Deathstroke vs. Deadshot: Part 1

Floyd Lawton: Deadshot

Deadshot, the professional name of assassin Floyd Lawton, debuted in 1950 in the pages of Batman (1940) #59. The year 2016 marked Deadshot's coming-out party to the general public with the recent release of Suicide Squad in theaters worldwide. Will Smith's portrayal of the world's best marksman even meet with some critical praise. Given the nature of their chosen profession, it seems only natural that Deathstroke and Deadshot would cross paths from time to time, leaving a trail of blood behind them. This feature will take a look at some of these bullet-filled confrontations.

Our first stop on our tour of blood between these two super-assassins takes place in Deathstroke: The Terminator (1991) #41. In part two of the "Deathstroke The Hunted" storyline, Slade Wilson finds himself on the run, framed for a crime of which he has no knowledge. With people coming out of the woodwork to bring him in, Deathstroke finds himself confronted by not one, but two of the world's deadliest men, the Bronze Tiger and Deadshot. Thought Deathstroke had the upper-hand against Deadshot in close-quarters combat, the interference of Bronze Tiger complicated matters greatly for Slade. Slade took Deadshot to the ground, but while distracted by Tiger, Deadshot opened up his wrist guns on Deathstroke at close range ending the confrontation. This battle is depicted below. Round One goes to Deadshot, but with a huge assist to Bronze Tiger.

Another confrontation took place in Secret Six (2008) #6, even though it was pretty short. This was little more than a deadly form of a game of chicken with neither killer "winning."

Two battles between the two master assassins with no decisive victor. But both of these battles took place prior to Flashpoint. In part two of this feature, I'll take a look at more confrontations between Deathstroke and Deadshot, featuring some within the New 52.