Deadshot

Hey, what do you know! Mattel is apparently making Suicide Squad toys. Deadshot is a career mafia hitman and possibly the best marksman in the world. A stone cold pro who works alone, trusting no one, his one soft spot is his young daughter, Zoe, whom both Amanda Waller and Colonel Rick Flag use as means to exploit the precision gunman into joining their mission. Deadshot was one of the perennial members of the Suicide Squad in the comics, so it's no surprise the movie would include him. It also shows why DC's "all in one" movie ownership is better than Marvel's multi-studio approach: though he's not often thought of that way, Deadshot began life as a foe for Batman, so if DC had split up their rights the way Marvel did, it's possible they would have had to make a Squad movie without him (the way the Avengers had to fight the Chitauri instead of Skrulls, and can't face Kang until Fox comes around). The movie's version of Deadshot does look incredibly cool. Like most superhero movies, Suicide Squad is going for a pseudo-"real world" aesthetic, favoring realistic materials and armor over spandex. Deadshot wears a red shirt (carrying over his colorscheme from the comics) and black pants, and he wears lots of plates of body armor. It definitely ends up looking more like a mercenary's uniform than a supervillain's costume, but it works. It wouldn't look at all out of place in the comics. Compare that to the Arrow (too realistic), Dark Knight Rises (way too understated), Smallville (no), or Arkham (either too comicbooky or too plain, depending on the game) versions, and you'll see why this is his best look yet. There's white lettering around his throat reading "I am the light, the way," but he's missing the red reticle over his heart. Deadshot's trademark look is his mask, white with a cybernetic eyepiece to aid in aiming. That sounds a bit silly, but Suicide Squad does not shy away from it at all. Granted, they've switched which side the eyepiece is on, and added some grey or silver stripes to the temples, but this is right on-target for Deadshot (no pun inteneded). Superhero movies make big money right now, so major actors are willing to appear in them. Glenn Close didn't appear in Guardians of the Galaxy because she loves the cosmic Marvel books, you know? But major actors require major paychecks, and you don't pay somebody a salary in the double-digit millions and not show their face. Since Deadshot is played by Will Smith, you know that mask is coming off! He's even unmasked in the package, so you'll have to swap the heads if you want the masked look. (Here, feel old: Will Smith is older now than James "Uncle Phil" Avery was when The Fresh Prince of Bel Air aired.) Like the Batman v. Superman toys, the Suicide Squad toys are bundled under Mattel's current DC Multiverse line, so Deadshot moves as poorly as the rest of Mattel's product: a balljointed head that's barely a swivel, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel forearms and wrists, a hinged torso, swivel waist, H-hips, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and hinged ankles. The torso on mine won't budge an inch - I don't know if that's common to all the figures, or just bad luck. His kneepads are separate pieces made from flexible PVC. Deadshot has his wrist-mounted guns, which are his trademark weapon, but don't really count as accessories. He has six ammo clips on his belt, and two pistols at the small of his back. There are three larger clips strapped to his left thigh, and a knife on the inside of his left boot. All those are just molded pieces, though, not actual useable items. His only accessory is the red and gold pistol that holsters on his right leg. Really, Mattel? We know he uses a rifle in the film, but all you could give him was a single pistol? That's why we love ya! There's a BAF for this series, though it's being released in the most convoluted manner possible. Deadshot comes with the bare right arm of Killer Croc. It's painted nicely - a dark browninsh green with a lighter streak along the inside, and bandages wrapped around the hand. Deadshot may be a white guy in the comics, but Will Smith's version looks cool enough, and comicbooky enough, that this toy could easily replace the DCUC9 version in your collection. -- 07/21/16

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