Will the Comic Deadshot Be An African American?

[electr1cgoblin]

Forgive me if this question has been posed elsewhere...I did look but this is still a pretty big forum. If the post needs to be moved or deleted, no problem.

I was reading about the casting choices for the new Suicide Squad movie, and wondered if anyone else had considered this. Since the comic companies tend to try to mold the comic world around the respective films these days (Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch will now be "Inhumans", characters tend to be drawn as the actors that portray them in the film, etc.), I wondered if there is any chance that, if the film is successful, that somehow Deadshot will be remodeled as an African American?

Assuming the film does good box office (and I'd say there's a good chance that it will), the majority of the public is going to know "Floyd Lawton" as a black man, specifically, Will Smith. Wouldn't it follow that DC would want to show consistency between the comic and the film, in order to potentially draw in new readers who are now interested in this group because of the film? I understand they'd have to do some very creative retrofitting of the characters' history, etc...but stranger things have happened.

Just askin'...

[Starchild]

This thread is not going to end well. But to answer your question. I think it depends on how well received Will Smith's portrayal is. I think it could happen.

[electr1cgoblin]

This thread is not going to end well. But to answer your question. I think it depends on how well received Will Smith's portrayal is. I think it could happen.

Yeah, I thought about the potential directions this could take. I risked it, hoping for the best and just wanting an open and polite discussion. We'll see...thanks for answering.

[Sirzechs]

No he won't, Wally was a different case.

[Ascended]

DC doesnt seem as quick as Marvel to synergize with its films. If this were a Marvel movie I'd say its quite likely to the point of being an absolute; they replaced the original Nick Fury with his son, who looks like Sam Jackson after all.

I'd say it depends on several factors; how popular and well received the then-current Suicide Squad book is, how well the film does, and how big a role the Squad is set to play in the larger scheme of the DC cinematic universe.

If the Squad's book is doing well, they'll be less likely to mess with that and change the characters around. We'll likely see some faces from the movie brought in and used on the comic roster, but the more solid a book is, the less likely DC will be to mess with it. Especially since we know that movies dont impact comic sales very much. And if the film is only a marginal success and/or the Squad is not designed to be used a lot in other films, there's less emphasis to bother making these sorts of changes.

So, I'd say it possible, but only likely if Will Smith's Deadshot is a breakout hit.

[megaharrison]

Doubt it, DC tends not to have the movies automatically change the comics like Marvel does. At least not yet.

Plus black supervillains in general are a bit of a taboo these days. There's Black Manta in DC, some guys on the Wrecking Crew in Marvel, and that's about it as far as any notables.

[JaggedFel]

Which is funny when u consider DC is always rebooting so it should be easier to match

[GlennSimpson]

In this particular case, I think Deadshot has already appeared enough that I don't think they will plausibly be able to "change" him.

[Ascended]

In this particular case, I think Deadshot has already appeared enough that I don't think they will plausibly be able to "change" him.

No, this isnt introducing a character into a new continuity for the first time, like what they did with Wally West.

If DC did this, they'd have to have Lawton replaced with someone else, and introduce Deadshot the Second.

[Black_Adam]

DC has always said there is enough room for multiple interpretations of their characters in different mediums, I don't believe they will.

[Arnoldoaad]

I think there is only one thing and one thing only that will make that happen.
if the movie ends up being good.

if not.
well...

there is a reason why Catwoman doesnt look like Haley Berry on the comics.

[Desh]

I understand people basing their assumptions on what was done in the past, but I think we should remember that DC is moving out to Burbank, I believe for reasons just like this - to get their comics more on the same page with how things from those comics appear in more popular media. Will they change Deadshot's race? I don't know, but I can see them doing it. All they would need is some reality bending event of some kind. They can always write something to make it 'make sense.'

[BohemiaDrinker]

Based on DC's track record, I doubt it. They're really bad with the synergy thing.

OTOH, as Desh just said, maybe this stuff will work differently after the move to Burbank,

Personally, I think they should do it. I would have preferred, by far, if Smith was playing Bronze Tiger. But if he has to be Deadshot, let's make Deadshot more in line in the comics, why not?

[Black_Adam]

Based on DC's track record, I doubt it. They're really bad with the synergy thing.

You say that like it is a bad thing, Magneto potentially not being Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's biological father.... Ugh, Marvel has done some stupid things before but this would have to be pretty high up the list.

Movies and comics have very little synergy to begin with, Iron Man may be "the guy" in the MCU but he still gets trounced by traditional heavy hitters like Spider-Man and Wolverine every month in comic sales. People who go out and watch the movies and buy the merchandise don't necessarily read the books.

I am perfectly fine with Smith as Lawton in fact I like it, but changing the character in the comics to accommodate your casual moviegoer who will in all likelihood, never even open a page of a comic, makes zero sense.

[Robotman]

Well Diane Nielson said there is going to be much more synergy between the DCE properties so I wouldn't be surprised if they change Deadshot's ethnicity. Marvel apparently just changed the backstory/origin of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to match their cinematic universe. When The Flash tv show runners decided that the West family was going to be African American a new black Wally West was introduced in the comics to prepare for his possible appearance on the show. Deathstroke has just been de-aged in his ongoing and he now looks a lot like Manu Bennett. Not to mention Felicity being introduced in Green Arrow.
So I wouldn't be surprised if they change Flyod's ethnicity in the next reality altering event or they just create a new character to take up the mantle of Deadshot.