Suicide Squad boasts a diverse cast of actors playing villains and other characters from around the DC Universe - but its biggest star is unquestionably Will Smith, who will play Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot. The assassin is said to be one of the film’s three primary characters (the other two being Joker and Harley Quinn), and Smith has expressed his fascination for the character’s motivations to kill for money. Now thanks to a new description, we may have an idea of what the superstar will be wearing for Deadshot’s live-action film debut.
According to sources over at Latino Review, the cinematic Deadshot will retain the traditional target eyepiece and mask from the comics, although the look has been altered so that the lower half of Smith’s face is showing - similar to how the character looked in the animated movie Batman: Assault on Arkham. Rather than try to replicate his red, yellow and silver costume from the comics, this version’s coloration will be dark red with black mixed in, which will be underneath the molded bulletproof armor he wears. The film’s Deadshot will also be rocking his trademark wrist guns, although he will also be lugging a sniper rifle around for most of the film.
Aside from the color scheme change, the most noticeable difference from the comics is the cut-off mask, but that isn’t too surprising. Superhero films have always had a thing about masks either not completely covering up the star’s face, or not wearing them the whole time. In this case it seems to be the former, and with Smith’s international fame, the production wants to make sure that the audience gets to see as much of his recognizable face as possible.
Although this is Deadshot’s first appearance on the big screen, he already has a few competitors in the live-action department, but compared to them, Suicide Squad’s Deadshot costume sounds the most comic book-y. Smallville’s Deadshot had the target eyepiece, but wearing a gray trench coat and cowboy hat, he looked more like a drifter from the Old West rather than a high-tech assassin, so the differences there are much more radical.
Then there’s Arrow’s Deadshot, who has been a recurring character on the CW series since its third episode. He switches between the eyepiece and an eye patch, and his get-up consists of a brown jacket, black pants, bulletproof vest and bandolier. Again, nothing that screams "comic book costume," but at least he looks like he’s dressed for battle.
Whatever he ends up wearing, the Suicide Squad Deadshot will be using his lethal skills to perform dangerous missions for the U.S. government alongside other incarcerated supervillains in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. With his background and frequently claims to "never miss," he’s sure to be a valued member of the team.
Suicide Squad will be released in theaters on August 5, 2016.
