Here’s What Batman Told Deadshot in DCAU’s ‘Justice League’

Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, is known as one of the world’s best – if not the best – detective. He’s also one of the greatest interrogators, as he always knows what to do or say to get the bad guys to talk. So he did in DCAU’s ‘Justice League,’ breaking one of the world’s greatest mercenaries – Deadshot – with a single phrase. But what exactly did Batman tell Deadshot?

While it was never confirmed what Batman said to Deadshot to make him talk, the voice actor Kevin Conroy revealed that the words he whispered during the recording sessions were: ‘I know where you live, Floyd.’ 

However, some fans disagree, saying it wouldn’t be menacing enough to break somebody as tough as Deadshot or vile enough to have Superman say, ‘You don’t want to know’ after Wonder Woman asked him what Batman said. Let’s explain the situation in detail without further ado and try figuring out what The Dark Knight said.

When did Batman and Deadshot famously face off?

Being a part of the same DC Comics universe, Batman and Deadshot met several times over the years. However, their most famous encounter didn’t come in the comics but in the DC Animated Universe, aka the DCAU. And, it wasn’t a face-off in terms of a battle, but a simple interaction that remained a mystery over two decades ago.

In Justice League’s episode called ‘The Enemy Below,’ someone is trying to take out Aquaman. There’s an assassination attempt made on Arthur Curry’s head, but the Justice League manages to stop and catch the culprit.

It turns out that the guy who tried killing Aquaman was none other than one of DC’s most infamous and prolific mercenaries – Deadshot. However, if you know Deadshot, you know that the guy isn’t pure evil, per se – he’s just willing to do whatever job is presented to him, granted it is paid well enough. 

Meaning somebody paid Deadshot to take out Aquaman, and the League was ready to get that information out of Deadshot. It’s hard to do, though, seeing that they never use methods of torture or other hardcore techniques – after all, they’re the good guys.

Superman takes the first try at Deadshot, but the mercenary just shuts him down. That’s when Batman grabs Deadshot by the shoulders and says, ‘I’ll take it from here.’ And that’s actually when the famous interaction – or face-off, if you will – took place.

As they move a bit further from the group, Deadshot says, ‘You can’t scare me, Batman,’ but Batman isn’t too eager to intimidate. Instead, he just says: ‘ Let me give you one word of advice…’, after which we only hear him whisper something into Deadshot’s ear.

Immediately, Deadshot flips the script and agrees to squeal everything he knows. Wonder Woman asks Superman what Batman said to Deadshot, knowing that Clark probably heard what Bruce whispered with his super-hearing. Superman just says: ‘ You don’t want to know.’

What was so short yet shocking that Superman didn’t even want Wonder Woman to know what was said?

What was the one word that Batman said to Deadshot?

Before we get into what Batman said to Deadshot, one must understand the situation and how he phrased his sentence prior to the indistinctive whisper. He didn’t actually say ‘one word’ to Deadshot. Rather, he said: ‘Let me give you one word of advice…’

In English, ‘word of advice’ has a synonymous meaning with ‘a piece of advice.’ The difference is, ‘word of advice’ is often used when advising someone when an imminent danger occurs. For instance – ‘his last word of advice was not to play with fire.’ It’s used sort of as a warning.

Therefore, when Batman says to Deadshot that he’ll give him ‘one word of advice,’ it doesn’t mean he’ll literally say ‘one word’ but rather give Deadshot only one warning. It could be a word, a phrase, a sentence, or even a speech. Now that we cleared the confusion about it being only a single word, what did Batman actually say to Deadshot?

Well, it was never confirmed, but multiple sources suggest that the voice actor behind Batman – Kevin Conroy – gave an interview where he revealed that the line he whispered during the recording sessions was – ‘I know where you live, Floyd.’ Meaning, that particular phrase was used when the sound editors mumbled Batman’s speech when whispering to Deadshot.

It would make sense, considering that Deadshot’s real identity is Floyd Lawton. But, would it be enough for someone like Deadshot to break so easily – after such a generic threat? And, would it be something that Superman wouldn’t want Wonder Woman to know? I mean, it’s not that bad, and if Deadshot were arrested, his identity would be revealed anyway.

It doesn’t have to mean that Batman actually said those exact words in the episode – it only means the sound editors used that phrase from Kevin Conroy to make the whisper sound mysterious and cool. He could’ve said something more intimidating, like Deadshot’s daughter’s name, address, or something similar.

After all, he did most of what Deadshot did to secure an easier future for his daughter, without her knowing he is a cold-blooded mercenary. 

When you think of it, even that phrase – ‘I know where you live, Floyd’ – might’ve scared Deadshot into thinking that if Batman knew where he lived, he probably knew about his daughter, and the guy just didn’t want to risk Batman exposing him, or making his daughter’s life harder in any way.

It goes without saying Bruce probably wouldn’t do any harm to a kid just because of the sins of their parents, but still, I guess it was enough to get Deadshot to talk. And, if Batman did mention Floyd’s daughter, it explains why Superman didn’t want to share that with Wonder Woman.

In all honesty, it’s all speculation. The only thing we know for certain is that a single phrase was enough for Batman to get one of the coldest mercenaries in the world to talk – and it speaks volumes about the fear factor The Dark Knight instills. 

You can choose to believe the phrase was ‘I know where you live, Floyd,’ as Kevin Conroy shared, or come up with something yourself – it doesn’t change the fact that it was an epic Batman moment from the DCAU.

What do you think Batman said to Deadshot? Let us know in the comments below!