughter
=== Allies ===
* Angelo - former employer
* Task Force X - teammates
** Rick Flag † - leader, friend and respected ally
** Nanaue / King Shark
** Chato Santana/El Diablo † - savior
** Christopher Weiss/Slipknot †
** Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana
** Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang †
** Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn - friend and former teammate
** Jade Nguyen / Cheshire
** Anatoli Knyazev / KGBeast †
* United States Air Force
** "GQ" Edwards † - former ally
** Gomez † - former ally
=== Enemies ===
* Darnell - ex-wife's boyfriend
* Batman - apprehender and one-sided archinemesis
* A.R.G.U.S. - exploiters
** Amanda Waller - boss and manipulator
* The New Toyman †
** Hunter Griggs - abuser
*** Ames - abuser
** Van Criss Laboratories
*** Van Criss † - nano-bomb implanter