Deadline (DC Comics)

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Deadline

From Aquaman v3 #09, pencils by Joe St. Pierre
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Starman #15 (October 1989)
Created by Roger Stern
In story information
Team affiliations Killer Elite
Suicide Squad
Abilities None

Deadline is a fictional villain in the DC Comics universe. He first appears in the story "Deadline Doom!" in Starman #15 (October 1989).

[edit] Fictional character biography

Deadline first appears as a mercenary with a contract on Starman Will Payton. He is mentioned to be one of the best and highest paid super-mercenaries, along with Bolt. Other stories suggest that while Deadline is a master of what he does, he is not as highly regarded as, for example, Deathstroke or Deadshot.

Deadline appears as a vacationiner in Bialya after it is opened up to supervillains. When the country is assisted by the Justice League, Deadline is captured by Guy Gardner.

Deadline appears in Suicide Squad (1st series) #64-66 as part of a more villainous version of the Squad propping up the dictatorship in the Bermuda Triangle island of Diabloverde. His team is shown terrorizing civilians for fun. Amanda Waller and her Squad take out him and his colleagues while attempting to remove the dictator.

During the "Underworld Unleashed" event, Deadline meets fellow mercenaries Deadshot, Merlyn the Archer, Bolt, and Chiller, and bands together with them as the Killer Elite. While operating witn this group, they confront the mercernaries called 'The Body Doubles' in the one-shot "New Years Evil The Body Doubles". The entire 'Elite' suffers multiple humilating defeats.

He appears in Aquaman #9 where he is hired by King Theisley of Poseidonis to assassinate Aquaman. Despite managing to get Aquaman out of the seas and into the sky, he fails to kill him. He also attempts to kill Steel at one point but fails that as well.

In Flash (2nd series) #179 (December 2001), Deadline is shot and apparently killed by Warden Wolfe at Iron Heights prison while trying to escape with cohorts Deadshot and Merlyn.

He later appears alive in the 2004 Deadshot mini-series. Writer Christos Gage justified this by pointing out that at the time of the shooting Deadline had been dosed with Joker venom, which has been established as having healing properties.

[edit] Powers and abilities

Deadline has not inherent powers. He wear special equipment, including golden battle armor, plasma gun, flying discs and a dispersal device that allows him to pass through walls.

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