Deacon Shaw

"*I may not be well smart. I may not be wise. But who needs wisdom when you got a mean right hook?*"
—Deacon Shaw to his brother[src]

**Deacon Shaw** is the twin brother of Archie Shaw and a member of the powerful Shaw Family; as the younger twin, he missed out on the position of head of Shaw Enterprises. Unlike his brother, who prefers to rule his criminal empire from behind the scenes, Deacon is more hands-on, more than willing to get his hands dirty for the sake of money and power. One year after the death of Iosef Barnes, Deacon brutally assaults and disfigures his brother and goes on the run, but is eventually captured by Nobody and given back to his brother, who begins to torture him. Deacon serves as the secondary antagonist of *Season 1* and the tertiary antagonist of *Season 2*.

## Biography

### Early Life and Background

Not much is known about Deacon's early life as of yet; he was born a few minutes after his twin brother Archibald, nicknamed "Archie". The boys were born into the powerful Shaw Family, the heads of the Shaw Enterprises conglomerate with significant power and influence in local and state government, who also had strong links to organized crime.

While both brothers were raised similarly, it was Archie who inherited a businessman's mind and the subdued ruthlessness needed to take control of such a large criminal network, while Deacon was notably less intelligent and preferred to take action with his fists. The two brothers were never very close but had an otherwise typical brotherly relationship: they would fight a lot, steal from each other and always try to humilate each other, especially in front of their peers. Deacon, as the less intelligent of the two, usually lost these contests. As they matured, however, the two came to acknowledge their natural bond not only as brothers, but also as twins.

In their late teens, the brother's parents were assassinated by rival crime lords, leaving the brothers the heirs to the immense Shaw fortune. While Archie became head of the company, Deacon was left with whatever power his brother delegated to him. Together the two brothers avenged their parents and strengthened their family's links to the underworld, making the Shaw Family arguably the most powerful criminals in New York City. Deacon quickly gained a reputation as a dim-witted but brutal enforcer for his brother, more than capable of keeping other criminals and their henchmen in line.

A few years before the beginning of *Nobody*, Deacon and a few goons robbed a store owener who owed them money. Deacon ended up beating up and almost killing a bystander, Michael Keene.

### On the Run

#### Duel of the Dockyard

Finding the dockyard where Deacon was hiding, Nobody quickly dispatched of his minions and drove Deacon himself out by detonating his pipe bombs, destroying Deacon's stash of cars in the process. Nobody then confronted Deacon directly and told him that he was bringing Deacon to his brother to face the consequences of his actions. Deacon roared at Nobody, telling him that he was going to finally kill him; Nobody taunted him, saying that no matter how strong Deacon was he still hadn't been able to kill Archie.

   The pair engaged in a fierce and brutal fight, where Nobody's speed, agility and combat prowess was equally matched with Deacon's brute strength and determination. Although Nobody's gear offered extra protection, Deacon was still able to beat him nearly to death by throwing him against cargo crates and hard onto the ground before beating him repeatedly with a metal pole, all the while ranting about how the city did not deserve heroes.

Determined to bring Deacon down and finally get his revenge, Nobody disarmed Deacon and used his knuckledusters to beat him into submission, telling him that New York City was his home and he would not allow Deacon, Archie or anyone else to destroy it. Barely able to stand due to the beating he had received, Deacon mocked Nobody's attempts to make a difference to the city all on his own while wearing what he had called a "silly little costume". However, Nobody instead used these insults to fuel his rage, beating Deacon until he was barely conscious.

As Deacon spat out blood, he demanded to know why Nobody was helping Archie. Nobody simply said that his motive was personal, and then removed his mask. Nobody said a final "Remember me?" at which point Deacon remembered what he had done to Michael so many years ago. Nobody then screamed "You made me!" before kicking Deacon across the face, knocking him out. Nobody caught his breath as he stood over Deacon, triumphant.

## Powers, Equipment and Abilities

### Abilities

* **Above-average strength:** Due to his large stature, weight and violent tendancies, Deacon possesses above-average strength. He was able to beat, lift and throw his brother Archie with ease while disfiguring him.

## Appearances

### Season 1

* "Photographic"
* "The Bad Man"
* "Some Good"
* "Bad Timing"
* "Crash Land"
* "Crying Shame"
* "I'm Nobody"