[1][2] The character was not seen again until twenty-nine years later when writer Steve Englehart along with artists Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin retooled him in Detective Comics (vol.1) #474 (1979), now presenting him with customized wrist-mounted guns and a unique mask featuring a multi-use lens over his right eye.

While typically portrayed as a supervillain, he is also sometimes depicted as an antihero as a member of the Suicide Squad where he fights more dangerous villains and threats, as well as through his need to protect those he regards as family, and through his occasional efforts to hold himself accountable to a personal code of ethics.

Deadshot was portrayed by Bradley Stryker in the final season of Smallville, Michael Rowe in the live-action Arrowverse franchise, and Will Smith in the DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad (2016).

In his debut story, Floyd Lawton is shown to be an independently wealthy man with a trusted staff member and valet named Stevens.

By various accounts, Floyd is repeatedly judged by his parents for not matching the achievements of his brother in academics and sports, leading the younger Lawton child to act out in various ways.

[5] When Eddie is in his mid-teens and Floyd is around 12 years old, Genevieve tells her sons about her husband's infidelities and the many abuses she suffers under him, then asks the boys to kill George.

The official report concludes that an unknown sniper opened fire twice on George and that his son Eddie heroically died while diving into the path of the second bullet.

As punishment for her efforts, George refuses to divorce Genevieve and instead forces her to live on a limited allowance and in isolation in another, smaller house the Lawton's own on the outskirts of town.

Despite his later claims that he felt nothing on seeing his brother die, he often shows anger when recalling the incident and Eddie's death inspires him to swear that in the future when he fires a gun, he will "never miss.

[6] As a member of the League of Assassins, who sometimes take private contracts but are also available as operatives of the terrorist Ra's al Ghul, David Cain is an expert in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat techniques, martial arts, and military tactics, and he trains Floyd Lawton in all these areas.

[6] Lawton becomes a hired assassin in Europe and South America, staying largely unknown to authorities but gaining a reputation among certain gangs and cartels as a killer who never misses.

Donning a tuxedo, top hat, gun belt, and domino mask, Lawton operates publicly in Gotham City as a vigilante called Deadshot and uses his marksmanship abilities to disarm criminals without killing them.

[3] At his first opportunity, he escapes imprisonment and decides to prove himself in combat against Batman with new, wrist-mounted guns, customized body armor, and a mask that helps his already impressive aim.

Under Waller's leadership, Task Force X is no longer a group of government and military operatives but now is primarily made up of incarcerated super-villains who are considered expendable if lost on dangerous missions and are promised reduced prison time in exchange for their services.

After being defeated by the Flash, Floyd Lawton is imprisoned again and transferred to Belle Reve, a prison in Louisiana that also serves as the secret hub for the new Suicide Squad.

[4] It is later said Deadshot is selected not only due to his skills but also because mandated therapy sessions have revealed he sometimes is prone to a "death-wish", internally hoping a proper enemy will end his life in a dramatic battle (it is also suggested this is why he initially decorates his second costume with a target on his chest).

[5] During his time with the team, Deadshot frequently clashes with teammate Captain Boomerang and field leader Rick Flag (for whom Floyd develops a grudging respect).

Soon after Deadshot joins the Suicide Squad, Batman learns of the team's existence and confronts them, threatening to expose that the US government is employing super-villains for covert and possibly illegal missions.

Therapist Dr. Marnie Herrs later agrees with this conclusion, remarking that Deadshot sometimes sabotages his own efforts as if inviting his opponents to take advantage of the situation and end his life.

[5] Having learned that Eddie's kidnapping was part of a complicated plot by Genevieve Lawton to inspire Floyd to finally kill his father, Deadshot returns to his home town.

Rather than possibly give her the outcome she desires, Deadshot chooses not to kill his mother and instead shoots her with a precision shot to the spine, causing her to be a paraplegic.

DC police then gun down Deadshot where he stands, but he survives his wounds and after a hospital stay and physical therapy he returns to active duty with the Suicide Squad.

Haunted by the memory of abandoning his son Eddie and later finding him dead, Floyd decides to take up temporary residence in the Triangle and look after Zoe and Michelle.

He learns more about Michelle as a person, such as that she is proud of her Cuban and Italian heritage, and he comes to understand the different criminal gangs and slum lords that threaten the Triangle.

Announcing his presence, Deadshot begins systematically fighting the corruption in the Triangle, hoping to make it a safer place for Zoe and Michelle.

His efforts in the Triangle also inspire Green Arrow to take more interest in the area, ensuring the Zoe and Michelle's neighborhood remains protected.

The series ends with Deadshot faking his death, having realized a normal life is not for him, but also having mostly cleared up the area and convincing Green Arrow to patrol it more regularly.

During the 2005–2006 Infinite Crisis storyline, Deadshot briefly operates with a short-lived incarnation of the Secret Six, joining other villains who are recruited by the mysterious Mockingbird (a temporary alias used by Lex Luthor).

For accepting membership, Deadshot is offered the reward of ruling North America; if he declines, his punishment will be the destruction of the Triangle in Star City, where Michelle and Zoe still live.

The team is hired to retrieve Tarantula from Alcatraz Island, and find a card which she stole from Junior, a mysterious villain who supposedly runs the entire West Coast mob.