Superman wouldn't kill Deadshot, would he? Someone will in Suicide Squad #9
A preview of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's Suicide Squad #9
Earlier this year Suicide Squad writer Tom Taylor told fans on Twitter that one of the DC title's stars, Deadshot, would die in the ninth issue. And now the first preview of that issue is out - and while it doesn't show Deadshot dying, it does show a way to really get close - piss off Superman.
"If you ever needed proof that you shouldn’t get too attached to the 'heroes' of Task Force X, it’s coming on Tuesday, September 22 in the form of Suicide Squad #9, and here’s your first look!"
Check out this unlettered preview, drawn by Bruno Redondo:
Of course, he's Superman... he wouldn't... would he?
This comes as part of several of the series larger story threads come into focus. In this week's Suicide Squad #8, the reunion between Deadshot and his daughter (who now dubs herself Liveshot) was in full force, and we began to learn more about why the one-time Blue Beetle Ted Kord has decided to act like a straight-up villain.
While the preview shows Deadshot going up against Superman in his final moments, DC's description of the upcoming Suicide Squad #9 points the likely factor in Deadshot's death to the aforementioned Kord.
"The man who never misses has been on the front lines of Task Force X since its inception-bomb in his neck, gun in his hand. He's seen teammates blow up and countries fall. He's faced down heroes and villains alike. Now the Suicide Squad has one final mission: bring down the man who enslaved them, then put a bounty on their heads when they escaped: Ted Kord.
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"But to finish the job, the world’s deadliest assassin will have to do the one thing he’s never done for the cause: die!" the description concludes.
Of course, the Suicide Squad series itself will be coming to close with November's #11 - as part of a larger trimming of DC's line.
Suicide Squad #9 (of 11) goes on sale September 22.
Dead or alive, Deadshot is definitely one of the Suicide Squad's best members. Read our rundown of top 10 best Task Force X members.
Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)