Will Smith is playing the bad guy, Deadshot, in Suicide Squad – which is less than two months away. If you weren’t previously familiar with the character, it honestly might not matter anyway because who knows what story line these guys are going to go with. But, just so you aren’t flying blind when you’re in the theater watching everything go down, I got your back.

Surprise, Deadshot wasn’t black in the comics.

See what I mean? You definitely needed to know that. And your blerd homie (if you have one) doesn’t need this kind of question in their ear, fam. Floyd Lawton (aka Deadshot) was originally not the bald-headed Will Smith (in awesome gear) you see above. He was a well dressed mask-wearing white man with pistols and a top hat. And he fought crime instead of committing it. (Then he turned evil and got washed by Batman.)

The newer Deadshot is cooler (and more dangerous).

As you can see, Floyd Lawton is here shooting members of the police in the face. He is not a very nice man. The Suicide Squad story arcs really switched it all the way up as far as Deadshot is concerned. And his origin story got much darker also. We could get really deep into it, but we’re here for the highlights. Just know that certain versions of this guy’s life are pretty much the worst (especially when it comes to family relationships and self worth).

Ability-wise, Deadshot is pretty straight forward. Floyd is a highly skilled marksman assassin who is said to never miss (with any weapon). He’s usually a killer for hire, not really making much of a distinction who his targets are. However, in one version of his story, the reason he’s such an efficient killer is because he has an acute distaste for senseless violence – which is kind of weird given his profession. But, he’s doing it for his daughter, which somehow makes it all good. He’s also pretty good at throwing hands, has a very cool high-tech suit, and is bilingual.

The fact that the powers that be are race-bending a character that is usually considered so complex for Suicide Squad is a good thing (to me). Also, in the DCnU (DC Comics New 52 story line), Deadshot was pretty much the leader of the squad, so I’d wager that you can bet the same to be true for Will Smith’s version.

Suicide Squad will be in theaters on August 5th, 2016.

Surprise, Deadshot wasn’t black in the comics.

The newer Deadshot is cooler (and more dangerous).

Suicide Squad will be in theaters on August 5th, 2016.

Want more content from Ira Hobbs? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a beat!

Deadshot will smith

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week